The great wealth transfer is here

Baby boomers will pass over $100 trillion to heirs in the next two decades. A Citizens Bank survey found 60% of people plan to invest at least part of an inheritance.

Why invest an inheritance

Many Americans are behind on retirement savings. Investing inherited money can help you build a cushier retirement and eventually pass wealth to your own children.

Most wealth comes from a few dozen stocks

A study of 30,000 stocks over 100 years found that just 46 companies created half of all $91 trillion in stock market wealth. These proven winners are the best place to start.

“Just 46 firms account for half of the $91 trillion in net wealth creation over the full century.”

Merck: healthcare giant with staying power

Merck has created $519 billion in wealth through blockbuster drugs like Keytruda. It's building a patent wall to protect revenue beyond 2042 and just announced a promising cancer vaccine with Moderna.

Merck's dividend keeps growing

Merck pays a dividend that has grown for 16 consecutive years and yields 2.3%, above average. The company also spends billions on stock buybacks annually.

Walmart thrives despite e-commerce

Walmart has created $1.2 trillion in wealth and is the second-largest online retailer in America. Brick-and-mortar still accounts for 77% of U.S. retail spending.

Walmart's wealth creation is accelerating

Remarkably, 62% of Walmart's wealth creation since going public in 1972 has happened since 2016. The company is a Dividend King with 53 consecutive years of dividend growth.

Amazon: more than just retail

Amazon has created $2.3 trillion in wealth, the fifth-largest creator in 100 years. But its real engine is Amazon Web Services, which the company believes could become a $1 trillion annual business.

Amazon's growth strategy never stops

Amazon has $122 billion in cash and recently acquired Zoox, MGM Studios, One Medical and Globalstar. It reinvests aggressively rather than paying dividends, fueling continuous expansion.

Nvidia: the AI powerhouse

Nvidia is the second-largest wealth creator in 100 years with $4.6 trillion generated since going public in 1999. Its dominance in AI chips makes it central to the technology economy.

Nvidia's business extends far beyond AI

While AI gets the headlines, Nvidia also dominates gaming, graphics, data centers, cloud computing, autonomous vehicles and genomic sequencing. Demand for its chips spans industries.

Nvidia rewards shareholders aggressively

Nvidia has ramped up stock buybacks from $2 billion in 2021 to $48 billion in 2025. Its dividend has increased 25-fold in one year and has room to grow further.

Apple: the greatest wealth creator

Apple has created $5 trillion in wealth, more than any other company in 100 years. It built its empire by perfecting emerging technologies rather than inventing them first.

Apple's formula: perfect, don't pioneer

The Mac wasn't the first PC, the iPod wasn't the first MP3 player, and the iPhone wasn't the first smartphone. But Apple's design and user experience made each category-defining.

Apple's leadership transition shows strength

Tim Cook stepped down as CEO in September 2026 and was replaced by John Ternus, who led iPad, AirPods and Apple Watch development. Cook remains as Executive Chairman.

Apple returns billions to shareholders

Apple has $146 billion in cash and investments available for acquisitions. It repurchases $80 billion to $100 billion in stock annually and has grown its dividend every year since 2012.

Start with these five proven winners

Merck, Walmart, Amazon, Nvidia and Apple have created over $13 trillion in combined wealth. Each has proven it can adapt, innovate and reward shareholders for decades.