In early 2012, if you were driving in Ohio or Indiana, there was a decent chance you’d make a stop at a GasAmerica store for fuel and snacks. At that time the Greenfield, Indiana, company was amid the fourth generation of ownership by the White family.

But if you made the same trip in the summer, you would have seen those GasAmerica stores turning into Speedways. After almost a century of ownership, great-grandchildren of the founder decided to sell the business.

Stephanie and Keith White made a decision many other Americans inheriting assets are facing today. We’re amid what’s reportedly the biggest transfer of wealth in modern history. As of 2021, Americans over 70 years old had accumulated about $35 trillion in wealth, according to the Federal Reserve. That’s 27% of the country’s total wealth.

Not all of it will make its way to children and other relatives. In a 2021 survey by research firm Hearts and Wallets, 30% of respondents in their 50s and 60s expected to spend all their money, and only 40% expected to leave inheritances.

But even if these numbers come to be, the next generations will still be inheriting a lot in the form of stocks, real estate, businesses, and other assets. And we’ll have to decide what to do with all of it.

That might not be an easy task for many of us. Although we’re often told to be unemotional about investment assets, we might have strong feelings about what we inherit. How could we not have strong ties to the Home Depot stock now in portfolio that helped our parents retire comfortably and pay for college? Or a cabin on a lake where we spent our summers? And you might have negative feelings as well; perhaps you’ve inherited a company that’s in a business you don’t like.

Complicating all of this is the possibility you co-own the assets with other family members, and families are pretty complicated, too. Communication is key at this time, and it can help to have talks with family members guided by someone with financial expertise.

Some of the questions you’ll want to ask are:

• For stocks, are the companies growing sales and earnings at a satisfactory clip, or have the businesses matured, no longer offering a suitable return?

• For businesses, are you the best managers of the company to help it succeed? Are you the best owners?

• For property such as jewelry or a summer home, will you enjoy it, or will it sit unused?

These are just some of the questions that can help take some of the emotion out of the process. I think some of the massive sales of songwriting catalogs to music companies by such legacy artists as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon is fueled in part by a desire to take this decision-making out of the hands of their families.

There’s a saying about stocks that applies to other investments: Don’t fall in love with your stocks, because they won’t fall in love with you. But as humans we have a hard time removing emotions out of investments. So make sure you’re communicating your feelings about them and work with a professional to navigate these decisions.

Evan R. Guido is the founder of Aksala Wealth Advisors LLC, a 2018 Forbes Next-Gen Advisors List Member, and Financial Professional at Avantax Investment ServicesSM. Evan heads a team of retirement transition strategists for clients who consider themselves the “Millionaire Next Door.” He can be reached at 941-500-5122 or eguido@aksalawealth.com. Read more of his insights at heraldtribune.com/business. Securities offered through Avantax Investment ServicesSM, member FINRA, SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Avantax Advisory ServicesSM, insurance services offered through an Avantax affiliated insurance agency. 8225 Natures Way, Suite 119, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: EVAN GUIDO: Beware of emotional, generational ties with investments