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Extreme winter weather has been a major issue throughout much of the U.S. in recent years and can result in high insurance claims accounting for millions in losses—the majority of which were due to ice dams and frozen pipes. An analysis of the winter-weather loss claims yielded four common factors and valuable insights that can help you be more pro...

Water damage has consistently ranked as the costliest cause of loss year over year. The largest of these losses have all occurred while no one was home. Whether you’re planning to be away for a short vacation or leaving for the season, there are nine steps you can take to help reduce the chances that you will suffer a water loss.

A chimney fire can be a significant event, in both monetary damages and trauma. The risk is heightened by the fact that chimney fires often begin out of sight, meaning they may not be noticed in time to prevent the flames from spreading to the home or causing serious structural damage. Luckily, a few simple measures can help reduce the damage from ...

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...

As high-net-worth investors discuss plans for charitable giving and investing with their financial advisors, it is absolutely crucial for them to be on the same page in terms of the outcomes desired, both financially and philanthropically. For this reason, advisors and their clients need a set vocabulary of terms going into the first meeting. Only ...

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...

When it comes to buying a new home, there can be many unknowns. However, uncovering the issues and hidden risks earlier in the process can help you make a more informed buying decision. As part of your lifestyle and property management best practices, there are four important questions—including matters of insurance and geographical risks—that shou...

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...

Across the world, philanthropy is undergoing a transformation that offers both exciting opportunities and complex challenges. With so much in flux, emerging donors and established funders are seeking new models not only for funding strategies and impact measures, but also for organizational design and management systems that will serve them well in...

There are many improvements that can be made to a home to help prevent costly and dangerous losses in the future. Many of the recommendations included in this guide cost a sliver of what they will protect, and for those implemented during construction, it often requires a much smaller investment than it would to retrofit a home later.

This issue brief examines the kinds of decisions that family foundations often face and sets out practical, easy-to-apply guidelines for ensuring that the foundation’s decision-making methods vary appropriately, as conditions and circumstances change. It includes factors to consider when selecting a decision-making method, guidance on how to commun...

While insurance may not be top of mind as you go through life’s changes and challenges, it is a critical tool to help keep your family and assets safe. By minding your insurance gaps and working with a knowledgeable agent and reputable carrier in identifying your unique risks, you can assure your family has the protection it nee...

Just as government and businesses require sound governance to do their work well, so too do families—and their philanthropy. The Family Governance Pyramid provides a model and framework for philanthropic families that is even more relevant and necessary today than when it was first introduced nearly two decades ago. This article by the National Cen...