LendingTree Sees $17.2 Trillion Home Equity Transfer by 2045 as Inheritance Gap Persists
Updated
Updated · InvestmentNews · Sep 4
LendingTree Sees $17.2 Trillion Home Equity Transfer by 2045 as Inheritance Gap Persists
1 articles · Updated · InvestmentNews · Sep 4
Summary
$17.2 trillion in home equity could pass from U.S. homeowners 65 and older between 2026 and 2045, or about $859 billion a year, according to a new LendingTree study.
A 10-point expectation gap helps explain the risk: 33% of Americans under 65 expect an inheritance or gift, but only 43% of those 65 and older say they plan to leave one.
California alone accounts for $3.4 trillion of the projected transfer, while Hawaii has the highest modeled transferable wealth per older household at $3.1 million.
Advisors face retention pressure if families stay silent, with Orion survey data showing 24% of investors inheriting $1 million or more would likely switch advisors and that figure rising to 37% for millennials.
The findings add urgency to estate planning around illiquid housing wealth, as firms are pushed to involve heirs and spouses before transfers accelerate later this decade.