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As a subset of estate planning, asset protection is an important part of a family office’s risk management strategy. In this video, Chris Mays and Craig Redler discuss various strategies for asset protection, particularly for individuals and businesses facing potential legal claims and financial risks. They explore different structures such as trusts and the use of international jurisdictions like the Cook Islands to safeguard assets from litigation.

Cybersecurity is a known and growing risk that all family offices need to address. The potential of a cybersecurity attack is no longer a matter of whether it will happen, it’s now a matter of when it will happen.

Families hire family office staff with the expectation that the office keeps their information, assets, and reputation protected. To safeguard the families’ interests, it’s critical for family offices to ensure that internal controls take the pragmatic approach, starting with four main areas: segregation of duties, transaction volume, managing complexity, and succession planning.

As family offices expand their technology footprint, cyberattacks are rising. Hackers continue to refine their approaches, but security controls and proactive planning can strengthen your family office cybersecurity defenses. Initially, focus on the key action items to validate your existing security setup and inform your plans to address any shortcomings you identify within your family office 5.0 model.

2020 was a year of diverse risks marked by a global pandemic, a record number of storms, catastrophic wildfires, and ongoing threats to people and property from other perils, including cyber risks. When “unprecedented” is the new norm, there is a need for thoughtful risk management and insurance protection strategies as families and family offices adapt to the changing risk landscape.

The key to success of any risk management plan is the development of an “all risk” approach that takes the entire family enterprise into account. Through a survey of more than 200 family office executives at single and multi-family offices, an uncovering of some worrying approaches has surfaced around the risks that family offices face, particularly cyber risk, family-related risk, investment risk, and employment-related/insider risks.

As family offices grow increasingly complex and manage larger and more varied assets, they are becoming prime targets for a variety of security threats. From this report, learn what family offices can do to protect against the risks, including cybersecurity breaches, theft schemes, and fraud perpetuated by unvetted 'insiders' of the firm.

Although malware is predominantly delivered via email, the types of entry points continue to evolve, and many will not be caught by a family office firewall. So, it is crucial to build a first line of defense, and it starts with employee security awareness training, testing, and auditing. Mitigate the cybersecurity risks in the family office by deploying the top 10 internal controls.

The complex, convergent nature of risks facing high-net-worth families requires family offices to adopt both a holistic and strategic approach to risk management than many have in the past. The ones who can make the change will be best positioned to successfully navigate the challenges that range from overarching trends of growing families to increasing frequency and severity of natural catastrophes and personal security risks.