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All parents have reasons for why they do or do not share their wealth with their children, and neither option is without challenges. The key for parents is to find the balance between sharing everything and sharing nothing while also passing along the skills required to ensure their children become responsible inheritors and/or beneficiaries. ...

Many wealth management clients often want to know how to prevent their children from becoming entitled. Specifically, they’re concerned that their children will rely on family wealth instead of forging their own paths to success and will lack an understanding of money beyond how to spend it. Moreover, parents may inadvertently seed entitlement in t...

Posting fabulous vacation moments on Facebook—from a boat in Belize, to the top of a mountain in Chamonix—might be a fun way to share experiences with your friends, but it’s also a great way to let bad actors know your home is empty and ripe for a break-in. Similarly, broadcasting details of a college semester abroad on Instagram ...

The deep knowledge and bone-deep pride of business ownership that keep a successful business thriving do not automatically trickle down to later generations. An investment in education is often required. Knowing the story of the family enterprise is one tool for helping younger family members learn from the past, engage the present, and make their ...

For many families, discussing wealth transfer and inheritance issues can be challenging. Fear of demotivating heirs can cause wealth holders to withhold vital information. But the rewards can prove significant when family members work together to overcome their fear by improving communications and strengthening trust. While every family is unique, ...

Doug Balfour, author of Doing Good Great: An Insider’s Guide to Getting the Most Out of Your Philanthropic Journey, and Pat Armstrong of the Abbot Downing Institute for Family Culture discuss best practices for engaging in philanthropic activities as a family. Both believe that while each family’s questions are unique to their individua...

Family governance need not be an oxymoron. A conscious family governance system can help create an efficient and rewarding means of ensuring the family enterprise’s viability for generations to come. Therefore, any family enterprise that seeks to maintain and grow its wealth—financial, human, social, and intellectual—should consider creating a...

For families of wealth, especially those with a goal of long-term wealth preservation, the potential value of Real Colors® is multidimensional. It offers a language of understanding that aims to improve communication, problem-solving, and decision-making. It may also provide insight into making asset allocation decisions to help maximize the family...

People, by nature, are born to judge and make judgments about others as well as themselves. Understanding each other through Real Colors® and knowing what makes each other tick regardless of, and separate from, each person’s relationship with the family of wealth or the family business, is eye opening for families. Real Colors® is a &...

Education is an expense that impacts many families each year. As the cost of secondary and higher education continue to rise, many families should consider the tax benefits of funding educational expenses. The type of vehicle used to fund educational expenses varies and can include education trusts and qualified tuition programs that are designed a...

This handbook is designed to support families connected through wealth understand the importance and value of family meetings. It provides the concepts, tools, and resources with the intention of helping them optimize their family meetings and build towards a more cohesive, resilient, adaptive family.