FOXcast
The issues that come up in a family office or family enterprise are unique to each family and are rarely discussed in a public forum. In this podcast, Family Office Exchange reveals some of these issues in discussions with family office subject matter experts, family members, and trusted advisors. The podcast gives the listener a taste of how having a FOX membership can transform the way families and their trusted advisors approach ideas like philanthropy, governance, investing, and more.
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Developing Family Office Talent Through Effective Coaching with Marcy Brajkovic and Stephanie Rosenberg
11/20/2025
Developing Family Office Talent Through Effective Coaching with Marcy Brajkovic and Stephanie Rosenberg
Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Marcy Brajkovic and Stephanie Rosenberg. Marcy is the President and Owner of Chatfield Global LLC, a boutique consulting firm specializing in Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness. And Stephanie is the Director of Talent Development at Chatfield Global. With over 20 years of experience at companies like Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, SC Johnson, W.W. Grainger, Anixter (now Wesco), and Hospira (now Pfizer), Marcy has helped organizations — from family-owned manufacturers to Family Offices to Fortune 50 enterprises — align human resources practices and talent development with organizational strategy. A certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and Kaizen facilitator, she brings a “build, grow, and serve” mindset and practical expertise to workforce development, organizational change, and leadership coaching. Stephanie has over 16 years of experience in talent development and business transformation and brings deep expertise in career coaching, leadership development, and change management. She has led programs in early careers, succession planning, and training for teams of 10 to 500+, as well as large-scale business initiatives at a major retailer. Today, she partners with family offices and professional services firms across the full employee lifecycle, helping them attract, develop, and retain high-performing teams. Marcy and Stephanie, and their firm Chatfield Global, are Specialist Advisor members for FOX and we are grateful to have their expertise within our membership community. We start with Marcy and Stephanie’s collective view on the HR function in family offices today. They describe how family offices are designing and structuring their HR departments, how the function has evolved in recent years, and outline the most prominent trends that are reshaping HR and people strategy at family offices. Talent development is particularly challenging for family offices, given their small size and limited career paths. Marcy and Stephanie talk about how family offices handle talent development, including coaching, goalsetting, and performance management, and highlight the key challenges and opportunities families and their internal teams face in this realm. Marcy and Stephanie share their insights on some of the external resources available to family offices that they can leverage to strengthen their HR capabilities, develop and coach their people, and build a vibrant culture. They also offer for family office owners and leaders on how best to promote staff engagement, provide advancement opportunities, coach their executives, and promote a culture of both loyalty and excellence. Don’t miss this highly insightful conversation with two of the most experienced and trusted human capital thought leaders and practitioners in the family office space.
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Embracing Intersectionality to Deepen Relationships with Family Members with Dr. Paul Hokemeyer
11/13/2025
Embracing Intersectionality to Deepen Relationships with Family Members with Dr. Paul Hokemeyer
Today, I am delighted to speak with Dr. Paul Hokemeyer, founding principal of Drayson Mews and author of Fragile Power: Why Having Everything is Never Enough and Fragile Power 2.0: Wealth, Narcissism & Mental Health, the leading resources for individuals, couples, and families of wealth seeking culturally respectful and clinically effective mental health services. Dr. Paul serves as the Senior Wellness Expert to Ispahani Advisory, a London-based consulting firm specializing in multijurisdictional, ultra-high-net-worth families. He is an Associate Member of the American Association for Addiction Medicine and holds a Clinical Fellow designation with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. In addition to his academic and clinical work, Dr. Paul has extensive experience in the realm of philanthropy. He has stewarded over three million U.S. dollars to enhance the delivery of direct mental health services to disenfranchised communities across America, as well as through the Yale School of Public Health, and he serves as a trustee of the Palm Springs Art Museum, one of the world's premier centers for mid-century art, architecture, and design. Dr. Paul’s research in the realm of wealth and mental health has been peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Wealth Management, the International Family Offices Journal, Globe Law and Business, and Lambert Academic Press. His work has been featured in a wide variety of international media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The World Economic Forum, the Johns Hopkins Newsletter, Harvard Business Review Arabia, CNN, Men’s Health, The Guardian, Tatler, WebMD, Psych Central and others. Dr. Paul starts by explaining what intersectionality is. He tells us about the origins of the construct of intersectionality and highlights some of the key premises underlying the term and the studies behind it. He then describes how intersectionality plays in the UHNW and family office space, and how it manifests itself in the lives and wellbeing of UHNW clients. Dr. Paul offers his practical tips for wealth owners, family wealth principals, and UHNW family members? He offers his advice on what they should know about intersectionality and how they should incorporate this knowledge into their lives and their relationship with wealth. He also provides practical suggestions for family wealth advisors and how they should integrate this concept into their advisory practice and utilize it to strengthen their relationships with their UHNW clients. Enjoy this illuminating conversation with one of the leading academics and practitioners at the complex intersection wealth management and personal health and wellness.
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Discovering Dubai as a Regional Center for Global Enterprise Families with H.E. Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah
11/06/2025
Discovering Dubai as a Regional Center for Global Enterprise Families with H.E. Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah
Today, it is my pleasure and honor to speak with His Excellency Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah. His Excellency is the President and CEO of Dubai Chambers, one of the largest economic development arms in Dubai. In his current role, he oversees the implementation of Dubai Chambers’ strategic initiatives and plans, which aim to improve ease of doing business in Dubai, support businesses expanding globally, attract foreign companies and investment and advance the digital economy. Previously, he served as CEO of the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection for Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, where he was responsible for overseeing consumer protection, business protection, intellectual property protection and commercial compliance. He also held several other leadership positions at the Department of Economic Development, namely Deputy CEO of the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection Sector, Deputy CEO of the Dubai Export Development Corporation, Executive Director of Corporate Quality and Excellence and Deputy Director of Information Technology Department at Dubai Land Department. Dubai has seen tremendous transformation and growth in the past couple of decades, which seems to only have accelerated in the recent 5 years since the COVID-19 pandemic. His Excellency gives our listeners an overview of Dubai as a regional center and highlights some of the benefits and policies that have contributed to its growth and popularity among global businesses and investors. Industry data shows that, in the past couple of years, the United Arab Emirates – and Dubai in particular – have seen tremendous influx of wealthy individuals and families, with many choosing to establish or relocate their family office there. His Excellency describes why family offices are flocking to Dubai and talks about the factors that are driving this rising interest and attraction among wealthy families and family offices. Within the umbrella Dubai Chambers organization exists the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, which is dedicated to positioning Dubai as a global hub for advanced technologies. His Excellency elaborates on Dubai’s digitization strategy, the investments and transformation it entails, and its benefits and attractions for global families and their family offices. Dubai’s geographic location and relative proximity to many key international markets is another strategic asset. His Excellency explains how and why global families of wealth should consider Dubai as a potential launchpad to neighboring markets and a hub for their regional and global strategies. Do not miss this exclusive conversation with one of the foremost leaders and supporters of the Dubai business and investment community, H.E. Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah.
