Every family office is unique, and so are the governance structures needed to meet the family's objectives. This session will help attendees understand when a family office should implement more (or less) formal governance components - from committees to councils to bringing in outside directors alongside family members. Attendees will walk away with a solid understanding of the family office governance lifecycle, including indicators on when to add or remove governance elements.
Family Governance
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The Need for Governance in Family-Owned Businesses
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Family-owned businesses are an important part of the economy, and they face unique challenges due to the dynamics of family relationships. With family members involved in both ownership and management, decision-making processes can be complex and challenging, so it is crucial that family-owned businesses develop governance structures before a need for governance arises. With proper governance and best practices, family-owned businesses can thrive and achieve long-term and sustainable success.
Helping Your Children Prepare for an Inheritance
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If you’re not used to having conversations surrounding family wealth, it can be an uncomfortable experience that can lead to in-fighting and a breakdown in trust. That’s especially true when talking about inheritance: older generations often question if their kids are ready to grow into their roles as stewards of wealth, and younger generations often let inexperience and a fear of being judged keep them from asking important questions.
The Hidden Factor That Can Derail Your Legacy
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Wealthy families often take every precaution in preserving their legacies for future generations, with carefully constructed estate plans, wills, and trusts. But they often overlook the hidden factor that can undermine all these plans, and it isn’t investment returns or poor estate planning: It’s family dynamics. Studies have shown that the main reasons wealth fails to transition successfully across generations have little to do with making sound financial decisions—and much more to do with how the family interacts with each other.
Good Governance: How to Build or Refresh Your Board
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A well-functioning board is a crucial component to help the family business achieve longevity and growth. From risk mitigation to culture oversight, a good board can be an important resource for the company, shareholders, and stakeholders. In this discussion, Meghan Juday, IDEAL Industries Chairman and Founder of The Lodis Forum, a peer group for women in board leadership roles, will address key insights and lessons to establish or refresh a board.
Family Governance: A Key to Maintaining Your Legacy
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When setting up a family legacy plan that extends across generations, it’s vital to have a family governance plan that empowers a family to govern its wealth and enterprises as a cohesive unit. While each family is unique, the keys to incorporating an effective family governance will be uniting around shared purposes, having a written family constitution that sets forth broad principles and policies in areas that are identified by the family as needed, and keeping it separate from any operating business governance.
Planning Family Meetings for Maximum Family Impact
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The family meeting is an important element of the larger family education and communication strategy. Join Edouard Thijssen, Co-Founder & CEO of Trusted Family, and Mindy Kalinowski Earley, Chief Learning Officer at Family Office Exchange, for an educational discussion informed by their decades of work with families.
How to Talk with Your Family About Wealth
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For a variety of reasons, Americans tend to be reluctant to discuss the specifics of their wealth—especially with adult children. While there may be discomfort around talking about wealth, there are several good reasons and ways to have these critical conversations.
When is the right time to start talking about succession within the family office? Who starts the conversation so that it is comfortable, non-threatening, and becomes a planned process rather than a one-time event? Hear from families, family office executives, our thought leaders, as well as executive recruiters on how to navigate the succession process with maximum impact.
The Emergence of B Corps: Positioning the Family Office to Achieve Impact | 2022 FOX Family Forum
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Once the family enterprise is clear on which values it aims to preserve, the next step is to integrate and execute those values in an intentional way. Enter: The B Corps. Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. Join this session to learn how one family office achieved B Corps status, why it matters, and how yours can too. Philippe Mauchard, Venture Partner and Former Chief Investment Officer, SPDG Ventures Peter Moustakerski, CEO, FOX