Families of High Net Worth: Challenges and Opportunities

这个项目考察了富裕家庭向慈善机构、家庭和其他人捐款的方式。全美净资产超过800万美元的家庭将接受采访。由于即使是慈善捐赠的适度增加也会对美国慈善机构的可用资金产生重要影响，这项研究有可能揭示未知的有价值的信息。这组家庭中的许多成员都是向上移动的，因此这项研究还提供了一个比较的经验，“旧钱”和“新钱”在一个种族多样化的样本富裕家庭在美国的政治光谱这项研究的70个富裕家庭还将调查一些独特的挑战富裕家庭。例如，它将阐明年长的富裕家庭成员对财富如何对他们的子女和孙辈构成危险的担忧。总的来说，这项研究将有助于扩大我们对美国富人家庭成员生活的了解，这些家庭成员很少被研究。这项研究将为如何增加家庭成员的慈善捐赠提供政策建议。该研究使用雪球样本（受访者指其他可能的受访者）以及“冷电话”招募成员进行深入研究（即，对70个高净值家庭的人进行了两到三个小时的访谈。在其中的50个家庭中，还将分别与每一位配偶进行深入访谈，如果可能的话，还将与该家庭合作的财富经理进行深入访谈。还将收集有关家庭的文件。此外，对于8个家庭的子样本，将与所有兄弟姐妹、子女和其他大家庭成员进行深入访谈，每个家庭最多进行40次访谈。在这八个家庭中，还将每月举行两次为期两年的活动参与者观察，包括家庭基金会会议，慈善活动和其他家庭活动。虽然有些家庭愿意透露自己的身份，但在绝大多数情况下，家庭身份将被隐藏。子样本将包括向上流动的家庭，包括白色和非洲裔美国家庭，以及继承财富的家庭。这项研究将探讨一系列相关问题，包括围绕家庭财富和慈善捐赠的性别动态（和紧张局势），特别是当妻子的财富超过丈夫时。 总之，关于社会分层系统顶层家庭的数据不足。此外，对阶层化的研究多是针对个人，而对家庭的研究则不够，但种种迹象表明，财富代际传递的策略往往是为了保持整个家庭的地位。富有的家庭是慈善机构捐款的重要来源。这项研究旨在了解社会进程，塑造家庭，因为他们作出这些重要的公民和家庭的决定。

This project examines the ways in which wealthy families give money to charity, family and others. Families across the United States who have more than eight million in net worth will be interviewed. Since even a modest increase in charitable giving has important implications for the money available for charities in the U.S., this study has the potential to reveal valuable information that is unknown. Many members of this group of families are upwardly mobile, so the study also provides a comparison of the experiences of "old money" and "new money" in a racially diverse sample of wealthy families across the political spectrum in the U.S. This study of 70 wealthy families will also investigate some unique challenges of wealthy families. For example, it will illuminate the worries of older wealthy family members regarding how wealth can be perilous for their children and grandchildren. Overall, the study will help to expand our knowledge about the lives of family members among wealthy Americans who have been rarely studied. This study will provide policy recommendations on ways to increase family members' charitable giving. The study uses a snowball sample (in which respondents refer other possible respondents) as well as "cold calls" to recruit members for in-depth (i.e., two to three hour interviews) of persons in 70 families with high net worth. In 50 of these families, in-depth interviews will also be held separately with each spouse and, if possible, the wealth manager who works with the family. Documents about the families will also be collected. Furthermore, for a subsample of eight families, in-depth interviews will be carried out with all available siblings, children, and other extended family members yielding up to 40 interviews per family. In these eight families, participant-observation of events will also be held twice a month for two years of key events including family foundation meetings, charity events, and other family activities. Although some families feel comfortable having their identity revealed, in the vast majority of cases the family identity will be concealed. The subsample will include upwardly-mobile families, including white and African-American families, as well as families with inherited wealth. The study will examine a host of related issues including gender dynamics (and tensions) surrounding wealth and philanthropic giving in families, particularly when the wealth of the wife exceeds that of her husband. In sum, there is insufficient data on the families at the top of the social stratification system. In addition, the studies of stratifications are too much about individuals and not enough about families, yet all signs suggest that the strategies for the intergenerational transmission of wealth often are aimed at preserving the position of an entire family. Wealthy families are very important sources of donations to charities. This study seeks to understand the social processes which shape families as they make these important civic and family decisions.