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Mastering Family Office Successions with Dan Veitkus
10/30/2025
Mastering Family Office Successions with Dan Veitkus
Today, I am delighted to welcome Dan Veitkus, CEO & Managing Partner of Corsica Partners, LLC, a global executive search and strategic talent management firm specializing in recruiting executive leadership for private equity, venture and family office backed companies. Dan grew up in a family business and started his first company at the age of 13. Prior to entering the field of executive search and coaching, he served 20+ years as a business leader and executive for private and public companies ranging in size from $10M - $1B annual turnover in the telecom, software/SaaS and corporate learning sectors. Dan is an active advisor to CEOs and boards and a former distinguished mentor & executive coach for the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, an organization founded by Richard Branson to support entrepreneurs by providing leadership development, mentoring and coaching to help launch and grow their businesses. Dan is the author of the Amazon Best Seller Straight Talk Your Way to Success. He also produced a Broadway Show, Dream Big: The Rudy Ruettiger Story, now available on Amazon Prime. Succession is easily one of the top three evergreen topics and challenges that UHNW families and their family offices contend with all the time. Dan explains why it is important that succession happens in the family office in a planful and smooth way. He highlights how succession in the family office is different from traditional corporate succession and business continuity practices and points out the unique distinctions of family office transitions and successions. Based on his extensive experience advising and recruiting talent for family offices, Dan offers his practical suggestions for family offices and family principals looking to hire key executive talent as part of their succession planning. He also offers practical tips for all the other stakeholders in the succession process, including the candidates looking to land the key role at a family office, but also the advisors, family office employees, and family members who participate in or are impacted by the leadership transition. Enjoy this insightful conversation with a leading talent and operations practitioner and advisor in the UHNW and family office space.
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Securing In-Home Elder Care Solutions for Family Members with Teresa Leigh
10/23/2025
Securing In-Home Elder Care Solutions for Family Members with Teresa Leigh
Today, I am excited to speak with Teresa Leigh, owner and founder of Teresa Leigh Home + Family Office an award-winning, nationally recognized boutique firm advising UHNW clients on staff and service vendors for the home, property and family office. Teresa has worked with high-net-worth clients for over 39 years, and is a passionate educator, speaker and author of multiple published white papers, educational videos and articles focused on helping high net worth clients make the best decisions for their homes and family offices. Teresa is often quoted by The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Institutional Investor, The New York Times, and Worth Magazine. Teresa offers our listeners an overview of in-home elder care for families and highlights some of the challenges family members and family offices face when they seek and employ such in-house support. She describes the different options for in-home elder care services family members and family offices should consider and evaluate, and enumerates the pros and cons of these different solutions that families should be aware of and know how to compare. For families who are in need of in-home support and are in the early stages of this journey, Teresa provides some practical tips for how they can get started and then how they should manage all the change and the steep learning curve they are facing. There are many risks associated with in-home elder care – personal safety and financial fraud are just two common examples. Teresa explains how families should protect themselves and their elder family members and emphasizes what they should watch out for as they explore these in-home services. Don’t miss this highly practical conversation with a recognized leader and practitioner in the field of household management for UHNW families.
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Managing Luxury Properties with Anticipatory Excellence with Joe Pellegrino
10/16/2025
Managing Luxury Properties with Anticipatory Excellence with Joe Pellegrino
Today, I am delighted to speak with Joe Pellegrino, co-founder of The Pantheon Group, a bespoke residential management company. Joe partners with leading family offices to transform how their clients' residential estates are managed. He has pioneered a comprehensive residential estate management approach that seamlessly integrates with family office operations, reducing property management complexity to near-zero. Serving ultra-high-net-worth families with multiple properties across the United States, Joe and his team act as the dedicated real estate arm for discerning family offices, ensuring their clients' properties are managed with the same level of sophistication as their investment portfolios. Joe and his firm, The Pantheon Group, are a Specialist Advisor member of FOX, and we are thankful to have his expertise within our membership community. The luxury property space is unique and there is a lot of operational complexity and risk involved. And yet, it is also the home or a place UHNW clients really should enjoy rather than worry about operating. Joe talks about the interplay between the risks involved and the experience clients seek, and how estate managers, like his firm, navigate and simplify this complex equation. Family offices are increasingly being asked by their clients to do more and handle a broader scope of services, including lifestyle and concierge services. Joe shares his views on the role of the family office when it comes to working with the estate management specialists who support the family and handle their luxury properties and everything the family needs and expects in that aspect. One important decision in luxury estate management is selecting the right vendors and partners. Joe offers practical tips and advice for families and their family offices on how to best evaluate and select the professional firms they work with to manage their properties. Finally, Joe provides his suggestions for estate management vendors and specialists serving UHNW families. He emphasizes the importance of building connections with the family, and uses the term “anticipatory excellence”, which he unpacks in detail for our audience. Don’t miss this deeply informative conversation with one of the leading innovators and service providers in the luxury estate management space.
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Serving the Family's Ever Complex Information Management Needs with Tomas Hurcik
10/09/2025
Serving the Family's Ever Complex Information Management Needs with Tomas Hurcik
Today, I am delighted to speak with Tomas Hurcik, Co-Founder and CEO of ORCA AG, a Swiss based SaaS company focused on building legal technology to support and automate the growing amount of legal, tax and compliance to-do's that modern families with complex legal structures face. Tomas co-founded ORCA in 2017 after gaining first-hand insight via his wife’s family business and family office into the difficulty of assembling, analyzing, and sharing structure charts, entity management, and compliance reporting information. Prior to co-founding ORCA, Tomas spent his entire working life in startups in investment banking, private banking, and e-commerce. Two IPO-ed, one failed. Tomas and his company ORCA are a FOX technology resource partner, and we are thankful to have his expertise as part of our membership community. Families and their complex enterprises have – and constantly generate – a lot of information, and organizing, storing, and retrieving this information is an ever-growing challenge. Tomas talks about this challenge and describes the relevance of organizing important information to families and their family offices. When Tomas decided to create ORCA, he perceived a specific opportunity based on a common pain point that most families experience with their data and information – a pain point that he and his wife also experienced. He describes this experience and shares the pain points he set out to solve. The company Tomas created, ORCA, is gaining ever greater recognition in our space. He tells us what ORCA is – what it does, what problems it solves for families and family offices, and how it solves them. For family office owners and executives in our audience who are focused on managing their enterprise information needs, Tomas offers his advice on how best to do that. He elaborates on how they should think about their information needs and plan to organize, manage, and deliver information to their increasingly diverse and dispersed user base. Don't miss this eye-opening conversation with a leading entrepreneur and thought leader in the family office technology ecosystem.
