America is the richest country in the world and it has more billionaires than any other nation. While many of those 724 mega-rich individuals have made their own fortunes, including the world’s richest man Jeff Bezos, a huge number have inherited their wealth just by fortune of birth, such as the heirs of America’s richest families including the Waltons and the Mars family among others. In fact, of the top 50 dynasties on the Forbes 2020 list of wealthy families, who have combined wealth of around $1.2 trillion, 27 also featured on the Forbes 400 list back in 1983. A new report by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) think tank says that it is wealth preservation, rather than generation, that is allowing these families to stay so rich.

So how do America’s richest clans look after their family fortunes? Click or scroll through to discover the secret strategies of the nation’s wealthiest dynasties.