Generational wealth transfer breaks philanthropic momentum

Baby boomers worry their heirs won't maintain charitable giving patterns, but BofA's research shows younger inheritors are actually giving at comparable or higher rates. The gap is between boomers' perception of decline and the actual replication of their habits. This misalignment matters because it shapes how $124 trillion in wealth transfer gets deployed over the next decade: if boomers restrict charitable assets in their wills based on unfounded anxiety about Gen X and millennials' values, it redirects capital away from foundations and causes that depend on sustained wealth-class support. Younger donors give differently—more impact-focused, less tradition-bound—not less.