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Building an Intentional Community for People with IDD with Debbie Bond Dear and Whitney Dear-Reyes
10/02/2025
Building an Intentional Community for People with IDD with Debbie Bond Dear and Whitney Dear-Reyes
Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Debbie Bond Dear and Whitney Dear-Reyes. Debbie is the Founder & Executive Director of Vanguard Landing, a purpose-planned community designed to offer a safe, intentional, interactive, and inclusive community where persons with intellectual and developmental differences can thrive and achieve their life’s full potential. Whitney is Board Chair of Vanguard Landing and serves as the organization’s Development and Resource Director. First, Debbie and Whitney orient our listeners to the basics of this very important topic. They define the term “intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)”, describing what conditions fall within this umbrella label, and what are the most common challenges faced by people living with IDD. IDDs most commonly have a very early onset, affecting children from a very young age. Debbie and Whitney talk about the challenges faced by children with IDD and their parents, while also covering some of the opportunities that perhaps today largely remain unrealized. Debbie and Whitney describe the vision and objectives of Vanguard Landing and what they are looking to achieve with this ambitious project and how they plan to realize these goals. They also share their thoughts on how others can get involved with this noble cause – what businesses, families of means, philanthropies, and other organizations need to know or do to help and contribute to the wellbeing of people with IDD. Please take a close listen to this impactful and important conversation with two of the leading innovators and visionaries in the sphere of helping people with IDDs lead a full life.
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Understanding and Engaging with the World of Luxury Estate Managers with Mohamed Elzomor
09/25/2025
Understanding and Engaging with the World of Luxury Estate Managers with Mohamed Elzomor
Today, I am delighted to speak with Mohamed Elzomor, Co-Founder of Nines, a household management platform trusted by hundreds of family offices around the world. He and his co-founder Jacco de Bruijn created the company and lead its mission to bring ease, structure, and innovation to the world of household management. Mohamed and his company Nines are a FOX technology resource partner, and we are excited to have their expertise as part of our membership community. Mohamed focused his entrepreneurial attention and creativity on the niche segment of managing the private estates and household operations of UHNW families, and he gives us an overview of this space, highlighting the unique aspects of luxury estate management. He helps our audience understand what is considered a top-notch client offering and service – what does good look like – in this unique market niche. Mohamed explains how most UHNW families are managing their private properties today – whether most attempt to self-manage or they turn to professional property managers – and he paints the picture of the major pain points they UHNW clients commonly experience. When Mohamed founded Nines, he and his co-founder set out to alleviate many of the pain points experienced by both UHNW owners and their luxury property managers. He gives us an overview of the Nines platform, describing its key functionalities and the main problems it solves for families, family offices, and estate manages. One practical advice Mohamed has for UHNW families and their family offices is to learn and understand the world of estate managers – how it works and how to best engage with the professionals in this space. He shares his views on why this is important and offers his recommendations to families and their staff on what they should know on the subject. Enjoy this highly illuminating conversation with one of the most prominent disruptors and technology providers in the UHNW estate management space.
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Attracting and Retaining Top Family Office Leadership Talent with Brian Adams
09/18/2025
Attracting and Retaining Top Family Office Leadership Talent with Brian Adams
Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Brian Adams, Partner at Mack International, where he specializes in C-suite executive search and human capital consulting for family offices and enterprises. Brian serves on the board of Sirrom Partners LP, a single-family office, and is the host of the Mack Podcast, which provides expert insights for family office professionals. Alongside his family office expertise, Brian co-founded two real estate private equity firms and was a former practicing attorney. Mack International is a former long-time member of FOX. Talent – especially top leadership talent – continues to be among the top evergreen needs of enterprise families and their family offices. We begin with Brian’s insights on talent search for family offices. He paints the picture of the current landscape for identifying and attracting leadership talent to SFOs and covers the most prominent trends he sees in the marketplace. Another persistent challenge for family offices is holding on to the top talent they have – especially, since most SFOs tend to be small, flat organizations without much of a career path or growth options for their key people. Brian shares his view on the key talent retention strategies and tools utilized by family offices and how they have evolved over time. An interesting, and somewhat counterintuitive, consideration family offices face when they think about attracting and retaining talent is their location strategy. Brian talks about why and how the choice of where the office is located can have a significant practical impact on SFOs’ ability to recruit and engage their key people. Another practical tool that families and family offices have at their disposal – yet don’t always deploy fully in their talent management strategy – is their values, governance, and mission. Brian describes how these foundational elements of governance and collective decision-making that families establish and follow come into play when it comes to recruiting and retaining top talent. Don’t miss this highly insightful conversation with one of the top executive recruiting firms serving the family office space.
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Interacting Effectively with Family Wealth Advisors in the Age of AI with Craig Armstrong
09/11/2025
Interacting Effectively with Family Wealth Advisors in the Age of AI with Craig Armstrong
Today, I am pleased to welcome Craig Armstrong, Managing Partner of Veridian, a Miami-based tax, audit, accounting, and advisory firm. Craig has over 25 years of public accounting experience, including serving clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to local or middle market companies, as well as high net worth family offices and individuals. He began his career with the firm of Williams, Cox, Weidner, and Cox in Tallahassee, Florida, and held prior roles as Senior Manager of Corporate Accounting Special Projects with Ryder System, Inc. and South Florida Site Leader for audits of employee benefit plans at PwC in Miami. Craig co-founded CAPA, a certified public accounting firm in 2004 and merged with Hancock Askew in 2020 prior to forming Veridian in 2025. He serves on the audit and finance committee of the Board of Directors for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami and is a member of the University of Miami’s School of Business Accounting Advisory Board. Craig and his firm, Veridian, are advisor members of FOX and we are thrilled to have their expertise available within our membership community. In recent years, technological advancements have transformed the role of the advisor serving UHNW families. Craig talks about how the role of the advisor has evolved alongside technology, and particularly how the role of the CPA has changed. With the rise of AI, we are beginning to witness the next-stage transformation of the family advisor role. Craig shares his thoughts on what is likely to happen to the role of the fiduciary advisor in the era of AI – how will CPAs, estate planners, and wealth planners will coexist with the AI tools. One practical consideration advisors and families need to navigate is the increasingly divergent preferences between older-gen and rising-gen clients. Craig offers his tips on how professionals and clients can best manage the “generational tug of war” caused by their different values and preferences. Finally, Craig provides his and suggestions for UHNW clients on how best to interact with their CPA – especially given all the self-serve tools and AI solutions that are increasingly available in all professional services fields. Please enjoy this highly informative conversation with a leading expert and experienced UHNW advisor serving enterprise families.
