{"id":238572,"date":"2026-06-30T13:52:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T11:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/?p=238572"},"modified":"2026-06-30T13:52:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T11:52:01","slug":"older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/","title":{"rendered":"Why many older people hold back from gifting their wealth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, I spoke with a client about his parents. They have done well for themselves \u2014 years of hard work, sensible decisions, and a comfortable financial position. On the surface, everything seems in order.<\/p>\n<p>And yet, something doesn\u2019t quite add up.<\/p>\n<p>His father is living with dementia and may soon require residential care. His mother, now in her late eighties, has a reliable pension, will receive a survivor\u2019s pension, and owns a property with substantial equity. By most measures, they are more than financially secure.<\/p>\n<p>Even their accountant has suggested it may be sensible to start passing on some wealth.<\/p>\n<p>And yet, she hasn\u2019t taken that step.<\/p>\n<h2>Not because she can\u2019t \u2014 but because it doesn\u2019t feel right<\/h2>\n<p>The hesitation isn\u2019t driven by numbers.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not that she lacks the means.<br \/>\nNor that it would be financially unwise.<\/p>\n<p>It is simply that it doesn\u2019t feel entirely comfortable.<\/p>\n<p>Questions linger:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>What if I need it later?<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>What if circumstances change?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is not a technical issue. It is a human one.<\/p>\n<h2>The quiet influence of a scarcity mindset<\/h2>\n<p>Even in situations where there is clear financial security, many people retain a deep-rooted sense that resources could, somehow, become insufficient.<\/p>\n<p>This tendency often becomes more pronounced with age.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The future can feel less predictable<\/li>\n<li>There is limited opportunity to generate new income<\/li>\n<li>Health and care needs are uncertain by nature<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In that context, holding on to capital can feel like the prudent thing to do.<\/p>\n<h2>When the facts tell a different story<\/h2>\n<p>In practice, we often see a more reassuring picture:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stable, and often index-linked, pension income<\/li>\n<li>Additional provision for a surviving partner<\/li>\n<li>Significant equity tied up in the family home<\/li>\n<li>And, in many cases, gradually reducing expenditure over time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>From a purely financial perspective, there is often scope to gift.<\/p>\n<p>But financial logic and emotional comfort do not always move in step.<\/p>\n<h2>What really sits beneath the surface<\/h2>\n<p>Rarely is this just about money.<\/p>\n<p>More often, it comes down to three things:<br \/>\n<strong>security, control, and independence.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For many older people, the idea of becoming financially dependent \u2014 particularly on their own children \u2014 is deeply uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the thought of giving money away now, only to potentially need support later from those same children, feels like crossing a line they would rather avoid.<\/p>\n<p>Gifting, in that sense, is not merely a financial act.<br \/>\nIt represents a form of letting go.<\/p>\n<p>And letting go is rarely straightforward.<\/p>\n<h2>A conversation that goes beyond tax efficiency<\/h2>\n<p>This is why decisions around gifting are not purely about tax efficiency or financial optimization.<\/p>\n<p>They are, in essence, conversations about:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>maintaining peace of mind<\/li>\n<li>feeling secure in later life<\/li>\n<li>understanding what is genuinely needed \u2014 and what is not<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And importantly, these conversations involve both generations.<\/p>\n<h2>How we help bring clarity<\/h2>\n<p>In our work, the starting point is always clarity.<\/p>\n<p>We take the time to map out a client\u2019s financial position \u2014 not just as it stands today, but looking ahead 10, 15 or even 20 years. This includes scenarios around care needs, inflation, and unforeseen events.<\/p>\n<p>When people can see the full picture, something shifts.<\/p>\n<p>There is a greater sense of reassurance.<br \/>\nAnd from that reassurance comes the confidence to make decisions that feel right.<\/p>\n<p>That may mean choosing to gift.<br \/>\nOr equally, deciding not to \u2014 and feeling comfortable with that choice.<\/p>\n<p>Because ultimately, the \u201cright\u201d decision is not the one that looks best on paper.<\/p>\n<p>It is the one that provides a genuine sense of comfort,<br \/>\ngrounded in understanding and trust.<\/p>\n<h2>A final thought<\/h2>\n<p>If this feels familiar \u2014 whether in your own situation or that of your parents \u2014 it may be worth taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n<p>With the right insight, what once felt uncertain often becomes far clearer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Considering your next step<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you or your parents would value a clearer view of the financial position \u2014 now and in the years ahead \u2014 we would be glad to help.<\/p>\n<p>We take the time to map things out properly, so you can make decisions with confidence and peace of mind.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Feel free to arrange a conversation at a time that suits you.