A family office is structured by default rather than by design. In most cases, it is set up to serve the immediate needs of the founder and a limited number of family members. As the family grows, mandates change. How do you ensure that the family office is equipped to handle these new demands? Do you outsource? Partner? Expand?Join us for an in-depth discussion as we explored what structure is best for your family office. This was an interactive discussion designed to stimulate thinking for the future of your family office.
Family Office Best Practices
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Many ultra wealthy families experience a steady flow of incoming donation requests – from friends, other family members, colleagues, even strangers – and saying “no” can be difficult. But just because you can afford to say “yes” doesn’t mean you should.Defining your philanthropic mission and associated giving parameters (which includes saying “no” to some organizations), allows you to say “yes” to more opportunities that are in line with your goals – resulting in more deliberate, targeted philanthropic impact.
Single family offices (SFOs) have long been an established way for wealthy families to create accountability and structure around the myriad needs of family members. Yet decades of experience have revealed that families too often fail to recognize—or choose to ignore—early signs that an existing SFO structure is cost prohibitive or failing to meet a family’s shifting needs. For the infographic, click here.
Evidence suggests that good communication is a cornerstone of successful wealth transfer among families and those family meetings are a good platform for communication. Is there such a thing as “bad” communication or a “bad” family meeting? How does one undertake the good and avoid the bad? Join us for some best practices, important tips and lessons learned from a family meeting facilitator and a member of a family that overcame some initial stumbles and began holding successful family meetings.
U.S. Department of Labor Proposes to Raise the Overtime-Exempt Salary Threshold to $35,000
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On March 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) finally released its proposed rule to expand the overtime protections in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The rule would increase the salary an employee must receive before being deemed overtime-exempt to $679 per week – $35,308 per year (and $147,414 for highly compensated employees).
CIOs as Trusted Business Partners, 2019 CIO Survey
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As the realities of digital change, evolve, and grow, the CIO position has become more critical. The CIO as “IT operator” is a construct of the past. The role has evolved to include business strategy co-creator, change instigator, and innovator. Successful CIOs operate in an environment of cohesive collaboration to bridge the long-standing barriers between business and IT in the race to deliver customer and business value. In a time of near constant disruption in the digital world, CIOs are recognizing the importance of taking on a new mantle—that of trusted partner.
Protecting Yourself Against Cybercrime
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According to the 2018 Global Risks Report, cybercrime is the top risk for business leaders in advanced economies, as well as the risk most likely to intensify. In fact, with the rising frequency of data breaches, cyber risk is now a common exposure for individuals, families, family offices, and their related enterprises.
The Changing Role of the CFO, Talent & Technology
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CFOs are feeling the rising pressure of leveraging new technology, such as cloud computing, robotic process automation, and various analytical tools, to improve the performance of their organizations. Beyond the basics, the finance organization needs to be a driver in implementing new technology to better manage financial and business information used throughout the organization.
People make the difference and getting the right talent in place is crucial for any organization. Indeed, in a family office, there is no place to hide. In this session, we focused on both the art and science of effective selection and promotion decision-making. We considered the role, related culture, and family expectations to develop a success profile. Guidelines for behavioral interviewing will be provided, along with common traps to avoid. The value of utilizing an external firm to support assessment, and the tools they draw on, will be considered as well.
In light of the recent severe weather events around the world, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C has caught the attention of the media and the public.