Preparing the rising generation for leadership can feel daunting at the beginning. It takes courage and vision to get things started. Along with understanding five key things in your preparation, advance incrementally and look for ways to use education to get family members excited about the future of the rising gen and their leadership positions in the family.
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At our Family Office Exchange (FOX) Rising Gen Leadership Programs held in February and June, we noticed developing themes from our next-generation attendees. It became clear their needs and concerns were coalescing around three emergent areas. In this article we’re presenting a simple engagement pipleline to guide families and rising gen on their learning journey. This intentional approach is based on our research and the best practices of leading families.
FOX’s Chief Learning Officer, Mindy Kalinowski Earley, explains how and why family education is an essential component that supports family cohesion and the transfer of wealth and legacy through generations. During this session she walks viewers through the newly released FOX Family Learning Handbook, filled with a roadmap of tools that will assist leaders in addressing common family education challenges as well as strategies to solve them. View the Family Learning Handbook.
As no two families are alike, there is no one singular approach to family education—the cornerstone to a thriving, lasting legacy. The structure, topics, and educational methods all depend on the needs, wishes, and preferences of the family members. As you develop your rising generation education strategy, considerations should be made around the establishment of a solid foundation, forum and format, and taking a gradual approach.
Succession and Generational Transition is a key concern for over half of FOX’s family member leaders. Similarly, our rising gen research shows that 53% of the rising gen view leadership and skill development, as well as defining future roles in the family, as a challenge. Together, Sara Hamilton, Founder and CEO of Family Office Exchange, and Mindy Kalinowski Earley, FOX’s Chief Learning Officer, addressed the concerns and challenges of each constituent group, and provided solutions for preparation, transition and succession.
No matter your role – whether you’re a family business leader, family office executive, family member – how are you preparing your family for significant wealth transfer or liquidation events? Said differently, how can you make inheriting wealth less like being hit by a comet?
Without the usual financial pressures of family wealth, how do you teach your children about money, work, and personal responsibility? Because the stakes are high at this point in your family journey, this article by NEPC recommends starting with the family fundamentals and a sense of purpose for the wealth. It further outlines a reliable 1-2-3 structure you can rely on to help put your heirs and their wellbeing on the right path.
Communicating financial values and nurturing financial skills in the next generation is a far more challenging enterprise for today’s family than it was for previous generations. Social media, easy access to information through search engines, and dramatically different expectations call for creative ways for families to raise financially mindful children.
Educating children about money, wealth, and financial planning is a critical step in helping them build their futures. As a wealth creator and thoughtful investor, you want to be sure your children understand how to manage finances and make good, informed decisions when it comes to spending, saving, and investing. But talking to children about money and wealth can be tricky. A workbook with resource links and checklists is provided to help make the process easier for families.
Many families recognize the importance of preparing future family leaders for the responsibilities of wealth through education programs. It’s a process that needs to be cultivated over many years in a thoughtful and planned manner. However, far too often the next gen education programs fail to get off the ground or maintain momentum. Family members become disinterested, disengaged, or simply don’t attend. It can happen when families make five common mistakes in developing an education plan for their rising generation.