Search Results

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 comp...

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 short...

Each family’s legacy is as unique as the family itself. It can be a bloodline, a name, heirlooms, a legal entity or family stories, myths, and artifacts. In this fourth and final report in the series on family business succession, key insights are shared on the important role that legacies play in uniting the core purpose of the business with the f...

Choosing the right governance practices in a family business is a critical ingredient for its long-term sustainability. This report—the third in a series of four on family business succession—examines the many layers of family and business governance systems and mechanisms and the ways in which the evolving principles of good governance c...

Emerging from the shadows is the increasing number of women in the workforce, and it marks one of the most significant changes in economies throughout the world in the last 40 years. This report—the second in a series of four on family business succession—takes an up-close look at the demographic shifts that are changing the role of women in f...

There is an evolution taking place in the world of succession that is aligning the overall purpose of the family business with the motivation and beliefs of NextGen leaders. This report—the first in a series of four on family business succession—explores the courage to choose the right successor at the right time and provides the six key consi...

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, particularl...

“You only sell your company once” is a phrase founder/family-owned business leaders often hear before embarking on a major liquidity event. It demonstrates the enormity of the undertaking to effectively sell a business. Ensuring your company is prepared for a sale is crucial to any exit strategy, and should be considered long before beginning a sal...

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 ...

Imagine trying to protect a multi-generational family with 15 households and 25 properties in multiple states—not to mention all their vehicles, collections and personal property. Then there’s liability exposure for dozens of individuals, each with their own unique set of risks. Providing insurance protection for this level of exposure is challengi...

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 dep...

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 incre...

There are few issues in family business that create more conflict and tension than the employment of family members. The complexities involved and the breakdowns in communication and trust can contribute significantly to the alarmingly high rate of failed intergenerational transitions in family business. The good news is that there is a way for fam...

Successful family offices combine financial, philanthropic, legal, and administrative operations and help ensure that family objectives are achieved from generation to generation. These responsibilities create a range of liability risks for the family office entity and its executive and professional staff. With these risks, it is important for fami...