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Deploying Unique Assets as Part of the Family’s Philanthropic Strategy with Debbie Wilkerson
09/04/2025
Deploying Unique Assets as Part of the Family’s Philanthropic Strategy with Debbie Wilkerson
Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Debbie Wilkerson, President & CEO of Greater Horizons, one of the nation’s largest and most experienced providers of philanthropic services, with more than $6 billion in charitable assets. Since 1998, Debbie has helped build Greater Horizons and its local counterpart, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, into trusted partners for individuals, families and companies using donor-advised funds and other charitable vehicles to support the causes they care about. With a background in estate and tax law, Debbie was introduced to philanthropy through her work on Ewing Kauffman’s historic donation of the Kansas City Royals in the 1990s—the first and only time a major league sports team has been gifted to charity. Debbie became President & CEO in 2012 after serving as General Counsel and COO, and under her leadership, Greater Horizons offers a comprehensive giving platform and world-class service, with expertise in complex charitable gifts including private business interests and cryptocurrency. Debbie and her organization work with families and their enterprises to devise their giving strategies, and she tells us how they help donors identify the assets they want to or should deploy in their philanthropic strategy. Debbie has extensive experience with donors gifting to charity some exceptional assets, such as the Kansas City Royals team. She highlights the considerations and lessons learned related to deploying unique, non-traditional assets as part of a family’s philanthropic vision and strategy. Going into the practical aspects of her work with clients, Debbie unpacks the various structures – foundations, DAFs, supporting organizations, etc. – that donors can choose from when it comes to operationalizing their philanthropic vision and plans. Finally, Debbie offers some useful tips and suggestions to our listeners with regard to the practical tools, frameworks, or resources families and their family offices can engage when devising and implementing their philanthropic giving strategies. Don’t miss this highly instructive and illuminating conversation with a leading expert and practitioner in the field of family giving and philanthropic strategy.
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Instilling the Family Values in the Family Office Design and Culture with Eric Hohauser
08/28/2025
Instilling the Family Values in the Family Office Design and Culture with Eric Hohauser
Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Eric Hohauser, President of Harvey Hohauser & Associates, a firm specializing in the assessment, identification, integration, and placement of culturally aligned and strategically adaptive C-Suite & Vice President level leaders. Prior to joining Harvey Hohauser & Associates in 2008, Eric worked at a multi-site distribution and retail business, where he was responsible for the management of cross-functional operations, merchandising, recruitment, and training teams. Eric, and his firm Harvey Hohauser & Associates, is a valued and generous advisor member of FOX, and we are fortunate to have his expertise available to our membership community. Recruiting executive leaders and expert staff for family offices continues to be one of the top priorities, and challenges, for enterprise families. Eric talks about what it takes to successfully recruit and assimilate senior leaders into a family office, as well as what the family office recruiting landscape and marketplace looks like today. Beyond identifying and recruiting talented leaders, building a strong culture in the family office is really important – and has its own unique challenges. Eric points to what wealth owners and family leaders should be doing to foster a vibrant and attractive culture within their family offices, and how they can imbue the family office with a strong purpose and vision that attracts and retains top talent. One practical tip Eric has for family leaders is to link the family office design, governance, and even culture with those of the family. He describes how that can be done and why it helps strengthen the bonds between the family and its family office staff. Another strong suggestion Eric has for family leaders is to engage in continuity planning for the family office in a systematic and intentional manner – actively managing the organizational design of the family office and aligning it with the needs and values of the family. Eric paints the picture for our listeners of how to do that and what are some of the best practices you see families apply to achieve this goal. Please enjoy this very relevant and illuminating conversation with one of the most experienced thought leaders and practitioners in the world of family office talent recruiting and development.
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Helping Young Rising Gens Navigate the College Prep Process with Christopher Rim
08/21/2025
Helping Young Rising Gens Navigate the College Prep Process with Christopher Rim
Today, I am pleased to welcome Christopher Rim, founder and CEO of Command Education, a top college admissions consultancy based in New York City. Command Education helps students pursue their passions and navigate the college process. Before founding the company in 2015, Christopher worked on inspirED at Meta with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and served on advisory boards for organizations like Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. A Yale graduate in psychology, he developed an EQ-based mentoring approach that has helped hundreds of students gain admission to top schools, with a 94% acceptance rate to at least one of their top three choices. Christoper helps families with what is almost always the #1 objective for parents across the globe – providing the best education, and the best opportunities, for their children. He talks about the importance of helping young rising-gen members to enter top schools and elite colleges and why this is so high up on the list of critical priorities. The college prep space has transformed significantly in recent years. Christopher shares his insights on how the landscape has changed – how the selection process has evolved among leading schools and what it takes nowadays for a college applicant to stand out and succeed. One practical tip Christopher has for our listeners is the importance of extracurricular activities and projects that showcase the values, passion, and interests of the rising gen members. He elaborates on that and highlights why these activities and undertakings matter more and more. Finally, Christopher offers his views on some of the most important practical resources for students and their parents that can help them navigate and excel throughout this process – from consultants to tutors to coaches and other quantitative and qualitative tools. Enjoy this highly informative conversation with a trailblazer in the college admission consulting and coaching space.
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Weathering Periods of Historic Geopolitical and Economic Disruption with Patricia Angus
08/14/2025
Weathering Periods of Historic Geopolitical and Economic Disruption with Patricia Angus
Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Patricia Angus, Founder and CEO of Angus Advisory Group, an independent consulting practice serving enterprise families. A former international trusts and estates lawyer, Patricia is a thought leader in the field of multi-generational family governance, wealth and philanthropy. She has been advising global families and their companies, family offices, and foundations, for three decades and is the author of The Beneficiary Primer, among numerous publications. She founded the Global Family Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School, where she teaches graduate and executive education courses, and is a Fellow and board member of the Family Firm Institute and a frequent speaker at industry and family events. Patricia is a long-time friend and collaborator of FOX. Patricia is one of the pioneers in the family wealth space and has been at the forefront of the industry for over 3 decades. As she reflects on the past 30 years, she shares what she believes has changed significantly and what has stayed the same. As Mark Twain famously said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Today, we find ourselves once again in a time of significant geopolitical and economic shocks, armed conflicts at home and abroad, and the return of populism and authoritarianism even among western democracies. Patricia offers some of the lessons she has learned and would like to pass on to families and their advisors on how to best weather such times of conflict, instability, and disruption. Throughout her career, Patricia has developed a number of practical tools for families – one prominent example of a tool she utilizes with her clients is the Trustee and Beneficiary Primer. She tells us more about these tools, what is in them, and how families and their advisors can benefit from them. In the family wealth space, there is a mix of practitioners and academic programs aimed at helping families of wealth achieve success throughout their multigenerational journey. Patricia provides her insights into how families should think about utilizing practitioners vs. academics, highlighting the utility and limitations of each of these resources and offering tips into how families can achieve the right balance between the different kinds of knowledge and tools both academia and practitioners provide? Do not miss this deeply insightful conversation with one of the veterans and original thought leaders of the family wealth space.
