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Forging a close relationship among siblings during childhood is hard enough, but as siblings become adults, the development of disparities in wealth can challenge even the strongest relationships. In business-owning families, the potential ramifications not only affect the personal lives of the immediate family, it can also disrupt the alignment of...

The death of a loved one is a difficult and emotional time for a family. There is often additional stress if you are appointed as the executor of the will and trustee of your family’s trusts, especially if the deceased had been the sole manager of substantial family assets and wealth. For an untrained person, it can be a daunting role. For these re...

When done well, a trustee’s service can have a profoundly positive impact on a family; when done poorly, a trustee’s service can create or exacerbate fissures within a family, dissipate family wealth, create personal liability for the trustee, and create a public spectacle that sullies the family’s good name and reputation. For key employees in fam...

Ultimately, how well your wealth transfer plan fulfills your legacy and meets the needs of the next—and future—generations depends on whom you name as your trustee(s). This makes your trustee selection one of the most critical aspects of an already complex wealth planning process. To help navigate this selection process, work with a framework built...

Serving as a trustee for your family can be a valuable experience for you, while also providing an important service to your family. But before you accept the position, make sure that you understand the role you will play for the family and are willing to accept the responsibilities and liability that come with it.

To effectively serve as a trustee, it's crucial to understand your fiduciary duties. Even trustees with the best of intentions can create liability for themselves by being unprepared for the job or by not fully understanding their obligations. Learn more about some of the common mistakes family trustees make that can lead to lawsuits and other...

Choosing a trustee is a major decision—one that may impact you and your family in many ways for generations to come. Essentially, when you establish a trust for the benefit of others, you are handing down your values through the terms of the trust and your contributed financial assets. And with an increasing number of trusts lasting for multiple ge...

No matter your role – whether you’re a family business leader, family office executive, family member – how are you preparing your family for significant wealth transfer or liquidation events? Said differently, how can you make inheriting wealth less like being hit by a comet?

In The Time is NOW for your Rising Gen, FOX Chief Learning Officer, Mindy Kalinowski Earley, cautions families on waiting too long to involve their future family leaders. Outlaying personal quotes from members of the rising generation and relaying best practice first steps, Early argues that when starting family learning and leadership skills…there...

As families grow larger and more diffused—the epitome of an enterprise family—consensus seems ever more difficult to attain. In this Q&A, FOX’s Chief Learning Officer Mindy Kalinowski Earley and principal Jeff Strese of Jeff Strese Consulting Group discuss how families can reduce conflict by taking a consensus-building approach that can navigat...

In a world where conflict is inevitable, how can families with complex family dynamics and complicated structures foster healthy conflict that actually makes them stronger and more resilient. Join Matt Wesley and Cathy Carroll to find the Goldilocks of constructive conflict. They will discuss the mindsets and skills any family can develop, such as ...