Family Governance

“Wealth has a history of its own,” is how our founder’s book, JOY of Financial Planning begins. For the vast majority of our clients, they are writing that history as the first in their family to have accumulated multi-generational wealth. We acknowledge the challenges new wealth brings: isolation, guilt and sometimes fear.

No amount of wealth arrives without a cost.

Without a roadmap to answer what to do and who to partner you are left alone in the overwhelm of decisions. Our financial planning process helps with the nuts and bolts of cash, debt, investment and risk management. We team up with strategic partners for tax and estate planning. We incorporate your recommendations and your team into a family governance process that takes into account wealth preservation as well as family preservation.

What does that look like?

To help our clients manage their family dynamics, including the financial expectations, we incorporate a multi-step process where together we:

1. 01Interview family members beginning with the principals to tell your family story
2. 02Identify your current financial habits and lifestyle
3. 03Uncover your personal and financial aspirations
4. 04Draft a “family mission statement” and highlight your family values
5. 05Draft a “family narrative” and “family constitution”

And within this process we build a system as formal or informal as appropriate so you can outline your family standards and values alongside your wealth.