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Integrating the Story of the Wealth into the Family Purpose With Samantha Reynolds
08/07/2025
Integrating the Story of the Wealth into the Family Purpose With Samantha Reynolds
Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Samantha Reynolds, Founder & CEO of ECHO Storytelling Agency. Since 1999, Sam and her firm have been trusted by hundreds of prominent families and global companies to preserve their legacies in books and videos. In 2005, Sam was named one of British Columbia’s “Top 40 under 40” and is also a Forbes Magazine Council Member and writes a monthly article on how to use authentic storytelling to drive business results. Sam and her firm, ECHO, are Specialist Advisor members of FOX, and we are excited to have her expertise and thought leadership within our membership community. In the family wealth space, we are increasingly talking about the importance of telling the family story and passing the history down to future generations. Sam talks about the neuroscience behind sharing authentic stories – both stories of success and of adversity. Can you talk about this and connect it with how you see the significance of the family’s story throughout their journey. There’s a delicate balance between sharing enough and sharing too much – both among family members and with external constituents. Sam shares her views on how families should navigate this balance and determine how much to share internally and with the public and their employees. One practical tool Sam has developed and uses with her clients is a list of questions rising-gen members can ask of their elders. She tells us about this list and highlights the top questions to ask and the best settings in which to ask them. Sam also describes some of the modern technology-enabled tools and resources she recommends to families to help them with their effective communications and storytelling – or as she calls it “memory insurance.” Enjoy this insightful conversation with one of the leading thinkers and practitioners in the storytelling and legacy preservation space.
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Protecting Older Family Members from Financial Fraud and Exploitation with Elizabeth Clubb
07/31/2025
Protecting Older Family Members from Financial Fraud and Exploitation with Elizabeth Clubb
Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Elizabeth Clubb, Founder and CEO of myFloc, an innovative fintech company addressing the unique financial needs of the aging population and their families. Prior to myFloc, Elizabeth was President and Chief Strategy Officer at an innovation and growth consultancy serving Fortune 500 clients across a broad range of industries. Elizabeth is on the Board of Directors of Lenbrook, a nationally renowned Continuing Care Retirement Community, where she serves on the Strategic Planning Committee and the Marketing Committee. She is an active member of the AARP Agetech Collaborative and The Business Collaborative for Brain Health and an Advisory Board member of The Famtech Collaborative. Across our society, there are lately more conversations about and recognition of the impact of age on financial decision-making and the associated risks. Elizabeth talks about how the topic is being broached and addressed in the wealth management space in general, and in the world of wealthy families and family offices in particular. A related, and unfortunately relevant and frequent, topic is financial fraud targeting older people. Elizabeth describes the latest trends and developments in the space and elaborates on how the threats and risks evolving are and how the risk-management, education and protection strategies and tactics are developing to respond to those threats. One practical tip Elizabeth offers is that, in addition to all the technical and quantitative solutions and strategies, families and their family offices should also focus on the human element of fraud prevention – specifically, talking to and educating family members about fraud sooner than later. She shares the best practices and approaches for families she has observed in that area. Finally, she provides her top list of useful fraud prevention tools for families and family offices that can help them protect family members from financial exploitation. Please enjoy this highly informative conversation with a leading expert and practitioner specializing in the unique financial needs and risks among the elderly and their families.
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Writing an Autobiography to Capture a Family’s Origins, Stories and Values with Roy Moëd
07/24/2025
Writing an Autobiography to Capture a Family’s Origins, Stories and Values with Roy Moëd
Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Roy Moëd, Co-Founder of LifeBook Memoirs, a company dedicated to helping parents and grandparents preserve their life stories in beautifully crafted, private autobiographies for their families. The inspiration for LifeBook Memoirs came from Roy’s own experience when he helped his ageing father rediscover a sense of purpose at a difficult time in his life. Since then, Roy and his company have created over 20,000 private memoirs for families in more than 40 countries. Prior to that, Roy co-founded Pourshins Limited in 1978, which grew into a global enterprise employing over 600 people in 4 countries around the world. Throughout his career, he has built businesses not just with commercial success in mind, but with a heartfelt desire to connect and impact people and families in ways that matter. Roy begins by explaining it is important for families to share their history with their children and future generations and for founders and family leaders to tell the story of their life and achievements in their own words. Nowadays, there are so many storytelling formats to choose from, yet in his business, Roy has adhered to a single traditional format – the autobiographical printed book. Roy talks about why the physical book is still the best medium for older generations to share their life story with their progeny. Many family leaders may feel overwhelmed by the notion of writing a book that captures the essence of their life’s journey and achievements. Roy offers his advice on how to get started on the journey of writing an autobiography that will speak to and be appreciated by future generations. Roy provides some practical resources that he recommends to families and family leaders who wish to consider embarking on a book-writing journey to memorialize the family’s origins, values, and stories. Enjoy this illuminating conversation with a veteran storyteller and publisher of limited-edition biographies exclusively serving enterprise family leaders and founders.
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Leaning on Trust and Communication for Successful Family Transitions with Amy Castoro
07/17/2025
Leaning on Trust and Communication for Successful Family Transitions with Amy Castoro
Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Amy Castoro, President and CEO of The Williams Group, where she leads a team dedicated to ensuring the smooth transfer of wealth across generations. Amy is a recognized expert in preparing high-net-worth families to successfully transition wealth while maintaining family unity and control over assets. She is also an accomplished author, keynote speaker, and senior family coach known for her direct yet compassionate approach, which fosters long-term relationships and delivers measurable results. Amy is the author of Bridging Generations—Transitioning Family Wealth and Values for a Sustainable Legacy. She is a long-time friend of FOX and has been a speaker at FOX events and council meetings. Amy has helped many UHNW families navigate intergenerational transitions, and she shares her experience on what are the hallmarks of a successful wealth transition and what role trust and communication play in achieving such successful transitions. Throughout her career, Amy has created a framework for how to build, repair, and manage trust in a family. She tells us about this framework and highlights how families can successfully leverage it. One practical tip Amy offers to many families is how to have challenging conversations and how to structure this often-uncomfortable process. She provides her recipe for success with necessary but difficult discussions within the family. Another practical tool Amy has developed is her “10 Questions Quiz” that she uses to help families strengthen relationships with each other and prepare for a smooth and successful intergenerational wealth transition. She describes the 10 questions and how she applies the quiz to help families succeed. Enjoy this insightful conversation with a leading advisor of UHNW families and practitioner in the field of family transitions and wealth transfer.
