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Research indicates that multigenerational involvement is the single most important factor in sustaining family wealth into the third generation and beyond. Furthermore, the families that most successfully integrate younger members into their family operations seem to share the same philosophies and core values. It’s a family enterprise mindset that...

At the start of a family enterprise journey, there is often a patriarch (or matriarch) who was both an entrepreneur and a leader who overcame uncertainty or adversity to create something very special with the potential to last for many generations. For the families seeking to sustain their legacies, there will come a time for the patriarchs to move...

Avoiding the issue of succession planning is much easier than starting a conversation about handing over the reins to other family members. But avoidance does not defer the inevitable, and it puts family harmony and wealth at risk. As patriarchs and matriarchs of wealth families confront the issue of succession planning, there are seven questions f...

In this exclusive chat with Mellody Hobson, the President and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, speaks candidly about the importance and value of diversity in finance—how being color brave can improve business and society at large. Mellody shares personal stories and lessons learned from her investment career, including the disconnect tha...

Families often find it challenging to talk about long-term plans and wishes of their aging parents. But it’s never a good idea to wait until there’s a crisis to rally family members together on a plan that will address mom or dad’s needs and wishes regarding healthcare, living arrangements, and long-term financial care. Knowing how to get the conve...

Portfolio management for families of significant wealth is distinctly different than those with traditional wealth management needs. For these families, wealth typically exists in a much more complex ecosystem—among real estate investments, operating companies, or multiple generations, by way of example. These factors and other considerations ...

Succession will happen—it’s a matter of when, not if—so families should approach it with strategic forethought, flexibility, and responsiveness to ensure a smooth, successful transition. Through three different scenarios that encompass most transitions, learn how the decision-making process succession varies in significant ways across those scenari...

Investors should not design portfolios to survive markets on average, but rather to survive every day and, most importantly, the worst days. As Benjamin Graham said, “the essence of portfolio management is the management of risks, not the management of returns.” At the core of a robust portfolio construction framework is to take a risk conscious ap...

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 ...

Traditionally, wealth advisors use a succession planning framework that involves working with the founders to look downstream to the next generation for an effective “passing of the baton” strategy. In contrast, a multi-generational approach encourages each person within the family system to contemplate and share with others where they’ve come from...

As families and family offices build their investment portfolios, they should consider private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) with an eye on technological innovation. However, building a portfolio that incorporates both PE and VC investments is not straightforward. It requires skill and discipline. By looking at 2020 when private investments ...

A dynamic portfolio can help address a number of investment challenges that families of wealth face, including varying multigenerational preferences, unique tax considerations, domicile requirements, and specific beneficiary needs. Yet there is also such a thing as overcomplexity, which can waste time, cause confusion, decrease potential returns, a...

Consistently revisiting potential liquidity risk is important work for family investors, as many of these risks can lay silent for prolonged periods and become easy to overlook. In fact, unexpected liquidity demands can undo a lot of hard work and, in a worst-case scenario, force a fire sale of assets. By carrying out regular liquidity risk analyse...

The traditional 60/40 portfolio—a mix of 60% stocks and 40% bonds—is suffering through one of its worst periods in history. Although the demise of the 60/40 portfolio has been predicted before, investors may now face a new regime of high inflation and rising correlations between equities and fixed incomes. For investors in hard-hit 60/40 portfolios...

Over the last few decades, the lackluster performance of traditional active managers has fueled the rise of “closet indexing.” For some, this trend, and the related systemic underperformance of the active management industry, have renewed interest in concentrated investing in pursuit of improved investment performance. This paper leverages empirica...