Allison Tait
@athenais.bsky.social
Thinking about wealth inequality, social reproduction, and how to repair what is crumbling all around us. All in between meals, naps, and conversations with my cats. Dennis I. Belcher Professor of Law at University of Richmond.
Pinned
Allison Tait
@athenais.bsky.social
· Jul 2
The Inheritance Imagination
Welcome to the opening of my Substack
substack.com
Come visit me here for news, storytelling, and hot takes about what and how we inherit. substack.com/@allisontait...
New post today: The Bank of Mom and Dad. 📬📬📬
Chances are pretty good you’ve had at least a one dealing with this bank; recent studies show 50% of parents in the United States subsidize their adult children, giving them on average $1,500/month.
Is this a problem?
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Chances are pretty good you’ve had at least a one dealing with this bank; recent studies show 50% of parents in the United States subsidize their adult children, giving them on average $1,500/month.
Is this a problem?
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
The Bank of Mom and Dad
what's wrong with a little financial aid?
open.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:44 PM
New post today: The Bank of Mom and Dad. 📬📬📬
Chances are pretty good you’ve had at least a one dealing with this bank; recent studies show 50% of parents in the United States subsidize their adult children, giving them on average $1,500/month.
Is this a problem?
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Chances are pretty good you’ve had at least a one dealing with this bank; recent studies show 50% of parents in the United States subsidize their adult children, giving them on average $1,500/month.
Is this a problem?
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Excited for this symposium on Universities and Democracy and excited to be presenting about endowments and how we should be funding institutions in this very precarious moment.
November 12, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Excited for this symposium on Universities and Democracy and excited to be presenting about endowments and how we should be funding institutions in this very precarious moment.
New Substack post today! 📬📬📬
Probably well known that men tend to inherit more than women - but interesting that men are even more likely to inherit assets that get tax-preferred treatment than the women are!
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Probably well known that men tend to inherit more than women - but interesting that men are even more likely to inherit assets that get tax-preferred treatment than the women are!
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Mind the Gap!
3 ways to look at wealth inequality
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:03 PM
New Substack post today! 📬📬📬
Probably well known that men tend to inherit more than women - but interesting that men are even more likely to inherit assets that get tax-preferred treatment than the women are!
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Probably well known that men tend to inherit more than women - but interesting that men are even more likely to inherit assets that get tax-preferred treatment than the women are!
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
I was delighted when asked to do a book review of The Oligarch's Grip. The main take-away: it's dangerous to attribute an oligarch's success to individual skill and good timing, when success is often the result of pushing for legal change that enables profit.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
David Lingelbach and Valentina Rodríguez Guerra. The Oligarchs’ Grip: Fusing Wealth and Power - Allison Tait, 2025
journals.sagepub.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:35 PM
I was delighted when asked to do a book review of The Oligarch's Grip. The main take-away: it's dangerous to attribute an oligarch's success to individual skill and good timing, when success is often the result of pushing for legal change that enables profit.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
To qualify for SNAP benefits, your income must be at or below 130% of the federal poverty level. For 2025, this is $1,696 per month for one person and $3,483 for a four-person household. Why are these are the families and individuals we portray as entitled? open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Welfare Queens and Davos Kings
talking benefits and billionaires
open.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:29 PM
To qualify for SNAP benefits, your income must be at or below 130% of the federal poverty level. For 2025, this is $1,696 per month for one person and $3,483 for a four-person household. Why are these are the families and individuals we portray as entitled? open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
New Substack Post 📬 📬
The Welfare Queen and the Davos King are two different faces of the welfare system or, alternately, representatives of two different kinds of government assistance programs - one run for low-income people in need and one run for the elite.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
The Welfare Queen and the Davos King are two different faces of the welfare system or, alternately, representatives of two different kinds of government assistance programs - one run for low-income people in need and one run for the elite.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Welfare Queens and Davos Kings
talking benefits and billionaires
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:49 PM
New Substack Post 📬 📬
The Welfare Queen and the Davos King are two different faces of the welfare system or, alternately, representatives of two different kinds of government assistance programs - one run for low-income people in need and one run for the elite.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
The Welfare Queen and the Davos King are two different faces of the welfare system or, alternately, representatives of two different kinds of government assistance programs - one run for low-income people in need and one run for the elite.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
New Substack Post 📬📬📬
So why did the witch eat the children? Maybe she didn't. Maybe she - like the most women accused of witchcraft - was accused and condemned because she lived on the social margins and did not enjoy the protection of a husband or father.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...?
So why did the witch eat the children? Maybe she didn't. Maybe she - like the most women accused of witchcraft - was accused and condemned because she lived on the social margins and did not enjoy the protection of a husband or father.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...?
