High Yield Savings Accounts: The Swiss Army Knife for Strengthening Multigenerational Relationships

A September 2025 Cerulli Associates survey revealed that only 27% of future inheritors intend to keep the financial advisor used by their benefactor. With an estimated $120 trillion in wealth expected to transfer over the next 25 years, this reality presents a significant and imminent challenge for RIAs: the potential erosion of client assets across generations. 

To safeguard against this attrition, advisors must think beyond traditional engagement tactics. The firms that succeed in the coming decades will be those that intentionally build meaningful relationships with clients’ children and grandchildren well before wealth transitions occur. 

The Challenge of Next-Generation Retention 

Many RIAs are already experimenting with ways to reach the next generation. Common strategies include introducing junior advisors to help clients’ college graduates navigate workplace benefits or offering concierge-style services related to education or medical care. While these are valuable touchpoints, they can be resource-intensive and often fail to engage a broad audience within the client’s family. 

In contrast, a high-yield savings account (HYSA) represents a simple yet powerful bridge to connect with future heirs—a way to provide immediate, tangible value while embedding your practice within their everyday financial life. 

A Practical, Scalable Engagement Strategy 

By offering high-yield savings accounts to clients’ children and grandchildren, advisors can demonstrate relevance early in their financial journey. Most younger individuals understand the concept of saving, but few are aware that their family’s RIA can provide access to rates 10 times higher than those offered by major national banks. 

This not only positions the advisor as a forward-thinking resource but also establishes a financial relationship that can naturally evolve over time. Once a next-generation family member has a reason to interact with the firm, even for something as straightforward as a savings account, trust begins to form. 

Use Cases That Drive Connection 

1. Establishing Early Financial Habits For a client’s high school or college-aged child, opening a HYSA provides a practical lesson in saving and compounding. Advisors can use this opportunity to discuss topics like setting up automatic deposits, building an emergency fund, and distinguishing between saving and investing—creating an early foundation for financial literacy. 

2. Supporting Young Professionals When a client’s adult child begins their first job, they may not yet need comprehensive wealth management services. However, offering a high-yield savings option helps them see your firm as relevant to their immediate needs—while creating a natural entry point for future planning discussions such as IRAs, 401(k) rollovers, or investment accounts. 

3. Preserving Relationships During Wealth Transitions In cases where a long-standing client passes away, relationships with heirs can be fragile. If those family members already have even a modest connection to your firm—such as an existing savings account—they are far more likely to remain engaged and receptive during the estate transition process. 

Strategic Benefits for the Firm 

Integrating high-yield savings accounts into your offering mix can deliver both relational and strategic advantages: 

• Enhances relationship “stickiness” by embedding the firm in the daily financial life of the next generation. 

• Demonstrates immediate value through higher returns on cash holdings without requiring complex planning. 

• Expands the client relationship model to include all generations of a family, not just the wealth creator. 

• Creates future engagement opportunities through ongoing interactions, educational conversations, and evolving financial needs. 

• Unlocks an additional source of firm revenue by partnering with wealth tech providers offering revenue sharing compensation structures. 

Conclusion: Small Account, Lasting Impact 

For RIAs, the path to multigenerational retention doesn’t always require sweeping innovation. Sometimes, it starts with something as simple—and as strategic—as a savings account. Offering clients’ children and grandchildren a high-yield option not only reinforces your firm’s commitment to financial wellness but also plants the seeds of a long-term advisory relationship. 

In an era when trillions of dollars are poised to change hands, those who act now to build trust early and often will be best positioned to retain and grow assets across generations.