Family business owners begin their adventures balancing two priorities: keeping the business as an integral part of an ever-expanding family and creating a profitable, sustainable organization. In the end, family is the guiding force behind the company’s success; maximizing value for the next generation is sometimes more important than maximizing economic value in the present. Creating the right legal foundation will allow owners to put family first when it matters most.
Family Governance
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Family Wealth from a Big Picture Perspective
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The process of developing long-term strategies to manage family wealth requires careful thought and well-coordinated tactics focused on achieving far-reaching wealth planning objectives.All too often, plans are established that are focused primarily on minimizing the tax burden. Individuals and families need to be careful that the tax “tail” isn’t wagging the wealth planning “dog.” Decisions that appear to generate favorable results from a tax perspective may not always be aligned with your broader legacy goals.
When approaching estate planning and, more specifically, setting up a long-term, irrevocable trust, many high net worth families both think and act locally. They provide -- often with minimal analysis or advice – for a trust that is governed by the laws of their home state and subject to taxation there, without considering alternatives that may be far more attractive.
Tax and Estate Update*
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In our most in-demand session, experts will share the latest updates in estate laws and taxes that family office executives need to watch for in 2014 and beyond.
The loss of a spouse to either death or divorce is one of the most traumatic experiences anyone can go through. Life will change irrevocably in many ways for the surviving spouse or separated partners. This article reviews often-neglected steps that may lessen the burden and financial issues that you and/or your spouse may face when this painful loss occurs. So-called “widow planning”—applying equally to widowers and to contingency plans for divorce—is an essential part of any couple’s financial preparedness.
Perspectives on Legacy: Managing Family Dynamics and Wealth’s Human ImpactArne Boudewyn, Managing Director, Abbot Downing Building and preserving a family legacy requires attention to not only financial capital but also human, intellectual and social capital. It is the dynamic interdependence of these elements that ultimately influences successful wealth transfer across generations.
Traditional wills involve what you want your loved ones to have. Ethical wills involve what you want your loved ones to know. This short article discusses how the ancient practice of crafting an ethical will is an essential piece of today’s multigenerational wealth planning.
For families contemplating substantial charitable contributions, private foundations provide a structure to create a legacy of family charitable giving and remain a popular vehicle for charitably inclined families.
How are wealth owners managing the investment process? Who is making investment decisions, and what kind of results did those decisions yield in a year where the S & P 500 returned 32%? Using recent FOX research, Sara Hamilton will answer these questions and share 2013 asset allocation and performance data for survey participants. She will review the challenges and successes of 2013 and preview wealth owner investment plans and priorities for 2014.
Peter Drucker has famously stated that "management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." The challenge of that statement of course is identifying what should be done and your capacity to accomplish the ‘right things’. The Family Office Exchange in partnership with Vantage Leadership has initiated a study to identify a framework for assessing key family leadership responsibilities.