The estate tax, a tax on your right to transfer property upon your death, may be the most morbid topic in financial planning and is certainly a subject very few people want to think about, according to a new study.

The survey, carried out by The Hartford Financial Services Group, found that most affluent Americans – particularly those with more than $2m in net worth – say they are more concerned than they were a year ago about their families having to surrender significant chunks of an estate to federal taxes.