When families feud, nobody wins. What causes reasonable human beings to defy the advice of trusted advisors and lose sight of the costs of family fighting, not only in terms of money but vital family relationships and peace of mind?
For family members working in the business, the area of compensation overlaps with contentious considerations of fairness, equality, performance-management and long term engagement. This artcle itemises how families have approached this issue, and advocates some pathways to avoid disharmony.
“The cobbler’s children have no shoes,” refers to the phenomena where people who are successful at doing something spend so much time on their own professions that they neglect to take care of business close to home. In the folktale, the cobbler’s children had holes in their shoes because he was so busy repairing the shoes o...
Families experience significant and sometimes difficult changes over the years as elders pass on and new family members grow into leadership roles. What worked for a two-generation family with five members may not work when the family reaches the fourth generation and now involves multiple households with varying wealth structures.The word “c...
Family businesses are an essential source of prosperity and stability to both our global economy and our society. The characteristics and practices of large, long-lived family businesses serve not only as a model for other family businesses but also for all companies that aspire to maintain an entrepreneurial spirit, innovate and maintain growth. T...
There are no easy answers when it comes to prenuptial agreements, but understanding the fundamentals will help ensure that the agreement is ultimately fair to all parties, achieves the family’s objectives, and will withstand any future challenge. This article provides tips, advice and a number of options when it comes to setting up a pr...
In 2022 Dr. Jamie Weiner published The Quest for Legitimacy: How Children of Prominent Families Find Their Place in the World, a collection of qualitative research modeling rites of passage, pathways to individuation, creating trusted partnerships, and addressing family dynamics. Similarly, in 2022 FOX has conducted focus groups and a rising gen st...
Money conversations can be difficult, and yet they are necessary. FOX Chief Learning Officer Mindy Kalinowski Earley is joined by Amy Zehnder and Cindy Coe as they discuss financial education using an engaging, gamified approach. Using the FOX Family Learning Handbook, and Amy and Cindy’s new book Courageous Money, Your Adventure Through Money Nati...
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...
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 c...
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 mone...
In this exclusive chat with Mellody Hobson, the President and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, speaks candidly about the importance and value of diversity in finance—how being color brave can improve business and society at large. Mellody shares personal stories and lessons learned from her investment career, including the disconnect tha...
Open dialogue between parents and children and, specifically, the creation of a family contract can promote responsible use of digital devices. With the help of a discussion guide and a sample contract, families can learn to prepare a contract that works for them. The process of working together builds trust, incorporates multiple perspectives...
In a perfect world, parents would have a well-thought-out plan for wealth transfer, explain their intentions, and help their heirs learn their roles and responsibilities. But life doesn’t always unfold in an orderly way to provide such a roadmap. Sometimes, inheritors may need to step in to play a more active role so they can empower themselv...
Jeff Raikes, co-founder of the Raikes Foundation, and Fred Kaynor, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Schwab Charitable, discuss a strategy that can help donors increase their charitable impact. Jeff outlines three important tenets:Choose a cause you are passionate aboutResearch causes and charities to understand how you can m...