Rather than viewing trusts as a mechanism to protect beneficiaries from the dangers of wealth, what if trusts were viewed as vehicles to “ignite a fire” within the next generation? Imagine a trust structure that is designed to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurialism by making beneficiaries active participants rather than passive recipients of their inheritance. For those who believe an entrepreneur’s trust may be a valuable tool for their family, here are six key features of the trusts to consider implementing, in collaboration with your estate planning attorney and wealth advisor.
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In moving past the “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” adage, advisors in the family wealth space are emphasizing the importance of the family’s qualitative capitals that go beyond serving only the financial capital goals. This shift has elevated the family client experience and expectations. It’s part of the Wealth 3.0 movement that brings with it a refocus on the different goals of various family types, the importance of qualitative capitals, the evolution of family governance, and the human capital of legacy families and the rising generation.
We all want our children and grandchildren to be critical thinkers and to find their own way in the world. But we often want them to also adopt the family’s values and, in some cases, the responsibilities of running a family business. When those two goals are mutually exclusive, it can be a challenge to chart a course that embraces the future without letting go of the past. In this interview, Melanie Schmieding of Baird Family Wealth shares three steps and advice to help families with that challenge and uncover their family’s values.
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.
For the past 3 decades, the private wealth industry has been heavily focused on, and dominated by, highly technical disciplines, such as investment management, tax and accounting, and trust and estate planning, with solutions primarily serving the financial capital of enterprise families and the vision of prior generations. The qualitative needs and wellbeing of future generations expected to benefit from these solutions have rarely been a focus of industry practitioners.
The more you know about yourself, the better your relationships will be—including with money. In this issue, we celebrate two people who are harnessing their experiences and expertise to help others understand the emotional side of money. From a conversation with Jennifer Risher on breaking the money taboo, to Stan Treger, a behavioral scientist, using psychology to unpack money stories—this issue shows that exploring your relationship with money can be the first step to taking charge of your wealth.
The dramatic growth of the family office industry in the 1980s was sparked by new liquidity running through hundreds of business-owning families. In an effort to preserve and expand their wealth, they needed a professional financial office so they could focus on broadening their business endeavors or living unencumbered lives.
Wealthy families have a significant positive socio-economic impact around the world, but lasting impact depends on those families prospering for generations. This is not guaranteed, however, and more intergenerational wealth transfers succeed if families adopt a modern Family Office model that suits their needs and goes beyond managing and growing the family’s financial capital over the long-term.
All parents have reasons for why they do or do not share their wealth with their children, and neither option is without challenges. The key for parents is to find the balance between sharing everything and sharing nothing while also passing along the skills required to ensure their children become responsible inheritors and/or beneficiaries. Here are some best practices for striking that balance without losing the opportunities that come with significant wealth.
At its core, a mission statement serves as a compass, continually steering an organization or business toward their goals. For the families who undertake the process of creating a mission statement, it provides a similar and essential navigational tool. To be successful, however, the mission statement must resonate and mean something to everyone in the family. It should ideally look inward to identify each family member’s personal values.