White beneficiaries systematically downplay the inheritances and gifts behind their own wealth

Evidence

In writing this book I was struck by how the white families interviewed downplayed the inheritances and gifts they received, or the significance of graduating from college without debt because a family member paid their way. I was also struck by how they did not want to go on the record to discuss their good fortune. The way whiteness attracts wealth is a well-kept secret—and one that perpetuates over time. — Dorothy A. Brown, The Whiteness of Wealth, 540

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to interview-observation evidence on wealth concealment across the reader’s inheritance/gift tax material.