When a family unit is comprised of multiple generations, conflicting perspectives and ways of being often come into play. While these generational differences can challenge unity and harmony, they also offer valuable insights and unique contributions when it comes to navigating important family matters. So how do families leverage these differences as they plan for long-term, intergenerational success?
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Successful family meetings are an essential component of managing a family-owned business, especially for wealthy families. Such gatherings are not only about ensuring the smooth operation of the business, but also about facilitating family harmony and ensuring that relationships and the family’s legacy continue through generations. Learning from experience that includes failed family meetings, here are 11 tips for facilitating productive family meetings that foster unity and effectively grow wealth across generations.
With the varied viewpoints, personalities, and emotions of UHNW family members, finding consensus can be a difficult topic, yet it is imperative to reach goals and move ahead. Gain insight into the structure and practices required for consensus and consider real-life situations resolved using these techniques.
Join the Tsotsorkov family’s journey over the decades, from its entrepreneurial roots going back 250 years to its modern-day enterprise. Gen 2 family leader, Dimitar Tsotsorkov, shares the story of, and learnings from, the family’s recent efforts to capture and codify the unique values that have shaped the enterprise family and its ecosystem throughout the centuries.
This session with the Salgar Family will provide background on the transitions underway in their family and how they used the Family Charter / Constitution to reaffirm the family values, align their goals, and organize their governance process. As part of the move from the first generation to the leadership of Gen 2-3, the family outlined the key components to be included in a charter document, including governance functions and responsibilities and skillsets needed for each role.
The fundamental question – “Will the family live in the plan?” – that Jay Hughes, Mary Duke, and Stacy Allred are asking in their latest research and upcoming book offers a cautionary story for both families and their top advisors. Without the appropriate focus on the family’s qualitative capital, and most importantly, their human capital, the plans and structures families have been investing in to preserve and grow their financial capital will likely be rejected by the future generations who were not engaged or consulted when the plans were made.
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.
Families tend to focus on the technical elements when planning wealth transfer, including management of their investments and estate planning. However, to build a long-term foundation for success, it's just as critical to strategically prepare the people in a family. Come to this interactive discussion to learn realistic best practices for strengthening the 'people-side' of your Family Office planning, including communication, education, and preparation- for future roles.
Every family office is unique, and so are the governance structures needed to meet the family's objectives. This session will help attendees understand when a family office should implement more (or less) formal governance components - from committees to councils to bringing in outside directors alongside family members. Attendees will walk away with a solid understanding of the family office governance lifecycle, including indicators on when to add or remove governance elements.
For a variety of reasons, Americans tend to be reluctant to discuss the specifics of their wealth—especially with adult children. While there may be discomfort around talking about wealth, there are several good reasons and ways to have these critical conversations.