Why the Witch Ate the Children
The economics of Hansel and Gretel
open.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:33 AM
New Substack Post 📬📬📬
So why did the witch eat the children? Maybe she didn't. Maybe she - like the most women accused of witchcraft - was accused and condemned because she lived on the social margins and did not enjoy the protection of a husband or father.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...?
So why did the witch eat the children? Maybe she didn't. Maybe she - like the most women accused of witchcraft - was accused and condemned because she lived on the social margins and did not enjoy the protection of a husband or father.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...?
New Substack Post!! 📫📫📫📫
About the importance of providing legal services for estate planning in communities where legal services are absent, cultural norms may not align with conventional financial planning, and a legitimate mistrust of legal systems is prevalent. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
About the importance of providing legal services for estate planning in communities where legal services are absent, cultural norms may not align with conventional financial planning, and a legitimate mistrust of legal systems is prevalent. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Happy Estate Planning Awareness Week!
Awareness = information + access
open.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 12:05 PM
New Substack Post!! 📫📫📫📫
About the importance of providing legal services for estate planning in communities where legal services are absent, cultural norms may not align with conventional financial planning, and a legitimate mistrust of legal systems is prevalent. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
About the importance of providing legal services for estate planning in communities where legal services are absent, cultural norms may not align with conventional financial planning, and a legitimate mistrust of legal systems is prevalent. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
You’re thinking that cats inherited the money in The Aristocats. Or you’re remembering how Garfield’s doppelganger inherited an entire English country estate in Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties. The sad truth remains, these movies are not legal authorities.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Trust Fund Pets
Or what The Aristocats can teach us
open.substack.com
October 15, 2025 at 11:49 AM
You’re thinking that cats inherited the money in The Aristocats. Or you’re remembering how Garfield’s doppelganger inherited an entire English country estate in Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties. The sad truth remains, these movies are not legal authorities.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Food for thought:
Disentangling people from the things that surround and sustain them is mindful work. Every case is fact specific and historically contingent, but all cases point to the central role of property in creating personhood. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Disentangling people from the things that surround and sustain them is mindful work. Every case is fact specific and historically contingent, but all cases point to the central role of property in creating personhood. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Why People Love Things
Or why property is so meaningful
open.substack.com
October 8, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Food for thought:
Disentangling people from the things that surround and sustain them is mindful work. Every case is fact specific and historically contingent, but all cases point to the central role of property in creating personhood. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Disentangling people from the things that surround and sustain them is mindful work. Every case is fact specific and historically contingent, but all cases point to the central role of property in creating personhood. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Food for thought: In 2023, there losses exceeding $12.5 Billion, one fourth of those losses happening to people over the age of 60. Tech support fraud was the most common complaint, followed by predatory marriage and cryptocurrency or other investment scams. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Under the Influence
Families, Fraud, and Financial Elder Abuse
open.substack.com
October 1, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Food for thought: In 2023, there losses exceeding $12.5 Billion, one fourth of those losses happening to people over the age of 60. Tech support fraud was the most common complaint, followed by predatory marriage and cryptocurrency or other investment scams. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Help me find the right cover for my book- vote now!
Graphs and maps cannot tell us the whole story of inequality. We need narratives and images in order to help us understand, contextualize and find emotional access to the dynamics of poverty and wealth.
allisontait.substack.com/p/visualizin...
Graphs and maps cannot tell us the whole story of inequality. We need narratives and images in order to help us understand, contextualize and find emotional access to the dynamics of poverty and wealth.
allisontait.substack.com/p/visualizin...
Visualizing Inequality
help me pick the cover for my book!
allisontait.substack.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Help me find the right cover for my book- vote now!
Graphs and maps cannot tell us the whole story of inequality. We need narratives and images in order to help us understand, contextualize and find emotional access to the dynamics of poverty and wealth.
allisontait.substack.com/p/visualizin...
Graphs and maps cannot tell us the whole story of inequality. We need narratives and images in order to help us understand, contextualize and find emotional access to the dynamics of poverty and wealth.
allisontait.substack.com/p/visualizin...
Happy to be honored along with @erincollins.bsky.social and especially grateful for the colleagues and friends who have always supported my scholarship.
Honoring Distinguished Faculty
Tait Named Distinguished Scholar And Collins Named Distinguished Educator
law.richmond.edu
September 17, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Happy to be honored along with @erincollins.bsky.social and especially grateful for the colleagues and friends who have always supported my scholarship.
Reposted by Allison Tait
"Bleak employment prospects have helped tank young Americans’ views on the economy, to levels hardly seen since a prominent monthly survey began in the 1970s."
The Two-Speed Economy Is Back as Low-Income Americans Give Up Gains
High-earners and older Americans are faring better than ever, while fortunes are sliding again for low-wage and young workers.
www.wsj.com
September 17, 2025 at 12:37 PM
"Bleak employment prospects have helped tank young Americans’ views on the economy, to levels hardly seen since a prominent monthly survey began in the 1970s."
