Entrepreneurial stewardship is the key to perpetuating family wealth through multiple generations. Stuart Lucas and David Lansky discuss some of the paradoxes of maintaining a healthy, wealthy multigenerational family and how to address effectively these paradoxes. The article explains how entrepreneurial stewardship can be a key to perpetuat...
This issue of FourThought explores the questions which arose for a multigenerational family — questions about ultraluxury travel, private aviation, emergency medical care, and personal security — as they planned a trip to Tanzania for a safari on the Serengeti Plain. In a trip designed personally for the family, each element of the trip ...
Purposeful travel is using travel as a shared family experience designed to strengthen the family's common purpose. There are endless opportunities for a family to engage in purposeful travel without at the same time holding a family meeting.A purposeful trip can cement bonds between family members, and contribute significantly to sustaining the fa...
With some care and effort, your family’s story can live on and grow with each new generation. This article describes the process of creating a family archive: a treasure trove of historical information about family decendants, business accomplishements and important events. Helpful tips such as archival vendors and types of materi...
A software consultant to financial services firms provides some food for thought about the extensive use of custom built Excel-based applications. The article touches on reasons why the use of Excel may be hurting your advisory firm or family office, reasons to review your existing Excel applications in use and whether you should consider other opt...
In his latest research study, Dennis Jaffe and research contributors from Family Business Network, Family Office Exchange, and Stetson University’s Family Enterprise Center interviewed 38 families that have managed to overcome the adage “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.” The report discusses the...
This article highlights steps that should be taken to ensure the privacy of family members and family office staff who use social media tools, including warnings about posting location-based information and a review of privacy settings for social media.
The first in-depth exploration from our global family business survey, “women in leadership” shows that family businesses believe in the value of women in leadership overall, not only women family members.
Knowing what Wealth Managers find crucially important when structuring insurance solutions for their clients can help you differentiate yourself amongst this highly influential group of trusted advisors. The insights in this article can help you strengthen your referral network and increase your pipeline of UHNW business.
The volume of information in businesses is doubling every two years, creating significant challenges for businesses of all types and sizes, including family offices. Besides the cost of storage, the information in records and data can pose risks that may surface in audits and litigation. One way to successfully tame the rising tide, is to implement...
CWP Management, Inc., is a busy family office based in Chicago, Illinois. They look after the financial affairs of 10 households and 31 family members across 3 generations, but an ageing IT infrastructure was weighing down on its president’s time and budget. When disaster struck and their data center was compromised, CWP used the opport...
Cloud computing continues to transform the way businesses work. But not all clouds are equal. We’ve collected the key features of cloud computing for family offices into a straightforward checklist and added explanations of what they are and how they matter to family offices. We’ve also highlighted what to look out for when ...
Clients often hire domestic staff for help managing a large family and household. But for the affluent homeowner, there are significant risks associated with retaining employees such as babysitters, elder-caregivers, and housekeepers, to name just a few. When hiring domestic workers, it’s important to consider and address the risks involved, ...
With cyber theft often in the headlines, it might seem as though it’s not a question of whether your personal information will be compromised, but when. For example, you have likely seen CNN’s estimates that over 100 million Americans have had their personal information stolen and exposed over a one year period. This may leave you wonde...
When your business and reputation are on the line: Know your professional liability risk – For high net worth individuals who invest their time and resources for lifetime causes, losingbusiness and personal assets can be devastating. Read this paper to understand how to protect HNW individuals from frivolous lawsuits that can threaten t...