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Applying the Four Room Model to Manage Change in the Enterprise Family with Jeff Strese
07/10/2025
Applying the Four Room Model to Manage Change in the Enterprise Family with Jeff Strese
Today, it is my pleasure to welcome back to FOXcast Jeff Strese, a valued member of the FOX team. Jeff is a human capital expert and executive coach focused on family-owned business leaders and senior wealth advisors. He works with FOX as consultant to develop transformational leadership programs and support our councils with thought leadership on human capital, generational transitions, and family dynamics. Jeff also teaches in the Executive Education program at SMU’s COX School of Business based in Dallas, TX. One constant in our space is the fact that families – and their enterprises and family offices – are often in a state of transition and change. And change is not easy for anyone. Jeff talks about the most common and challenging types of change that families and family offices undergo. There are many theoretical and practical models for helping people and organizations go through change smoothly. Jeff has found that Janssen’s “Four Room Model” is particularly effective with families undergoing change. He describes this model, how it is constructed, and how families can apply it to manage the process and risks of change. We delve into the practical tips Jeff has for family leaders on how they can apply the Four Room Model to champion and lead smooth and successful change within their family and the extended enterprise. We then also turn to those who are on the receiving end of change and transformation – both family members and others within the family enterprise or family office. Jeff offers his suggestions to them on how best to engage with the process to ensure the best outcomes and experience. Do not miss this illuminating conversation with one of the leading human capital experts and practitioners in the family wealth and family office space.
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Investing in Gold to Preserve and Protect the Family Wealth with Drew Mason and Christianna Mason
07/03/2025
Investing in Gold to Preserve and Protect the Family Wealth with Drew Mason and Christianna Mason
Today, I’m excited to speak with Drew Mason and Christianna Mason. Drew is Managing Partner at St. Joseph Partners, a precious‑metals brokerage and wealth protection firm serving individuals, families, and family offices across the U.S. and internationally. He is a G2 principal of Andrew Mason Associates, a family business founded in 1979 as a strategic management consultancy and later pivoted to acquiring and building businesses, with three ultimately sold to private equity. Christianna is Drew’s daughter and a G3 member in their family office. She is a CPA who has advised Fortune 100 and private equity clients on global M&A from PwC’s New York office. Earlier in his career, Drew held positions at major Wall Street firms including Lehman Brothers, where he witnessed first-hand the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, an experience that triggered a personal and professional search for true financial safe havens in times of stress. This ultimately led to him founding St. Joseph Partners, and over the past fifteen years, the firm’s services have expanded to include: an online trading engine, secure domestic and international storage, private-label minting, audit and insurance facilitation and logistics. In this episode we focus our conversation on gold. Drew and Christianna share their views on what is so unique about gold as an alternative investment asset and why investors should be paying particular attention to gold right now. They also address the skeptics and risk managers out there, who may not be convinced, and explore what the worst-case scenario might look like for gold. Drew and Christianna delve into the options and intricacies associated with investing in physical gold vs. financial instruments that emulate the performance of gold. And for those who are worried they may have missed the gold rally and are wondering whether it’s too late to get in now, they provide a perspective on where their think gold is headed from here. Enjoy this instructive conversation with two of the leading experts on multigenerational families investing in gold and precious metals.
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Inspiring Female Wealth Owners to Find and Fulfill Their Purpose with Amy Hart Clyne
06/26/2025
Inspiring Female Wealth Owners to Find and Fulfill Their Purpose with Amy Hart Clyne
Today, it is my absolute pleasure to speak with Amy Hart Clyne, Chief Knowledge & Learning Officer at Pitcairn. Amy is responsible for Pitcairn’s Family Engagement Services function and leads the firm’s thought leadership and learning initiatives. Before joining Pitcairn, Amy served as Executive Director and Chief Knowledge Officer at FOX, and led our knowledge, learning, and education strategies serving our community of families and multi-disciplinary advisors. Amy is the co-author of the book Finding Her Voice & Creating a Legacy: Portraits of Pioneering Women Leading Wealthy Families – an exploration that draws from intimate, in-depth conversations with over 40 women of wealth about how they came to wealth, their role in the family, and the obstacles they overcame. Amy holds a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation and an Advanced Family Business certification (ACFBA) from the Family Firm Institute where she is also an FFI Fellow. She, and her firm Pitcairn, are valued wealth advisor members of FOX and we are thrilled to have their expertise as part of the FOX membership community. Finally, Amy is a former member of the FOX team, and I am thrilled to welcome such a distinguished FOX alumna to FOXCast. Amy’s book, Finding Her Voice is a groundbreaking book and, in my view, required reading in the family wealth space. Amy shares with our audience the story of the book, including what motivated her to write it and what methodology she used for gathering the insights and stories captured in the book. Having captured the fascinating and unique stories of these 40 women, Amy talks about the main revelations and learnings that she took away from her research and that she is passing on to the readers of the book. We then talk about the more practical outcomes of Amy’s research and the applied learnings for female wealth owners, starting with some practical tips and suggestions for the women who are founders or wealth-creators and built their wealth from scratch. Next, we discuss the advice and suggestions Amy would offer to female inheritors – those who are the recipients of generational wealth being passed on to them. This is a must-hear conversation with one of the pioneers of family wealth learning and education, and a groundbreaking researcher, writer, and thought leader in the field of women in wealth.
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Understanding the Benefits and Complexities of Generation-Skipping Trusts with Amy Wirtz
06/19/2025
Understanding the Benefits and Complexities of Generation-Skipping Trusts with Amy Wirtz
Today, I’m excited to speak with Amy Wirtz, Senior Consultant with The Family Business Consulting Group. Amy works closely with families to identify their goals around values, ownership, and financial wealth, and helps them establish family offices, councils, and enterprise governance systems to support these goals. She served as a lawyer for 27 years, with the last 10 years practicing collaborative law. In addition, Amy is a trained mediator and skilled facilitator in conflict resolution, communication, and listening skills. She serves on multiple family business advisory boards and frequently teaches and speaks at business forums, including YPO, YPO Family Office, Private Company Governance Conference, and The Exit Planning Institute. In today’s conversation, we’ll zoom into generation-skipping trusts, which are both powerful and popular estate planning vehicles deployed by UHNW families and their advisors. We start with the basics, and Amy providing a definition of what generation-skipping trusts are and why are they so commonly utilized by families of wealth. Like all estate planning, risk management, and tax optimization strategies, there are both pros and cons and complexities associated with generation-skipping trusts. Amy talks about the long-term implications for families who establish and subsequently must live within these legal structures. Amy offers some practical tips and suggestions for families who are just starting to consider generation-skipping trusts, helping outline what they should know and beware, and how they should prepare the family for these structures. Amy then offers some pointers and advice for families who already have established generation-skipping trusts, sharing her insights into how they can live their lives in accordance with their goals and preferences while still managing and complying with the complexities of these existing legal structures. Please enjoy this deeply insightful conversation with one of the leading practitioners and consultants in the area of trust and estate planning for UHNW families.
