Where we spend our time and energy is a reflection of our priorities. In a wealthy family, whether or not they have a formal family office, we can think about three types of activity:
* money: investment or operating business aimed at growing the family’s financial capital
* legal: regulatory obligations, estate planning, tax, insurance, and other risk management
* family: maintaining and improving the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being of the family
It is thought that in many family offices, the split between these activities is about 60/30/10. Some say that even the 10% allocation to “family” is generous.
What does this say about a family’s priorities? How does family wealth differ from corporate wealth? Companies have human resources departments whose purpose includes managing the wellbeing of team members. Notwithstanding that recruitment and performance management are not quite needed within families, managing the well-being of the family, both individually and collectively, is surely a function to which family resources should be allocated.
Jay Hughes developed the notion of multiple forms of family capital: human, intellectual, social, legacy (or spiritual) and financial. He illustrates this with a hand where the thumb represents the financial capital, and the four fingers are the “non-financial”, and holds his hand with four fingers out and the thumb pointing down. The purpose of financial capital is to underwrite and enable the development of the other forms of family capital. It is the means, not the end. A family’s greatest asset is its members, not its financial balance sheet.
Consider This: What resources does your family allocate to maintain and improve the well-being of family members? What does it do (proactively and reactively) in support of this well-being? How is the saying “family comes first” reflected in practical terms?
Further reading:
- The Family-Focused Office
- Not just for rich people: 6 ways we’re messing up inheritances
- What wealth can’t buy
- For Family Wealth Conversations, Focus On The Why
- No one wants to tell the ultra-rich how to pass their fortunes to their heirs
- The Importance of Having “The Talk” Concerning Family Wealth
- Family estate planning: A guide
Here is more on reading on ultra high net worth wealth management.
