With the baby boom generation on the cusp of retirement, life expectancies on the rise, and the nation's cultural makeup in flux, the United States is faced with social and policy quandaries that demand attention. How are elders to balance the competing claims of helping family members during their lifetime, saving for old age, and planning estates? What roles should the state, family, and individuals play in supporting people during later life? Are new familial gift-giving trends sustainable, and, if so, what effects might they have on future generations?Through empirical analyses, case studies, interviews, and anecdotes,Jacqueline L. Angel explains the historical nature of familial giving and how it is changing as the nation's demographics shift. She explores the legal, personal, and policy complexities involved in passing wealth down through generations and provides a cross-disciplinary context for exploring the indelible effects that newly unfolding inheritance practices will have on various societal cohorts and the nation in general. From nuclear and extended families to the state and nongovernmental bodies, Angel's engaging study explores how attitudes toward giving are evolving and confronts in stark terms the legacy that these shifts in attitude will leave.
Preface1. The Story of Inheritance: Intergenerational Giving in Aging AmericaTrands in Wealth TransfersThe Aging American Family2. The Inheritance RevolutionThe Origins of Our Inheritance LawsEarly AmericaForging a New Path: Women and Inheritance LawsInheritance in Modern AmericaFamily and Inheritance ChangesDecisions about Inheritance3. The Political Realities of Retirement SecurityWho Is Going to Care for Us?The Political Economy of Giving and ReceivingThe Legacy of the Modern Welfare StateThe DilemmaEmployer Pension versus Personal SavingsCross-National Research4. Dimensions of Giving between GenerationsThe Joy of GivingTheoretical Perspectives on Money: Good versus Evil?Contemporary Studies of MoneyGifts as AssistanceContextualizing Gift GivingSimply LoveFellowship for FundsGiving, Not ReceivingThe Family Life Cycle and Inheritance5. Money Memories: Narratives of the Meaning of Giving and ReceivingHistory LessonsThe Silent GenerationBaby BoomersExpanding Obligations Equal Shrinking InheritancesDrawing Down AssetsDeciding Too Late or Not at AllFamily DisagreementsBackground on the InterviewsEarly Beginnings of Family Dynamics and MoneyMoney as a GiftMoney with Strings AttachedHow Money MattersThe Costs of WealthA Guarded SecretThe Value of Gifts6. Contemporary Values and Beliefs regarding Intergenerational TransfersIt Isn't Just MoneyFamily Values and IdeologiesLeaving a LegacyTransferring AssetsInter Vivos ExchangesChildren Helping ParentsChoosing InheritanceChallenges to Family IdeologiesTo Give or Not to Give, That Is the Question7. Leaving a Legacy: Personal Security, Family Obligations, and the StateThe Effects of Public Policy on Family Gift GivingHow Estate Taxes VaryEstate Taxes and ExemptionsEstate Planning for the FamilyPrivate Long-term Care InsuranceEstate Recovery and Related Long-term Care Financing IssuesInter Vivos Transfers and InheritanceThe Impact of Gift Giving on the Family: What Helps? What Hurts?Myths and Realities of Making a Will8. Inheritance and the Next Generation of Old-Age PoliciesThe New Status QuoSorting Out the DebatePossible ScenariosThe Politics of Social Security ReformThe Face of the Future WorkforcePolicy Options: Public, Private, and CombinedHealth Care InsecurityImplications and Conclusions9. Summary and New Directions for ResearchThe Demography of Gift Giving in Late LifeShould Women Worry about Their Retirement?Generational Differences: Money Memories and Family IdeologyAn Agenda for Future ResearchAppendix A: MethodologyAppendix B: Questions Used in Semistructured In-depth InterviewBibliographyIndex
""Provides a good overview of some central questions regarding the role of gifts and bequests in the social fabric.""