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Orchestrating Healthy Family Transitions with Bob Weinhold
06/12/2025
Orchestrating Healthy Family Transitions with Bob Weinhold
Today, I am pleased to welcome Bob Weinhold, Partner at Velocity Advisory Group, an advisory firm helping clients accelerate organizational success through leadership development, executive coaching, cultural alignment, and strategic execution. Bob oversees the firm’s Family Business Advisory and Executive Coaching practices. He began his career in healthcare working with executives in 1996 and later that year was fortunate to support the Atlanta Olympic Games with his individual and team performance enhancement experience. Bob supports the development of next generation leaders to prepare for succession and help senior family members transition responsibilities while mitigating risk. In his work with families, Bob talks about the concept of “mental scripts” that family members have in their heads that, while helpful in some cases, can also get in the way of successful transitions, communications, and relationships within family enterprises. He elaborates on this concept and gives some examples of how these mental scripts form and manifest themselves within families of wealth. One common challenge related to the “mental scripts” topic is the “fear of screwing up” mentality that so often guides and derails progress among enterprise families and their members. Bob explains why this “Don’t Mess It Up!” attitude is so pervasive both among older generations looking to transition control and their next-gen descendants who are looking to step into leadership. He also offers some insights into what families can do to avoid or navigate this common pitfall. One practical tip Bob offers is for family members to really mind their language – to study the phrases they use in their conversations. Bob delves into why language is so important and unpacks what family leaders and members can do to make sure how they speak to each other helps them grow and succeed rather than derail or hold them back. Another practical tool Bob uses and recommends is “the list”, which often older generations have in their mind before they can be comfortable transitioning power and control. He talks about this mental list – what’s often on it, how to deal with it, and how rising-gen members can manage toward and around this list. Enjoy this instructive conversation with a prominent and experienced thought leader and practitioner in the field of intergenerational transitions and succession within UHNW families.
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Protecting Against Unforeseen Risks by Utilizing 831(b) Plans with Van Carlson
06/05/2025
Protecting Against Unforeseen Risks by Utilizing 831(b) Plans with Van Carlson
Today, I’m excited to speak with Van Carlson, Founder & CEO of SRA 831(b) Admin, a specialized risk management solutions company. Van has over 25 years of experience within the risk management industry. Prior to founding SRA, Van ran his own property and casualty firm for 15 years and was awarded Presidents Council’s and other top-performing achievements during his tenure as a P&C Agent. In 2008, he saw the Great Recession hit his commercial business clients hard, and just like them, he was also affected by the sharp economic downturn. Out of that challenging experience, he emerged committed to developing better ways to manage risk and improve business operations for his clients, and consequently founded SRA 831(b) Admin to pursue this mission. In this episode, we delve into the topic of micro-captive insurance plans, or 831(b) plans, and the ways family businesses and family offices can deploy this specialized tool to manage a range of risks. Van covers the fundamentals, offering our audience an overview of how 831(b) plans work and why wealth owners and family enterprises should consider deploying this innovative risk management tool. There are many ways 831(b) plans can create value for families and their enterprises. Van describes the most common use cases families and family offices can address by deploying 831(b) plans and shares some examples of the different unfunded liabilities this tool can help address. One very practical and helpful tool Van developed is the 831B.com website. He talks about the resources that are available on the website and how families and family office teams can utilize this public resource. The 831(b) solutions have many positive applications, but as is the case with everything in life, there are also downsides to consider. Van covers the potential risks associated with 831(b) plans and shares his tips on how our listeners can avoid or mitigate these risks. Please enjoy this insightful conversation with a pioneer and thought leader in the technical field of micro-captive insurance plans.
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Carrying Forward Values and Legacy by Preserving Family Artifacts with Brad Mindich
05/29/2025
Carrying Forward Values and Legacy by Preserving Family Artifacts with Brad Mindich
Today, I’m excited to speak with Brad Mindich, CEO and Founder of Inveniem, the leading archiving & fan engagement company that works directly with artists, estates, athletes, brands, and individual celebrities on finding, organizing, preserving, and monetizing their artifacts and history. Brad also founded Agent Phoenix, a brand realignment and creative consulting agency, which works with companies to improve and enhance their relationships with their target audiences. Brads businesses have served such iconic artists as Coldplay, Metallica, Norah Jones, Jeff Bridges, Questlove, and Elvis Costello, to name just a few. Prior to founding Inveniem and Agent Phoenix, Brad was President of the Phoenix Media/Communications Group, a multi-media organization, and is a veteran of several media and technology start-ups in the US and UK. Brad talks about the world of iconic creators – artists, actors, athletes, and other creative personages – and provides an overview of this exclusive niche and how he and other experts serve these VIP UHNW clients, especially helping them preserve and manage their intellectual property, intangible assets, and unique artifacts. The knowledge, tools, and processes Brad and his firm have developed and apply are not limited to just in this creative niche of the market. Brad describes how families of wealth can also leverage this approach and solutions to preserve and pass down their artifacts, heirlooms, and collections – but also their legacy and values more broadly. Brad goes over the practical steps of how families and UHNW clients can get started on this journey of understanding, managing, and making the most out of their creative assets and intellectual property. He delves into one of the most common roadblocks for many families and clients – how to first organize all the artifacts and creative assets they have so they can know what is there, what exists, and then follow the robust process to begin to manage these collections of unique, alternative assets. Enjoy this informative conversation with the leading service provider in this exclusive niche of the UHNW wealth management landscape.
