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This is the missing piece and, I hope, the next big thing in technology for financial services and the family office: using automation to create value in the back office.When you look at current trends in financial services, client experience is (quite rightly) seen as the place on which to focus resources. What I would caution, however, is that go...

When the family friend of Dustin Hoffman’s character in the 1960s film The Graduate took the young man aside to offer him career advice, he had just one word of advice for the young man: “Plastics.” If there were to be one word I’d offer leaders of family businesses today, it would be “Neuroplastics,” for the discovery of the plasticity of th...

Not to be a total Scrooge, but I would be remiss if I didn't raise a cautionary holiday season human capital reminder that your family office holiday party can expose you to increased employer liability. You should begin planning now regarding the policy and communication efforts that will ensure a safe and productive holiday season for your family...

The Family Enterprise is a way of thinking about the true scope of your family. It goes beyond the family business. It is more than the invested wealth. It includes all the family members, the philanthropy, the history, the values, and the future of the family. If you are the leader of a Family Enterprise, you need to plan, or engage your fam...

According to the FOX 2016 Family Office Compensation and Benefits Study, nearly 50% of offices surveyed said that finding and keeping competent, experienced talent was their biggest challenge.

Discussing the impact of wealth on your family can be a difficult conversation to initiate and daunting to guide. Everyone wants the relationship with money to be positive with the expectation that the wealth nourish the interests and entrepreneurial desires of the next generation and that patterns of dysfunction or entitlement are avoided.On...

As I was preparing for the recent FOX Global Owners Forum, I was thinking about the importance of partnerships for family enterprises and why trust is the essential element in building strong partnerships. I thought it was worth defining trust and illustrating how it influences the different relationships in the family eco-system.The issue of ...

Legislators must know what is important to family businesses; what helps or hurts them when it comes to operating their business and creating more jobs. For that reason, it is critical that legislators hear from family businesses more than any other years in the past.To determine what issues family businesses are concerned about, Family Enterprise ...

One of the fascinating things about philanthropy is its variety. Every philanthropist’s approach is unique based on a number of variables, including resources, talent, interests, and intentions. Some philanthropists follow complex strategies, others may be laser-focused on a single charity or solution.Many philanthropists want to make an impact, no...

While investing has never been straightforward, investing today in the face of current uncertainty may seem overwhelming.Traditional approaches to constructing a portfolio — those that investors have relied on for decades — appear outdated. From today’s vantage point, one might say that the “arc of alpha” suggests the following:Given today’s ...

You can’t have a conversation about the future of the global economy these days without the subject of US presidential politics coming up. From trade to immigration to tax reform, the policies that Donald Trump implements could drastically impact markets all over the world – and that impact is already being felt. The challenge is that forecasting w...

When performing an analysis of a client’s unique personal risk profile, we often find that their assets relate to their special interests. Whether it is a passion for fine art, fine wine, or exotic cars, a hobby can often grow into a valuable asset. For those who have an interest in new technology, bitcoin could be a very exciting possibility.&nbsp...

Writing down what’s worrying you releases energy and frees up brainpower to be used more productively. Researchers have found that students with test anxiety who spend 10 minutes journaling before an exam score better than those who carry their worry into the exam. Similarly, studies have shown that writing down your concerns before going to bed ca...

The industry discussion of advisor fees realistically is not really an issue with fees. The issue is with the communication of the value associated with the fees. Most advisors provide value beyond the assets under management fee structure. But in many cases, the fees are presented only in relationship to assets under management.When fees are prese...

Every time you communicate, you’re doing one of two things:You’re adding valueYou’re taking up spaceWhen you add value, you’re contributing to the conversation. Clients are more likely to listen to you, remember you, and take action on what you say. They’ll pay more for your time, and respect your opinions. Your listener will give you their most pr...