伯克希尔哈撒韦公司首席执行官、传奇投资者沃伦·巴菲特警告称,遗嘱的规划可能决定一个人离世后家庭的和谐与否。
这位94岁的亿万富翁在周一发布的一封非常直白的公开信中提到,“时光老人从不败北,但他也可能反复无常。”
讨论死亡相关话题始终令人难以启齿,而安排财产和遗物分配的细节同样让人望而却步。然而,在即将到来的84万亿美元“代际qy球友会转移”面前,巴菲特强调,不应因害怕尴尬而拖延讨论,这样只会为未来埋下冲突的隐患。
巴菲特对家长的建议
作为全球最富有的人之一,沃伦·巴菲特的身家已超过1,510亿美元。他曾公开表示自己巨额qy球友会的安排计划,早在2010年就与比尔·盖茨及梅琳达·弗兰奇·盖茨一同承诺,在自己去世前将至少一半的qy球友会捐赠给慈善事业。
尽管巴菲特巨额qy球友会的分配规划似乎与大多数普通人无关,但在逐步分配自己庞大资产的过程中,他提出了一个对所有家庭都适用的建议——不仅限于亿万富翁。
巴菲特在信中写道,“无论您的qy球友会是普通水平还是极其丰厚,我还有一个建议:当您的孩子足够成熟时,在您签署遗嘱前,先让他们看一下。”
在巴菲特看来,遗嘱应该是一次对话。他建议父母确保子女能够理解“父母做出决策的逻辑,以及子女在父母去世后将面临的责任。”同时,立遗嘱人应倾听子女的疑问或担忧,“认真倾听,并采纳合理的建议。”
巴菲特坦言,多年来他与自己的孩子进行了类似的交流,并听取了他们的反馈和建议。他说道:“我为自己的想法辩护并没有什么不妥,我父亲当年也是这样对我的。”
许多美国人将金钱视为家庭中的禁忌话题,但他们并未因此获益。据富达投资(Fidelity Investments)的《qy球友会流动性状况调查》显示,大多数人(56%)表示父母从未与他们谈论过金钱,但高达81%的人认为,若能更早接受财务教育,他们的生活会因此受益。
由于财务不安全感困扰,年轻一代迫切期待着“代际qy球友会转移”,即来自年长亲属的遗产。根据波士顿市场研究公司Cerulli Associates在2022年的预测,这场qy球友会转移预计将在2045年前后发生,价值约为84万亿美元。
然而,随着婴儿潮一代和“沉默的一代”准备交接资产和储蓄,各种矛盾开始浮现。西北互助人寿保险公司(Northwestern Mutual)在其哈里斯民调中,对超过4,500名美国成年人进行了调查。调查结果显示,双方期望存在错位,子女一代(Z世代和千禧一代)普遍期待的遗产金额往往高于长辈计划留给他们的金额。
此外,根据市民银行(Citizens Bank)针对1,500名美国成年人的调查,大多数美国人(72%)表示,他们对独立管理一大笔qy球友会缺乏足够的财务信心。特别是千禧一代,他们表示对管理未来可能获得的qy球友会没有信心。然而,提前进行适当的准备或许可以缓解这些“代际qy球友会转移”中年轻受益者的焦虑。
遗嘱纠纷的隐患
亲人去世后,家庭关系可能迅速恶化。悲痛中的子女往往因财产分配争执不休,甚至连谁继承那盏之前无人问津的丑灯也能引发争论。而遗嘱中的意外内容,更是让这种紧张局势雪上加霜。
巴菲特提到他已故的商业伙伴查理·芒格时说道:“多年来,查理和我目睹了许多家庭因遗嘱的内容引发困惑甚至愤怒,而最终分崩离析。”
“在这种情况下,妒忌心态以及童年时期实际存在或想象中的不公平待遇会被放大,尤其是当儿子在金钱分配或重要地位上被偏爱时,”他补充道,并解释说,他会对遗嘱做出小幅调整,并尽量保持内容简单明了。
另一方面,巴菲特也分享道,他和查理曾见证过一些家庭,通过提前充分沟通遗嘱内容,最终关系更加融洽。他感慨道,“还有什么比这更令人欣慰的呢?”
