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Boomers Win With Unprecedented $9 Trillion Inheritance Surge

  • U.S. households poised to inherit $36 trillion over 30 years
  • Flood of cash will widen inequality gap between generations
Senior couple driving convertible car at sunrise on rural highway

Photographer: Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

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The rich aren’t just getting richer. They’re getting older. And, fortunately for their children, they’re set to leave plenty of money in the bank.

About $36 trillion will flow from one generation to another over the next 30 years, according to a report Tuesday from wealth manager United Income. The pace of bequests has already started surging. Americans inherited $427 billion in 2016, the most recent data available, up 119% from 1989 even after adjusting for inflation.