“I’d rather watch my child enjoy the money while they are young and I’m alive, than they inherit it at 55 after I’m gone.”
The greatest joy of giving isn’t after you’re gone.
It’s being there to see the difference your gift makes.
A senior executive in his mid-50s. One child. $5m in liquid assets. And a question that most parents never think to ask:
“If I leave everything in a will, my child won’t see it until I’m gone. By then, my child might already be old. What if I want to give it now. While I can watch them enjoy it?”
That’s a reasonable wish. What he also wanted. Which is where it got interesting, was for the gift to be protected.
Not from his child. From life.
He was thinking about what could happen over the next several decades. A lawsuit. A business failure. A divorce. Any of these events, depending on how the gift was structured, could expose a significant portion of it to claims from third parties. In some circumstances, an ex-spouse may access up to half of certain assets.
He didn’t want a gift given with love to end up somewhere it was never intended.
So we looked at two questions separately, then together:
✅ **What does he actually need?** Once we established the income his own lifestyle required, we could see clearly how much was genuinely surplus. Available to distribute now, without compromising his own retirement.
✅ **How should the gift travel?** Giving a large sum directly is simple. But simple isn’t always the best. We explored structures that allow wealth to pass to the next generation. And the generation after that. In a way that insulates it from the kinds of claims that derail good intentions.
Wealth isn’t just about passing on money.
It’s about passing on opportunity.
And opportunity lasts much longer when it’s transferred intentionally, with the right structure, at the right time.
If you’ve already accumulated more wealth than you’ll ever spend, here’s the question that matters next:
Should your children inherit your money after you die… or while you’re alive to see them benefit from it?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Important: The information and opinions in this article are for general information purposes only. They should not be relied on as professional financial advice. Readers should seek unbiased financial advice that is customised to their specific financial objectives, situations & needs. This advertisement or publication has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Published By:
Tan Siak Lim
More than 20 years in the financial advisory business, focus on mainly help people achieve a comfortable retirement through portfolio management, with diversification to reduce the votaility and still achieving the required rate of return.
Also helps wealthy family (>$3m estate, including property, investment and insurance proceeds) pass on their wealth to future generations, minimizing the 3C, confusion, cost, and conflict. Estate planning is probably best done by a qualified experienced financial adviser rather than a lawyer. The lawyer is able to draft a will, but because he is not a financial adviser, he is usually unable to put comprehensive financial consideration into the design of the will. Will drafting is a mechanical process that software can easily generate, there is little value. It is the architecting of a wealth distribution strategy with creative financial products and ideas that is the real value.
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