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As their personal wealth and educational levels have increased, women have sought a more equal and active role in family governance, philanthropy, and business and financial planning. This article from RayLign explores the changes that have empowered women and how those changing roles affect family leadership, decision-making and relationships.

Many clients have heard about family meetings — meetings that go beyond regular, quarterly reviews of planning items or investment results — either from their advisors or from other families of wealth. Some experiences have been wonderful while others have been less successful. Although most clients have some idea as to what family meetings are about, those perceptions are often fragmentary and based on limited personal experience. So at some point, most families ask, should we have a family meeting?

Pre-nuptial agreements and marriage agreements are not binding under English law, leaving the details of divorce settlements largely in the hands of judges. But decisions rendered in the past five years show that judges are now taking pre-nups more seriously. This article from Withers shows how an appeals court has interpreted the importance of a pre-nup in a particular case.

This article deals with the legal status of prenuptial agreements under English law.

Complex extended families, generational differences, challenging economics and leadership issues are some of the challenges addressed in this article from RayLign Advisory. The author cites the need for family leadership to be proactive in dealing with the seven key realities he describes.

This article focuses on the benefits of private mediation to settle intra-family legal disputes.

A discussion of pre-nuptial, post-nuptial or cohabitation agreements.

The key to overcoming the paradoxes is looking at a family not as the sum of its wealth, but as a collection of living, breathing individuals drawn together through their affinity for the family. It requires a willingness to fight the natural impulses that lead other families to return to their shirtsleeves.

In addition to guiding the family office, helping owners to think about issues that impact their family's goals is an important part of the family office CEO's role. While important to all financial families, these principles and practices become more critical as families grow in size and complexity and should be revisited regularly.

Creating an educational experience that fosters peer exchange and involvement entails more work and risk than a simple lecture, but family members will leave the session with practical skills, deepened relationships and enjoyable memories.