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Understanding and Utilizing Closely Held Family Office Groups with Mark Tepsich
05/22/2025
Understanding and Utilizing Closely Held Family Office Groups with Mark Tepsich
This week, it is my pleasure to speak with Mark Tepsich, Executive Director and Family Office Design and Governance Specialist in the Family Office Solutions group at UBS Private Wealth Management. Prior to joining UBS, Mark spent several years with a NYC based investment advisory firm, where he built the firm’s family office platform, which included designing the infrastructure, services, tech solutions and vetted third party professionals such as law and tax advisory firms. Prior to that, he spent a decade at a large single-family office where he served as General Counsel of a dynastic, multi-generational family, advising on family office structuring, governance design, personal, estate and income tax issues, as well as business formation and operations, investment due diligence and real estate development. Many firms and institutions serving UHNW family clients are creating in-house family office groups and centers of excellence. Mark talks about this trend, explains its rationale, and outlines the different varieties of internal family office groups, and what capabilities they usually offer. We then delve a bit deeper into the rationale, addressing why it makes sense to create these internal family office teams, and describing the scenarios when it makes sense for a UHNW family client to engage with such closely held family office groups. Mark also paints the picture of how these internal groups fit within the broader advisory and service provider ecosystem of players serving the UHNW and family office clientele. Mark offers his practical tips on how UHNW clients should go about identifying and selecting the external partners they work with and what process they should follow – including how to identify, compare, and select internal family office groups that are part of a larger wealth advisory firm. Finally, Mark shares his views on now the UHNW and family office ecosystem is evolving, highlighting how the different kinds of firms and internal family office groups not only coexist but actually collaborate with each other with the goal of to providing their (often shared) clients the best possible advice, solutions, and service. Enjoy this illuminating conversation with one of the leading practitioners in the UHNW family wealth management space.
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Creating a Values-Aligned Family Office with Sharon Schneider
05/15/2025
Creating a Values-Aligned Family Office with Sharon Schneider
Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Sharon Schneider, founder of Integrated Capital Strategies. She works with families and foundations to align all of their activities with their values, expanding from philanthropy and impact investments to advocacy, operating businesses and property management/household operations. She is the author of "Handbook for an Integrated Life: A Practical Guide to Aligning Your Everyday Choices with Your Internal Compass". Previously Sharon served as Executive Director of the Telluray Foundation and was the founding Director of the Walton Personal Philanthropy Group. She was also co-founder and CEO of the for-profit social enterprise Moxie Jean, a Chicago Innovation Award winner in 2013 and a 2012 portfolio company of renowned tech accelerator Excelerate Labs (now TechStars Chicago). Moxie Jean was acquired by Schoola in 2015. Before starting Moxie Jean, Schneider spent 12 years as a staff member and consultant to private foundations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and dozens of small family foundations, working on issues ranging from strategic planning and outcome management to engaging your family in philanthropy. Sharon wrote a highly regarded book about the concept of an “Integrated Life”, and she shares with our audience the meaning of this term and its key takeaways for UHNW families. In her writings, Sharon posits that these is a “3rd Gen Problem” – that by the time G3 steps into the leadership role, the family office structure begins to strain. She describes this problem, and illustrates how it is manifested across families, why it occurs, and most importantly, what to do about it. Through her work with families, Sharon has formulated 8 principles for a values-aligned family office, and she unpacks her thinking and practical insights related to the 8 principles. She then provides some specific practical applications of the principles, and shares some use cases that can help bring the principles to life for our audience. Enjoy this informative conversation with one of the best recognized philanthropy advisors and practitioners in the family wealth space.
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Leveraging External Partners to Design the Optimal Family Office with Drew McMorrow
05/08/2025
Leveraging External Partners to Design the Optimal Family Office with Drew McMorrow
Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Drew McMorrow, President & CEO of Ballentine Partners, an independent wealth management firm providing comprehensive investment and family office services to wealthy families and entrepreneurs. In addition to being responsible for the day-to-day management of the company, Drew also continues to consult with families on all aspects of their financial lives. Prior to joining the firm in 2002, Drew worked at Mercer Management Consulting, where he advised technology companies on their strategic plans, and before that, he was the Director of Business Operations at Oracle Corporation, where he directed financial and business analysis for procurement and distribution operations. Drew, and his firm Ballentine Partners, are valued members of the FOX MFO Council and we are very proud to have their expertise as part of the FOX membership community. As family offices become increasingly popular and as families look to them for an ever-broader range of services and expertise, many families are weighing the pros and cons of in-housing vs. outsourcing vs. partnering as they try to decide on the optimal operating model for their family office. Drew shares his perspectives on the tradeoffs between in-house and partnered design options for SFOs and explains when and what should families consider outsourcing when building our their SFO, highlighting the functions or situations that lend themselves better to one model vs. another. Drew and his firm Ballentine Partners have built the Center for Family Wellbeing as a practical resource to help families make the best resourcing choices for their FOs. He tells our audience about the Center, its mission, and how it serves multigenerational families of wealth. Another practical insight Drew offers is regarding the often-neglected qualitative disciplines in support of the family’s long-term success – functions such as family communications, education and learning, and next-gen engagement and preparation. He provides his practical recommendations on how families can utilize internal resources and external partners to develop and deliver these mission-critical services to the family. Do not miss this engaging conversation with one of the most prominent thinkers and leaders in the UHNW family wealth management space.
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Extracting Value and Joy from Art Investing with Anne Rappa & Alex Glauber
05/01/2025
Extracting Value and Joy from Art Investing with Anne Rappa & Alex Glauber
Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Anne Rappa & Alex Glauber. Anne is the fine art practice leader for Marsh McLennan. She provides risk management advice and assists clients by negotiating risk and insurance solutions related to fine art collections and transactions. Anne has 30 years’ experience representing the interests of both individual and institutional collectors, institutions, art dealers, auction houses, art logistics companies and other fine art focused businesses. Anne, and her firm Marsh McLennan, are a valued Advisor member of the FOX community, and we are grateful to have their expertise and thought leadership in our membership community. Alex is an art advisor, curator, and educator based in New York. He is the founder and principal of AWG Art Advisory, where he works with private individuals, corporations, and institutions in the conceptualization, building, and management of fine art collections. Prior to founding AWG Art Advisory in 2009, Alex served as an assistant curator for the Lehman Brothers and Neuberger Berman art collections from 2006 to 2009. He has curated monographic and thematic group exhibitions at venues as varied as the Portland Museum of Art in Maine, Phillips auction house, and Bryant Park, New York, as well as at galleries such as Lisson Gallery, Andrew Kreps Gallery, Chapter NY, Dickinson, David Lewis Gallery, and Casey Kaplan. He is a board member of The Brooklyn Rail and the president of the Association of Professional Art Advisors. Art is an increasingly popular investment asset among enterprise families and family offices – both as a passion investment and an alternative asset in their diversified portfolios. Anne and Alex talk about what is going on today in the world of art investing and highlight the latest trends that have been shaping the space over the recent years. They also explain how art is different from other investment assets, describing the unique attributes and market structures that set art apart from other investments and even from other alternative assets. One practical piece of advice Anne and Alex have for our listeners is to consider and understand the role of a professional art advisor. They describe the role of the art advisor and share their views on why families and family offices should be working with one and what value they can extract from such a relationship. With the unique attributes and value of art come also some unique risks. Anne and Alex shed some light on the major risks art investors should be aware of and how family offices and their clients can manage and protect themselves against those risks. Don’t miss this deeply instructional conversation with two of the leading experts and advisors in the world of art investing.
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