Inheritance
Caucasian families in the U.S. are five times more likely to inherit a sum of money than other ethnic groups. Among those who did receive an inheritance, Caucasians received about ten times more wealth than African Americans. Findings also show that each dollar of inheritance added 91 cents to the overall wealth of Caucasian families as opposed to only 20 cents to African American families. This is explained by the fact that Caucasians are more likely to add their inheritance to the considerably larger assets they typically start out with, while African Americans are more likely use their wealth for emergencies and pressing needs.[1]
Sources [1] Shapiro, Thomas, Tatjana Meschede, and Sam Osoro. 2013. The Roots of the Widening Racial Wealth Gap: Explaining the Black-White Economic Divide. Research and Policy Brief: Institute on Assets and Social Policy, February:1-7; citing pages 4-5. Online: iasp.brandeis.edu/pdfs/Author/shapiro-thomas-m/racialwealthgapbrief.pdf. Page 5