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Communication is found to be the most important factor for cohesion in families and sustainability of family wealth. As one of the key tenets to happy, healthy, and thriving families, it is essential for family members to dedicate the effort necessary to become better communicators. Practicing effective communications—including being open and ...

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...

One of the most common concerns families have revolves around how to share wealth with family members without encouraging entitlement. With forethought and care, giving well and wisely can bring families together and strengthen the bonds between generations. The steps to giving wisely—and fostering flourishing over entitlement—include clarifying yo...

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 ...

While many families are expending effort on important concepts such as improving financial literacy, defining family shared values, and creating family mission statements, such efforts are likely to be lost if families do not first focus on one fundamental aspect of a successful family: Communication. Effective communication is an ongoing effort th...

When starting with family philanthropy, a family can choose a donor-advised fund or establish a private foundation. Each option has different requirements and management issues, including start-up costs, privacy matters, control of grants and assets, and flexibility in impact investing. Serving as a general guidance for you and your experienced adv...

Even if you are not yet ready to share the family's wealth numbers, communicating your intentions to the next generations promotes family harmony and is a best practice for successfully sustaining and transferring family wealth. It may also be time to schedule a family meeting for this purpose. There is no right way to conduct this meeting, bu...

Talking about wealth is every bit as important as creating a technical wealth plan—if not more so. Preparing a wealth transfer plan without helping your loved ones understand how to manage those assets in their own lives leaves the true process of sharing wealth incomplete and subject to real, but avoidable, risks. In this guide, you’ll find ways t...

For many individuals, philanthropy is one of the more gratifying parts of estate planning. Adding in a multigenerational component—one that involves the family’s needs, interests, assets, and goals—can make it even more meaningful and compelling. With the focus on the family and through open channels of communication, philanthropy can be an excelle...

Families that have accumulated significant assets want to know how to best prepare the rising generation to help them maximize the benefits available to them, while also minimizing the unique challenges that occur when navigating the world of wealth. Younger family members may have different approaches when it comes to wealth. Understanding where t...

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 fa...

For most families, a large part of multigenerational success hinges on how they approach challenges and create opportunities. In unprecedented times of social distancing and school closures, there are ways you can use this unexpected “family time” to your advantage, including enhancing education for younger generations and foster family communicati...

In "How To Talk With Your Family About Wealth," we discussed the importance of the family conversation when it comes to planning a legacy—and how quickly wealth can be lost when these conversations don’t take place. Yet despite their importance, these discussions can still be difficult, especially if your family doesn’t regularly talk about money. ...

By recognizing there are various charitable giving vehicles—including donor-advised funds, charitable remainder trust, and CRUTs—that donors use to engage in philanthropy, there is also the recognition that there is no single method that is a universally perfect solution and that there are donors who may wish to utilize more than one structure. So ...

Wealthy families often take every precaution in preserving their legacies for future generations, with carefully constructed estate plans, wills, and trusts. But they often overlook the hidden factor that can undermine all these plans, and it isn’t investment returns or poor estate planning: It’s family dynamics. Studies have shown that the main re...