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Family governance need not be an oxymoron. A conscious family governance system can help create an efficient and rewarding means of ensuring the family enterprise’s viability for generations to come. Therefore, any family enterprise that seeks to maintain and grow its wealth—financial, human, social, and intellectual—should consider creating a clear system of governance that is well-designed and flexible-but-durable.

Research tells us communication is the most essential ingredient for sustaining wealth across generations. But, cross-generational communication can be particularly challenging, especially within families of wealth. Each generation’s habits, beliefs, and ideals are influenced by very different experiences, traditions, and societal norms. So how do you bridge the divide? In a gathering of more than 80 women ranging in age from 21 to 91 at a weekend-long learning event, several insights and recommendations on solving the cross-generational communication emerged.

Successfully transitioning family assets from generation to generation is hard work. And for many families, talking about money or family wealth can be awkward and uncomfortable, or simply delayed, which hinders younger generations from absorbing the critical information and know-how that is necessary for a smooth transfer of wealth and responsibilities. Some families are reluctant to discuss wealth at all because they are afraid of ruining their children's ambition. However, there are ways to encourage open discussions while being respectful of that fear.

The most problematic challenge wealthy families face is not how to make more money, but how to ensure that it lasts. This requires focusing on something other than money. Successful families, whose wealth lasts for many generations, follow five key practices.

Market research reveals that nearly 70% of intergenerational wealth transfers fail by the third generation and almost 90% by the fourth. These are compelling statistics which have become top of mind concerns for many families as they plan their wealth transition to the next generation. For Australian families, there are three key challenges they face when transitioning wealth. A closer look shows what they are doing to beat the statistics and ultimately succeed, beginning with preserving family harmony and unity.

By fostering the idea of giving from a young age, children can learn the value and joy in helping, sharing, and giving to those who have less than them. Instilling the core ideals of philanthropy in your children's lives can also help them develop a sense of purpose and self. The key is to educate and give them something to emulate.

Nothing says, “I'm not sure our marriage will last,” like asking your new fiancé for a prenuptial agreement. This situation can be made even more touchy if the parents of the bride or groom are the ones insisting on the agreement. However, if approached positively and created thoughtfully, a prenuptial agreement can have benefits for both partners and for the couple's relationship.

Succession is not just about money or property. It means confronting family relationships and taking the time to make sure that the drivers for succession planning connect personal motivations, the purpose of wealth, and specific family issues. It requires an emotional commitment to a process that once started must run its course, including having conversations about fairness, equity, choices about who is in “the family,” and their capabilities for current and future roles.

Many wealth management clients often want to know how to prevent their children from becoming entitled. Specifically, they’re concerned that their children will rely on family wealth instead of forging their own paths to success and will lack an understanding of money beyond how to spend it. Moreover, parents may inadvertently seed entitlement in their children even as they’re trying to avoid it. To sidestep the entitlement trap, here are five consistently identified principles to help parents create more self-reliant children.