Heir Necessities

Heir Necessities is officially on summer break. This fall will be the beginning of Season 5, and I'm excited about what we have in store for you. If you have any episode ideas or suggestions, please reach out - I would love to hear from you. In the meantime, I'm not going anywhere. You can get in touch by reaching out over email at katherine@sunnybranchwealth.com , check me out on Instag...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/2026-asking-parents-for-money Your parents told you they want to give you money.  But they haven’t done anything yet.  And it's been months, or even years.  So what can you do to move things along? Would you believe me if I told you a PowerPoint is your best next step?  Seriously, head on back to junior year of high school and dust o...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/trusts-after-death Ever wondered what will happen to your parents' trust after they die? You're not alone.  Most inheritors have the same question.  Unfortunately, there isn't a single straightforward answer.  In this episode, I’m unpacking what happens to a trust at death and what that could mean for you.  Listen, watch, o...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/2026-estate-planning-traps Most rich families think signing their estate documents means the job is done. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. This is just one of the most common estate planning mistakes wealthy families make.  And your attorney isn’t going to warn you about ANY of them.  In this episode, I’m telling you how to avoid the estate pla...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/2026-inheritor-retirement-planning I meet too many future inheritors who have been told they don’t need to save for retirement because they’re going to inherit millions. Here’s the truth: your future inheritance is not a “get out of savings free” card. People in wealthy families need to plan for retirement just like everyone else.  The qu...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/2026-529-trap Saving for college when you're rich isn't the easy answer everyone thinks it is. It should be as simple as maxing out your 529, right?  Wrong. What looks like a tax advantage could actually be limiting your kid’s future freedom. This episode will tell you everything you need to know to fund your 529 smarter, not ha...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/gift-tax-rules Confused about how the annual gift limit works? You’re not alone. If you’re an inheritor (or the parent of a rich kid), you may have fallen victim to this common misconception about the annual gift tax rules.  Which means you could be missing out on a MAJOR gifting opportunity. The good news? You can pass down millions with...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/2026-trust-fund-playbook Today we’re revisiting one of the most-downloaded ever episodes of Heir Necessities. You just found out you’re a trust fund beneficiary. That’s great. But how are you supposed to know what that actually means? You need to know what questions to ask - and in this episode, I’m going to give you the five most crucial...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/2026-generational-wealth-hack Wealthy families need to know about this new hack that lets you transfer a HUGE amount of tax-free wealth to your kids.  I’m not gatekeeping - full details and exactly how to execute this strategy yourself are all in this week’s episode of Heir Necessities .  It starts with Trump Accounts (I know, I know) and...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/2026-q1-recap If you’re a young inheritor, you might wonder what you’re supposed to do when the market is down.  Your parents are freaking out - is it a bad thing that you don’t really care?  Spoiler: absolutely not.  In this episode, I explain why a market downturn can be a HUGE opportunity for younger inheritors, and how you can positio...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/spending-recap-q12026 Ever wonder what financial advisors actually spend their money on?  This week I'm sharing a full Q1 2026 budget recap covering everything we spent in the first three months of the year.  If you want to know how much we spend to pay down debt, educate our kids, maintain our home, eat, and satisfy our travel bug,...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/jointly-inherited-real-estate Inheriting property jointly with your sibling(s) sounds simple enough…until it isn’t.  What happens if one of you wants to sell and the other doesn’t? What happens if you both want to keep the house, but can’t decide who gets to use it when? What if you both want to live in it?  There are a million ways this...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES:  www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/rich-parents-money-fears Are you trying to talk to your parents about money, but keep saying EXACTLY the wrong thing?  In this episode, I'm breaking down the three biggest fears that drive every financial decision wealthy parents make.  Then, I’m translating what those fears mean for you as an inheritor.  Once you understand what&ap...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/inheritance-charitable-giving Most people assume that inheriting millions makes philanthropy easy. You have tons of money to write the big checks…right?!   But my personal experience as an inheritor, and professional experience working with other inheritors, tells a very different story.  Learning to give money away in a way that feels pe...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/my-family-money-story Why do I think it’s so important to have honest conversations with your family about money?  It all starts with my own story.   In this episode, I take you back over 100 years to the woman who laid the foundation for my family's wealth.  Join me as I walk through the four generations that grew, protected, and pa...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/estate-planning-for-inheritors What would happen to your money if you died tomorrow? Estate planning is one of those things that everyone knows they should do, but no one actually does.  It's the "eat your broccoli" of the financial planning world.  But if you're a current or future inheritor, estate planning isn'...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/property-and-liability-insurance-inheritors What you don't know about your homeowner's insurance could cost you everything.  In this episode of Heir Necessities, I break down the biggest property + casualty insurance mistakes inheritors make, from underinsured homes to dangerous gaps in liability coverage.   I see these mistakes...

FULL EPISODE & SHOW NOTES : www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/sunnybranch-process-and-pricing Sunnybranch Client Service Calendar: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/s/SW-Client-Service-Calendar.pdf If you're paying your financial advisor 1% and all you're getting is someone clicking buttons to manage your investments, I’ve got some bad news. You’re paying too much money for too little value.  I...

2/12 UPDATE: Audio has been fixed! Thanks for everyone who let me know.  FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/how-to-ask-parents-for-money We're renovating our basement and, yes, my parents are shelling out the full cost: $350,000.  Before you judge, spend 10 minutes learning about the six-month conversation that got us here. From exploring an $800k+ ADU to navigating r...

FULL EPISODE & SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/2026-obba-tax-changes Tax planning just went from "nice to have" to absolutely non-negotiable for inheritors. Here's why:  Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act changed the game in 2026.  The $15M estate tax exemption is now "permanent."  The SALT cap jumped up to $40k, which is HUGE if you live in a high-tax...

FULL EPISODE + SHOW NOTES: www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/2025-market-recap What does sustainable investing look like when you're still making money under capitalism?  In this episode, I sit down with Daniel McNabb, head of the Investment Team at Chicory Wealth, to dive into the uncomfortable reality of investing for good in public markets.  We’re pulling back the curtain on how ESG and Impac...

FULL EPISODE & SHOW NOTES:  www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/trust-fund-reveals What happens when ultra-wealthy parents hide their net worth from their kids for 20+ years, then spring a surprise "trust reveal party" on them?  Spoiler alert: it gets messy.  In this episode, I contrast two wildly different ways to talk to kids about money.  Join me to explore why one path creates resentm...

FULL EPISODE AND TRANSCRIPT :  My family spent $400,000 in 2025, and this episode breaks it all down with (maybe too much?) transparency.  We spent $190,000 on our house and yard, put $60,000 on 0% interest credit cards when our renovation went over budget, and made some mistakes we're REALLY going to try not to repeat.  Plus, I share what I'm happy with, where we could do better (spoile...

FULL EPISODE & SHOW NOTES @ www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/10-questions-for-financial-advisors Most financial advisors don't understand inheritors.  So, how can you find one who does?  In this episode, I give you the 10 questions you should be asking every financial advisor you interview, plus my own answers!   These questions cover the big stuff: is the advisor a fiduciary, how are they...

FULL EPISODE AND SHOW NOTES @ www.sunnybranchwealth.com/blog/money-and-politics My market commentary this quarter is going to hit a little different. Instead of the usual recap of what the market did over the past three months, and what might be coming in the future, I'm covering the real questions I hear from my clients.  Should I be opening a foreign bank account? Do I need to stop investin...