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Despite a lack of economic optimism for 2025, business owners are forging ahead with big plans and hope that their businesses continue to thrive for the next 100 years. With a look toward the future, this benchmark report provides an inside view of how a wide range of business owners and entrepreneurs are navigating dynamic economic and technological landscapes.

Engaging and preparing the rising generation is often top of mind, as the wellbeing of future family leaders is of great concern. Setting out to understand the needs and wants of the rising generation, this research tapped into the wisdom and experience of 55 families, 28 future family leaders, and 38 family office executives.

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?

While entrepreneurs are intently focused on building their businesses, they may have less time to spend on building, sustaining, and distributing their wealth. Given the importance of early wealth planning and its long-term impact, this guidebook provides insights and tools at each stage of the entrepreneur’s journey to help them move forward from growth to exit to reinvention.

Families of wealth often want to help their relatives financially but are justifiably concerned about what those individuals will do with the money and how having access to significant sums might affect their values and behavior. While making family trust distributions is a way to provide discretionary income, it’s a framework that gives the trustee control over when and how much money to give to a beneficiary. However, that process is not collaborative.

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.

From aiding grandchildren to purchase their first homes, to empowering children or other loved ones to build their personal balance sheets through investing in residential real estate, there are many ways in which wealthy individuals may offer to help loved ones to achieve home ownership or favorable living arrangements. Each approach has tax implications, and determining the best approach will require consideration of a number of factors. This article by BDO explores some of the options that may be considered and identifies some of the tax implications that should be evaluated.

By exploring the essence of legacy and its impact on business performance, this report brings together the detailed analysis, academic insights, and the firsthand experiences of family business CEOS to contribute to a deeper understanding of the importance of balancing tradition and innovation for long-term success in family businesses. From this report, you can learn more about the steps you and your family can take to uncover the strengths of your legacy.