Food for thought: when people turn away from the probate process, they look to private financial institutions to transfer wealth. Banks, investment houses, and trust companies profit and the public institution for wealth transfer is being left unused and diminished.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Who’s Afraid of Probate?
Turning away from the public inheritance system
open.substack.com
September 17, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Food for thought: when people turn away from the probate process, they look to private financial institutions to transfer wealth. Banks, investment houses, and trust companies profit and the public institution for wealth transfer is being left unused and diminished.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Food for thought: A dollar received in a paycheck possesses different meanings than a dollar received in a divorce settlement. Disinheritance confirms that money received at a parent's death has a very particular social meaning. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
On Being Disinherited
And the social meaning of money
open.substack.com
September 10, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Food for thought: A dollar received in a paycheck possesses different meanings than a dollar received in a divorce settlement. Disinheritance confirms that money received at a parent's death has a very particular social meaning. open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Reposted by Allison Tait
Didn't read it but I don't have to. Everything Brad Wilcox (who's behind this) writes about marriage is the same, and I've debunked it 100 times. This time it's marriage and happiness. In another case he said marriage makes women safer, and I wrote this, which addresses his common bullshit problems:
Deciphering a well-told data story, cars are good for kids edition
Some tips for critical reading in light of the marriage-reduces-rape controversy.
familyinequality.wordpress.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Didn't read it but I don't have to. Everything Brad Wilcox (who's behind this) writes about marriage is the same, and I've debunked it 100 times. This time it's marriage and happiness. In another case he said marriage makes women safer, and I wrote this, which addresses his common bullshit problems:
Still time to submit!! Come join us in Richmond for great conversations with great people.
Ten days left to submit proposals for the inaugural ALPE conference in Richmond. Come join us for this exciting launch! lpeproject.org/blog/cfp-ina...
CFP: Inaugural Association of Law and Political Economy Conference
A forthcoming conference will launch The Association of Law and Political Economy (ALPE): a membership organization with a regular annual conference, elected leadership, and an architecture for open…
lpeproject.org
September 5, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Still time to submit!! Come join us in Richmond for great conversations with great people.
Reposted by Allison Tait
The ad campaign criticizing the use of masks by federal agents working in Washington, D.C. has expanded to 115 bus stops, per organizers
September 3, 2025 at 1:37 PM
The ad campaign criticizing the use of masks by federal agents working in Washington, D.C. has expanded to 115 bus stops, per organizers
Food for thought: In 2025 there were 15 “centibillionaires” worth $2.4 trillion for the first time ever, while there was not one county, city or state in the United States where a full-time worker earning minimum wage could afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
The House that Family Money Built
A preview of my forthcoming book
open.substack.com
September 3, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Food for thought: In 2025 there were 15 “centibillionaires” worth $2.4 trillion for the first time ever, while there was not one county, city or state in the United States where a full-time worker earning minimum wage could afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Food for thought: Can you leave your child money but only if they marry someone of the same race ? Can you leave everything to your male relatives and not to the female ones? Can you condition a gift on going to a medical school, not drinking, or losing weight?
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Inheriting with Conditions
First day back in the classroom: Wills and Trusts, fall 2025.
open.substack.com
August 27, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Food for thought: Can you leave your child money but only if they marry someone of the same race ? Can you leave everything to your male relatives and not to the female ones? Can you condition a gift on going to a medical school, not drinking, or losing weight?
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Food for thought: "Quiet luxury isn’t all that quiet, especially if you’re tuned in to the right frequency. Quiet luxury is the very loud sound of assumed cultural knowledge and socially disciplined dressing, voiced in the fashion lingua franca of white elites." open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
The Myth of Quiet Luxury
A morning at the Superfine exhibit
open.substack.com
August 20, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Food for thought: "Quiet luxury isn’t all that quiet, especially if you’re tuned in to the right frequency. Quiet luxury is the very loud sound of assumed cultural knowledge and socially disciplined dressing, voiced in the fashion lingua franca of white elites." open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Reposted by Allison Tait
📢 Heads up! The Association of Law & Political Economy is accepting submissions for our first-ever conference starting THIS Friday 🎉
August 13, 2025 at 1:15 PM
📢 Heads up! The Association of Law & Political Economy is accepting submissions for our first-ever conference starting THIS Friday 🎉
Someone with a family income of $100,000 is twice as likely to become an artist as a person with a family income of $50,000. With an annual family income of $1 million, you are ten times more likely than someone with a family income of $100,000 to be an artist.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
Writing While Rich
A visit to Edith Wharton's house
open.substack.com
August 13, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Someone with a family income of $100,000 is twice as likely to become an artist as a person with a family income of $50,000. With an annual family income of $1 million, you are ten times more likely than someone with a family income of $100,000 to be an artist.
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...
open.substack.com/pub/allisont...