A bequest motive seeks to provide an economic justification for the phenomenon of intergenerational transfers of wealth.
Which bequest motive theory most realistically represents the intentions of estate planners is unclear.
Attempts to test the theories empirically are mired by poor availability of data about wealth holdings.
6, 1045-1076 Masson, A. and Pestieau P. (1997) “Bequest Motives and Models of Inheritance: A Survey of the Literature” in (Erreygers and Vandevelde eds.)
Ethical and Economic Aspects of Wealth Transfers Springer, Berlin