Thought Leader Series

Margaret hired the neighborhood girl down the street to watch her children a couple days a week and run some simple errands for her. She never imagined that when she did that, she became an “employer” with all the legal implications that go along with that title. She is now being audited by the IRS ...

In our work with ultra-wealthy families, we have seen that those families face some fairly unique risks that ordinary people or business would not typically need to think about. When family offices are doing a risk assessment, these are five questions I strongly encourage them to conside...

Recently, I was reflecting on how uncertainty impacts our lives. For instance, modern technology provided ample warning (aka “certainty”) to the East Coast ahead of January’s once-in-a-lifetime blizzard and yet, tragically, some people found themselves unprepared. This is in contrast to the li...

In December 2015, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced he would transfer 99 percent of his Facebook shares—a sum currently valued at $45 billion—to the new Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a philanthropic endeavor that will be led by Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan. The Chan Zuckerberg...

"I'm wondering if it's time for us to add outside experts to our advisory board," Julie Jacks mused aloud to her cousins. "Experts who would bring fresh ideas and who would have some gravitas around here." Julie and her cousins were gathered at the brown-bag lunch session they held each week i...

Recently, a family I advise came to me looking to plan a family meeting. Inevitably, the question came up: “Well, should we do it at Thanksgiving or at Christmas?” My response? Avoid both. There has been a growing recognition by families of the need to prepare future generations to be res...

Stop for a moment and think about the leaders in your world. Consider friends, family members, teachers, colleagues and business partners. Which of these people would you consider to be the "best” leaders? Who stands out and what makes them stand out above others? Perhaps it's because they show...

For many, owning a horse is the realization of a lifelong passion. However, it can also increase your risk of financial loss or even lawsuits. Whether you board your horse on your own property or at a professional facility, it’s important to ask yourself, “Am I protected against the potential risks?...

Earlier this year, one of my clients came to me with a question about her family’s trust portfolio. She was worried that, despite it going against her own personal social values, she (along with the rest of her family) was investing in cigarette companies. “Do we really have to invest this money in ...

Families of significant wealth rightfully expect their attorneys, investment professionals and CPAs to be creative, effective advisors. It's time they expect the same from their banker.Banking is one aspect of wealth management that affects the family every single day. Yet, despite the increasingly ...