Are You Ready for the Greatest Wealth Transfer in History?
Here's how digital asset holders can start thinking ahead and prepare for the $84 trillion wealth transfer over the next two decades through updated estate planning, smart security, and practical help
So, over the next twenty years or so, something kind of massive is going to happen. We're talking about somewhere around $84 trillion changing hands, from older generations like the baby boomers, down to millennials and Gen Z. And yeah, that’s a lot of zeroes. If you hold digital assets, like crypto or NFTs or tokenized assets, this shift brings a whole different set of risks and questions. Traditional finance folks might not have to stress over this, but digital investors? It's a different game.
At Digital Ascension Group, we’ve been watching this unfold in real time. It’s more than clear that without a solid plan, crypto wealth can get stuck, lost, or taxed into the ground. It’s not just about setting up a trust or a password manager to store your info, it’s about making sure those assets actually stay in the right hands when it really counts.
The $84 Trillion Shift and Why It Matters for Digital Asset Holders
Let’s start with what’s actually happening. Based on research from Cerulli Associates back in 2022, somewhere around $84 trillion is expected to pass between generations. Around $72.6 trillion of that is headed straight to heirs, with the rest going to charities and causes.
What’s behind this? Well, it’s mostly a mix of aging boomers who’ve built serious wealth through years of climbing real estate prices, solid stock market growth, and consistent investing. Now, as they enter their later years, this wave of wealth is starting to move.
And here's where digital asset folks need to pay extra attention. According to Henley & Partners, there are close to 173,000 crypto millionaires already. Plus, a Capgemini survey showed that about 71% of high-net-worth individuals have already put money into digital assets. So yeah, a chunk of that $84 trillion is sitting in wallets, cold storage, and exchanges.
Here’s the twist: Gen Z and millennials are way more into crypto than older generations. Somewhere around 50–57% of younger folks already hold digital assets, compared to far fewer boomers. That’s where things get a bit tricky during wealth transfers, especially when your heirs don’t fully understand the assets they’re inheriting.
Why Digital Assets Complicate Wealth Transfers
The thing with digital assets is, they’re not like stocks in a brokerage or a house with a deed. They come with their own set of quirks. And when people pass away or try to pass them on? That's where a lot can go sideways.
The Private Key Dilemma Private keys are everything. Lose that key? You’ve lost access, maybe forever. No "forgot my password" link. If you’re not extremely intentional about how those keys are handled, that could spell disaster.
One real example is a family that knew their relative had over $5 million in Bitcoin, when they passed away, no information was left for them - they just couldn’t access it. No key, no seed phrase, no instructions. The coins are likely gone forever.
Taxes, Taxes, and More Taxes Crypto is treated like property in many places, including the U.S. That means when someone inherits it, there's a laundry list of tax questions: How much was it worth when they got it? What’s the cost basis? What counts as a gain? If you don’t plan for this, your heirs might face huge tax bills they’re not prepared for.
Outdated Estate Tools Standard wills don’t really cover things like "access to a cold wallet." And most estate lawyers are still playing catch-up when it comes to crypto. If the transfer plan doesn’t account for the tech part and the legal part, it’s a mess waiting to happen.
Security Weak Spots We’re talking about assets that are often targets for hackers. And during the chaos of inheritance, when multiple parties might have access, security tends to slip. History has shown how quickly things can go wrong.
Managing Market Swings Crypto is still wildly volatile. If your heirs inherit during a downturn and panic-sell, your long-term strategy could vanish. That’s not something most families are ready to deal with on their own.
What Family Offices Actually Do to Help Crypto Investors
This is where a well-built family office starts to make a lot more sense, especially for those who hold serious amounts of digital wealth. Digital Ascension Group works with families to handle these exact scenarios, bringing together security, legal help, investment management, and compliance under one setup. digitalfamilyoffice.io
Some recent figures? Forbes said back in 2022 that 1 in 5 family offices had crypto exposure, averaging about $11 million per office. Even Peter Thiel’s office has been involved in digital asset investments.
Here’s how they can help out:
Advanced Security Setup Things like multi-signature wallets, cold storage with proper recovery plans, and institutional-grade custodian partners like Anchorage can make sure assets are both secure and accessible when needed.
Clear Estate Plans That Work with Crypto We're talking about customized trusts that include tech details, like where private keys are stored, who has access, and how transfers happen. Instead of vague will language, everything’s spelled out.
Tax Pros Who Actually Get Crypto You don’t want someone guessing how the IRS treats staking rewards. With a family office, you get folks who stay on top of SEC and IRS rules and build plans that reduce tax hits for your heirs.
Investment Plans That Go Beyond HODLing At some point it’s not just about holding your coins forever. Teams like ours work to help create options and opportunities to make the most of long-term investments.
Real Example: A Family Office in Action
Picture someone like Sarah. Over the last 10 years, she’s built a $25 million crypto portfolio, but the rest of her family isn’t really crypto-savvy. If something happened to her tomorrow, they’d be stuck.
So instead of just writing down her seed phrase, Sarah works with a partner like Digital Ascension Group to build a backup system with multiple people authorized to access her keys, but only under certain conditions. With that, she works to set up a trust that includes crypto-specific language and assigns a technically skilled trustee and gets access to tax professionals to reduce her tax exposure and help her kids stay compliant.
Thinking Through the Real Costs (and Trade-Offs)
There’s no sugarcoating it, setting up a full family office isn’t cheap. Simple’s 2022 report put the cost for large offices at well over $1 million per year. You also need people who really understand both crypto and traditional wealth structures, and those folks are still relatively rare.
That’s why working with a multi-family office or digital family office solution is a great consideration for a lot of people. Access to top-tier professionals but reduced cost through shared services.
Some questions to ask before going down this path:
How much is your portfolio worth? (Single Family Offices start to make sense around ~$100 million and up)
How complicated are your holdings?
Can your heirs actually manage digital assets without help?
How involved do you want to be day-to-day?
Are there special tax or legal concerns in your area?
For many high-net-worth investors with significant crypto exposure, the cost ends up being worth it. But for others, simpler options, like crypto-savvy financial advisors or custom-built trusts, might get the job done.
This Is About Protecting What You've Built
With the largest wealth transfer in history already underway, digital asset investors can’t afford to wing it. Crypto doesn't work like traditional assets, and that’s exactly why it needs more careful planning.
Digital Ascension Group is already helping clients lock in those plans with real-world strategies. Visit digitalfamilyoffice.io to see how your digital wealth can be protected, structured, and passed down with confidence.
At the end of the day, if you’ve spent years growing your crypto portfolio, then handing it over shouldn’t be a gamble. You don’t want your legacy to end with a forgotten key or a panicked sell order. The only real question is, what’s your plan?