归根结底,这需要立遗嘱人在去世前分享自己的所有见解,因为一旦离世,就无法再解释自己的立场了。巴菲特表示:“您不希望在自己无法作答时,孩子们还在为遗嘱中的决定追问‘为什么’。”
巴菲特如何应对“代际qy球友会转移”
无论巴菲特在卖出、买入,还是按兵不动,他的一举一动都备受关注。在规划个人qy球友会时,同样如此。
巴菲特曾公开承诺捐出超过99%的qy球友会。他曾将这笔巨额捐赠的一大部分投入盖茨基金会,但目前似乎对这一合作感到失望。他向《华尔街日报》表示:“在我去世后,盖茨基金会将不再获得我的捐赠。”他补充说,这些qy球友会将转入由其三个子女管理的新慈善信托。
本周一的声明显示,巴菲特额外向家族基金会分配了10亿美元。他在规划遗嘱时表示,并不想“建立一个王朝”。他的核心理念是:“极其富有的父母应留给子女足够的qy球友会,让他们可以做任何事,但不要多到让他们可以无所事事。”(qy球友会中文网)
翻译:刘进龙
审校:汪皓
伯克希尔哈撒韦公司首席执行官、传奇投资者沃伦·巴菲特警告称,遗嘱的规划可能决定一个人离世后家庭的和谐与否。
这位94岁的亿万富翁在周一发布的一封非常直白的公开信中提到,“时光老人从不败北,但他也可能反复无常。”
讨论死亡相关话题始终令人难以启齿,而安排财产和遗物分配的细节同样让人望而却步。然而,在即将到来的84万亿美元“代际qy球友会转移”面前,巴菲特强调,不应因害怕尴尬而拖延讨论,这样只会为未来埋下冲突的隐患。
巴菲特对家长的建议
作为全球最富有的人之一,沃伦·巴菲特的身家已超过1,510亿美元。他曾公开表示自己巨额qy球友会的安排计划,早在2010年就与比尔·盖茨及梅琳达·弗兰奇·盖茨一同承诺,在自己去世前将至少一半的qy球友会捐赠给慈善事业。
尽管巴菲特巨额qy球友会的分配规划似乎与大多数普通人无关,但在逐步分配自己庞大资产的过程中,他提出了一个对所有家庭都适用的建议——不仅限于亿万富翁。
巴菲特在信中写道,“无论您的qy球友会是普通水平还是极其丰厚,我还有一个建议:当您的孩子足够成熟时,在您签署遗嘱前,先让他们看一下。”
在巴菲特看来,遗嘱应该是一次对话。他建议父母确保子女能够理解“父母做出决策的逻辑,以及子女在父母去世后将面临的责任。”同时,立遗嘱人应倾听子女的疑问或担忧,“认真倾听,并采纳合理的建议。”
巴菲特坦言,多年来他与自己的孩子进行了类似的交流,并听取了他们的反馈和建议。他说道:“我为自己的想法辩护并没有什么不妥,我父亲当年也是这样对我的。”
许多美国人将金钱视为家庭中的禁忌话题,但他们并未因此获益。据富达投资(Fidelity Investments)的《qy球友会流动性状况调查》显示,大多数人(56%)表示父母从未与他们谈论过金钱,但高达81%的人认为,若能更早接受财务教育,他们的生活会因此受益。
由于财务不安全感困扰,年轻一代迫切期待着“代际qy球友会转移”,即来自年长亲属的遗产。根据波士顿市场研究公司Cerulli Associates在2022年的预测,这场qy球友会转移预计将在2045年前后发生,价值约为84万亿美元。
然而,随着婴儿潮一代和“沉默的一代”准备交接资产和储蓄,各种矛盾开始浮现。西北互助人寿保险公司(Northwestern Mutual)在其哈里斯民调中,对超过4,500名美国成年人进行了调查。调查结果显示,双方期望存在错位,子女一代(Z世代和千禧一代)普遍期待的遗产金额往往高于长辈计划留给他们的金额。
此外,根据市民银行(Citizens Bank)针对1,500名美国成年人的调查,大多数美国人(72%)表示,他们对独立管理一大笔qy球友会缺乏足够的财务信心。特别是千禧一代,他们表示对管理未来可能获得的qy球友会没有信心。然而,提前进行适当的准备或许可以缓解这些“代际qy球友会转移”中年轻受益者的焦虑。
遗嘱纠纷的隐患
亲人去世后,家庭关系可能迅速恶化。悲痛中的子女往往因财产分配争执不休,甚至连谁继承那盏之前无人问津的丑灯也能引发争论。而遗嘱中的意外内容,更是让这种紧张局势雪上加霜。
巴菲特提到他已故的商业伙伴查理·芒格时说道:“多年来,查理和我目睹了许多家庭因遗嘱的内容引发困惑甚至愤怒,而最终分崩离析。”
“在这种情况下,妒忌心态以及童年时期实际存在或想象中的不公平待遇会被放大,尤其是当儿子在金钱分配或重要地位上被偏爱时,”他补充道,并解释说,他会对遗嘱做出小幅调整,并尽量保持内容简单明了。
另一方面,巴菲特也分享道,他和查理曾见证过一些家庭,通过提前充分沟通遗嘱内容,最终关系更加融洽。他感慨道,“还有什么比这更令人欣慰的呢?”