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, I spoke with a client about his parents. They have done well for themselves \u2014 years of hard work, sensible decisions, and a comfortable financial position. On the surface, everything seems in order. And yet, something doesn\u2019t quite add up. His father is living with dementia and may soon require residential care. His mother, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why many older people hold back from gifting their wealth - Your Financials<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Even with substantial wealth, many older people hesitate to gift. Discover why \u2014 and how clarity supports confident, well judged decisions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why many older people hold back from gifting their wealth - Your Financials\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Even with substantial wealth, many older people hesitate to gift. Discover why \u2014 and how clarity supports confident, well judged decisions.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Your Financials\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-30T11:52:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cropped-Your-Financials-beeldmerk-512.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Agnes Glastra\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Agnes Glastra\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Agnes Glastra\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/483b3e944bba0aeb3b355dfd493dbafc\"},\"headline\":\"Why many older people hold back from gifting their wealth\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-30T11:52:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":702,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why many older people hold back from gifting their wealth - Your Financials\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-30T11:52:01+00:00\",\"description\":\"Even with substantial wealth, many older people hesitate to gift. Discover why \u2014 and how clarity supports confident, well judged decisions.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why many older people hold back from gifting their wealth\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Your Financials\",\"description\":\"Financi\u00eble planning, advies en bemiddeling bij pensioen en vermogen voor particulieren en ondernemers\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Your Financials\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/Your-Financials-beeldmerk-512.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/12\\\/Your-Financials-beeldmerk-512.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Your Financials\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/mariovanteijlingen\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/agnesglastra\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/your-financials\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/483b3e944bba0aeb3b355dfd493dbafc\",\"name\":\"Agnes Glastra\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/yourfinancials.nl\\\/en\\\/author\\\/agnes\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why many older people hold back from gifting their wealth - Your Financials","description":"Even with substantial wealth, many older people hesitate to gift. Discover why \u2014 and how clarity supports confident, well judged decisions.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why many older people hold back from gifting their wealth - Your Financials","og_description":"Even with substantial wealth, many older people hesitate to gift. Discover why \u2014 and how clarity supports confident, well judged decisions.","og_url":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/","og_site_name":"Your Financials","article_published_time":"2026-06-30T11:52:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":512,"height":512,"url":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/cropped-Your-Financials-beeldmerk-512.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Agnes Glastra","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Agnes Glastra","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/"},"author":{"name":"Agnes Glastra","@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/483b3e944bba0aeb3b355dfd493dbafc"},"headline":"Why many older people hold back from gifting their wealth","datePublished":"2026-06-30T11:52:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/"},"wordCount":702,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/","url":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/","name":"Why many older people hold back from gifting their wealth - Your Financials","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-06-30T11:52:01+00:00","description":"Even with substantial wealth, many older people hesitate to gift. Discover why \u2014 and how clarity supports confident, well judged decisions.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/older-people-hold-back-gifting-wealth\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why many older people hold back from gifting their wealth"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/","name":"Your Financials","description":"Financi\u00eble planning, advies en bemiddeling bij pensioen en vermogen voor particulieren en ondernemers","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/#organization","name":"Your Financials","url":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Your-Financials-beeldmerk-512.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Your-Financials-beeldmerk-512.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Your Financials"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mariovanteijlingen\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/agnesglastra\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/your-financials"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/483b3e944bba0aeb3b355dfd493dbafc","name":"Agnes Glastra","url":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/author\/agnes\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238572"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":238573,"href":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238572\/revisions\/238573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yourfinancials.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}