Letting Go of the Dead Hand Part 1

Taylor, the only child of her entrepreneurial parents, was 23 when she first found out about the trust created for her benefit. Taylor knew her parents loved her, but she jokingly commented that her parents’ goldmine of a business was like a sibling to her—maybe the favored sibling. Taylor’s parents didn’t come from wealthy families themselves and, while they loved the idea that they could “give their daughter the world,” they were more worried about the potential negative impact their wealth could have on her life. Although Taylor was aware of, and had the legal right to information about, the trust that was created for her benefit, her parents avoided engaging in conversations that would help her learn about this resource or their intent for her use of it. Taylor struggled as the parent-child dynamic of her childhood extended into her adulthood. She was proud of what her parents had created and grateful for all they had given her. Yet, she felt stunted and confused as she tried to navigate a system that she didn’t understand and seemed to have no voice in. All of the power was centered with her parents and their advisors.