归根结底,这需要立遗嘱人在去世前分享自己的所有见解,因为一旦离世,就无法再解释自己的立场了。巴菲特表示:“您不希望在自己无法作答时,孩子们还在为遗嘱中的决定追问‘为什么’。”
巴菲特如何应对“代际qy球友会转移”
无论巴菲特在卖出、买入,还是按兵不动,他的一举一动都备受关注。在规划个人qy球友会时,同样如此。
巴菲特曾公开承诺捐出超过99%的qy球友会。他曾将这笔巨额捐赠的一大部分投入盖茨基金会,但目前似乎对这一合作感到失望。他向《华尔街日报》表示:“在我去世后,盖茨基金会将不再获得我的捐赠。”他补充说,这些qy球友会将转入由其三个子女管理的新慈善信托。
本周一的声明显示,巴菲特额外向家族基金会分配了10亿美元。他在规划遗嘱时表示,并不想“建立一个王朝”。他的核心理念是:“极其富有的父母应留给子女足够的qy球友会,让他们可以做任何事,但不要多到让他们可以无所事事。”(qy球友会中文网)
翻译:刘进龙
审校:汪皓
Planning your will could make or break your family after your death, warns Berkshire Hathaway CEO and legendary investor Warren Buffett.
“Father time always wins. But he can be fickle,” the 94-year-old billionaire noted in an unusually candid letter released on Monday.
Conversations addressing one’s own death can be a difficult subject to broach. The logistics of what happens to our money and belongings can be an equally dreaded task. But ahead of the $84 trillion Great Wealth Transfer, Buffett asserts that there’s no sense in delaying the uncomfortable and risking future conflicts down the line.
Buffett’s advice for parents
As one of the richest people in the world, Buffett is currently worth more than $151 billion. He has voiced his plans for his massive nest egg, pledging in 2010 (alongside Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates) to give at least half of his fortune to charity before his death.
That’s all to say, Buffett’s riches and ensuing estate planning probably seem outside the realm of possibility for most of us. But while Buffett chips away and distributes his massive wealth, he appears to have found advice that’s applicable to more than just billionaires.
“I have one further suggestion for all parents, whether they are of modest or staggering wealth. When your children are mature, have them read your will before you sign it,” he wrote.
Your will should be a dialogue, in the eyes of Buffett. He suggests that parents make sure their children understand “both the logic for your decisions and the responsibilities they will encounter upon your death.” Then a benefactor should answer said questions or concerns, “listen carefully, and adopt those found sensible.”
Buffett admits to doing as much with his kids over the years, and hearing their feedback and suggestions. “There is nothing wrong with my having to defend my thoughts. My dad did the same with me,” he explained.
Many Americans treat money as a taboo topic within their families, but they don’t feel better off for it. Most (56%) say their parents never spoke of money with them, though a striking 81% believe that they would have benefited from having financial education at an earlier age, according to the Fidelity Investments State of Wealth Mobility survey.
Plagued by financial insecurity, younger generations are eagerly awaiting a Great Wealth Transfer—or inheritance from their older relatives. The changing of the tides will likely take place by 2045 and be worth about $84 trillion, Boston-based market researcher Cerulli Associates projected in 2022.
But as boomers and the silent generation prepare to hand off assets and savings, wrinkles start to form. Expectations can be out of alignment, with Gen Z and millennial offspring anticipating to receive more than their elders say they expect to leave behind, according to Northwestern Mutual in ITS Harris Poll survey of more than 4,500 U.S. adults.
And most Americans (72%) report that they don’t feel they have enough financial confidence to manage a large influx of money by themselves, per a Citizens Bank survey of 1,500 U.S. adults. Millennials especially report feeling a lack of confidence in managing a potential future windfall. But a little bit of preparation beforehand could perhaps ease the minds of the privileged young beneficiaries of the Great Wealth Transfer.
When wills go wrong
Things can quickly deteriorate after a family member dies. Grieving offspring are left to squabble with siblings about dividing up money and deciding who gets that ugly lamp no one seemed to care about until now. Surprises in a will only exacerbate the tension.
“Over the years, Charlie and I saw many families driven apart after the posthumous dictates of the will left beneficiaries confused and sometimes angry,” Buffett said, referring to his since-passed former business partner Charlie Munger.
“Jealousies, along with actual or imagined slights during childhood, became magnified, particularly when sons were favored over daughters, either in monetary ways or by positions of importance,” he added, explaining that he makes minor adjustments to his will and keeps it simple.
On the other hand, Buffett shared that he and Charlie witnessed moments where a well-discussed will helped a family become closer in the end. “What could be more satisfying,” he mused.
Really, it’s about a benefactor sharing all their insight before they’ve passed and can no longer share their perspective. “You don’t want your children asking ‘Why?’ in respect to testamentary decisions when you are no longer able to respond.”
How Buffett is taking on the Great Wealth Transfer
The nation’s eyes are often on Buffett, whether he’s selling, buying, or simply sitting back and doing nothing. It’s no different when it comes to his planning for his fortune.
He’s famously pledged to give away more than 99% of his worth. While he at one point shelled out a large portion of this philanthropic effort to the Gates Foundation, Buffett has since seemingly soured on that partnership. “The Gates Foundation has no money coming after my death,” he told the Wall Street Journal, adding that instead his wealth will go to a new charitable trust as managed by his three children.
This Monday’s statement revealed that Buffett is distributing an extra $1 billion to his family’s foundations. He claims to not want to “create a dynasty” when planning out his will. Rather his cornerstone is that “hugely wealthy parents should leave their children enough so they can do anything but not enough that they can do nothing.”