And along the way, you've still found time to start a family and have children

But now, as you reach your fifties and sixties, and your children reach their teens, comes the tricky question

of how to leave your money to your children without screwing up their lives.

So how do you, as Warren Buffett once said, leave enough for them to do something, but not enough to do nothing.

We spoke to a range of experts, wealth managers, and to the wealthy parents themselves about what you should do

and came up with a five-step plan

First, determine how much is too much. In the FT's long-running interview series, "My First Million,"

the question: "Do you believe in leaving everything to your children?" has rarely elicited a resounding yes

Leslie Pierce had the best response saying that beyond help with property and education, she intended to spend as much as possible

adding, "If I had to stay in a nursing home, it would be a posh one"

Next, think about the values you want to instill in your children.

For John Roberts, chief executive of AO.com, the XXX electric retailer, it all comes down to family values

He said he wanted his children to work hard, think of others, and have respect for what they have and what they earn

But critically, all of this, he added, was for them to live their own lives

Third, education, education, education. Your children need to know more about money than merely spending it

Many organizations offer programs, internships, as well as residential courses, that will teach the next generation financial planning and investing, philanthropy

the dynamics of shared family wealth, and longer-term issues, including wealth preservation

Fourth, give it all away

For philanthropist and entrepreneur, and Tom Hunter, it's a pressing dilemma

He told me that he was worried that great wealth would be a burden,

but even the super rich are stumped when it comes to determining how much is too much to leave their kids

When I pushed him on how much exactly he was going to leave, he said, it was still a work in progress

And finally, control your wealth, even after your death

There are many ways to pass on wealth through the generations, but one of the most effective and tax-efficient, is through trust

Many families would opt for the traditional trust fund, accessible when the child reaches 18, or increasingly, when they turn 21 or even 25

But ultimately, we all want our children or dependence to be happy and healthy, but be careful

wanting to help financially can sometimes end up doing more harm than good