Compardo, Wienstroer & Janes at Moneta – Andy Likes, Director of Communications
For ultra-high-net-worth families, the real question isn’t whether you’ll have enough to retire. It’s whether the wealth you’ve built will still be working wisely, intentionally, and meaningfully for your children, grandchildren and even generations that follow.
The shift from retirement to legacy thinking
Retirement planning asks one question: will our money last a lifetime? At Moneta, we try to go deeper, we ask if your wealth will serve your family well across generations yet to come.
The answer is both complicated and simple at the same time, and it requires a comprehensive, flexible estate wealth plan. It includes a framework revisited semi-annually, if not more. That plan also accounts for changing tax laws, evolving family structure as kids’ spouses join and new grandkids and great grandkids enter the mix. The plan also checks ever-changing market cycles and the evolving needs of people in future generations from deaths and divorce to medical issues and even those who haven’t even been born yet.
Estate planning: the architecture of inheritance
For most of our clients, trusts are the foundational entity for generational planning. Dynasty trusts play a powerful role in minimizing estate taxes while directing assets with tactical precision and intention. Plans also include more than just funding future generations, but giving back during this lifetime to causes you deem worthy. We examine gifting and charitable strategies to let wealth transfer quietly and tax-efficiently during your lifetime and beyond. Families that look at multi-generational wealth don’t plan for death; they plan for life at every stage.
Assembling the right Team
Our team has a wealth of experts on staff from CFPs and CPAs to JDs, financial educators, experts in charitable giving, business succession and wealth strategy. Part of our role is to help with the coordination of your external experts, including your trust, your estate attorney, tax advisor, insurance professionals and more. If you need a referral to one or more experts, we have a list of professionals across the country to help minimize risk, cut the silo approach and reduce the chances where most UHNW families leave the money on the table.
Staying the course: investing through volatility
Multi-generational wealth is inherently long-horizon wealth. That means dips, even some of the dramatic ones we’ve seen recently, are features built into the timeline, not threats to it. A family portfolio with a 50-year runway or longer should be structured to take advantage of volatility, not flee it. Tactical rebalancing during downturns, staying fully invested through corrections, and avoiding the temptation to chase returns in high markets are all habits of families who compound successfully and grow their wealth over the long term.
Asset allocation may evolve with family life stages: differing considerations for growth, income, liquidity, and preservation at various stages in life.
Building and adjusting the plan
The rule that matters most: Time in the market, not timing the market. Every year a UHNW family holds a diversified, appropriately allocated portfolio, compounding can help returns build, through challenging markets, rate cycles and political uncertainty on a global scale.
The best multi-generational wealth plan is never finished; it is always a work in progress. It is flexible enough to weather the storm and adapt to family needs and wants, now and down the road of life.
Disclosure:
© 2026 Advisory services offered by Moneta Group Investment Advisors, LLC, (“MGIA”) an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). MGIA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Moneta Group, LLC. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only, is not intended to be comprehensive or exclusive, and is based on materials deemed reliable, but the accuracy of which has not been verified.
Trademarks and copyrights of materials referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Index returns reflect total return, assuming reinvestment of dividends and interest. The returns do not reflect the effect of taxes and/or fees that an investor would incur. Examples contained herein are for illustrative purposes only based on generic assumptions. Given the dynamic nature of the subject matter and the environment in which this communication was written, the information contained herein is subject to change. This is not an offer to sell or buy securities, nor does it represent any specific recommendation. You should consult with an appropriately credentialed professional before making any financial, investment, tax or legal decision. An index is an unmanaged portfolio of specified securities and does not reflect any initial or ongoing expenses nor can it be invested in directly. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. All investments are subject to a risk of loss. Diversification and strategic asset allocation do not assure profit or protect against loss in declining markets. These materials do not take into consideration your personal circumstances, financial or otherwise.
