Inheritance in Contemporary America The Social Dimensions of Giving across Generations / Jacqueline L. Angel. [print]

The story of inheritance: intergenerational giving in aging America-- -- Trends in wealth transfers-- -- The aging American family-- -- The inheritance revolution-- -- The origins of our inheritance laws-- -- Early America-- -- Forging a new path: women and inheritance laws-- -- Inheritance in modern America-- -- Family and inheritance changes-- -- Decisions about inheritance-- -- The political realities of retirement security-- -- Who is going to care for us? ; -- The political economy of giving and receiving-- -- The legacy of the modern welfare state-- -- The dilemma-- -- Employer pension versus personal savings-- -- Cross-national research-- -- Dimensions of giving between generations-- -- The joy of giving-- -- Theoretical perspectives on money: good versus evil? ; -- Contemporary studies of money-- -- Gifts as assistance-- -- Contextualizing gift giving-- -- Simply love-- -- Fellowship for funds-- -- Giving, not receiving-- -- The family life cycle and inheritance-- -- Money memories: narratives of the meaning of giving and receiving-- -- History lessons-- -- The silent generation-- -- Baby boomers-- -- Expanding obligations equal shrinking inheritances-- -- Drawing down assets-- -- Deciding too late or not at all-- -- Family disagreements-- -- Background on the interviews-- -- Early beginnings of family dynamics and money-- -- Money as a gift-- -- Money with strings attached-- -- How money matters-- -- The costs of wealth-- -- A guarded secret-- -- The value of gifts-- -- Contemporary values and beliefs regarding intergenerational transfers-- -- It isn't just money-- -- Family values and ideologies-- -- Leaving a legacy-- -- Transferring assets-- -- Inter vivos exchanges-- -- Children helping parents-- -- Choosing inheritance-- -- Challenges to family ideologies-- -- To give or not to give, that is the question-- -- Leaving a legacy: personal security, family obligations, and the state-- -- The effects of public policy on family gift giving-- -- How estate taxes vary-- -- Estate taxes and exemptions-- -- Estate planning for the family-- -- Private long-term care insurance-- -- Estate recovery and related long-term care financing issues-- -- Inter vivos transfers and inheritance-- -- The impact of gift giving on the family: what helps? What hurts? ; -- Myths and realities of making a will-- -- Inheritance and the next generation of old-age policies-- -- The new status quo-- -- Sorting out the debate-- -- Possible scenarios-- -- The politics of social security reform-- -- The face of the future workforce-- -- Policy options: public, private, and combined-- -- Health care insecurity-- -- Implications and conclusions-- -- Summary and new directions for research-- -- The demography of gift giving in late life-- -- Should women worry about their retirement? ; -- Generational differences: money memories and family ideology-- -- An agenda for future research-- -- Appendix A. Methodology-- -- Appendix B. Questions used in semistructured in-depth interview-- -- Bibliography-- -- Index.