Building a Family-Focused Office

Changing what it means to serve enterprising families

I use the phrase “family-focused office” rather than “family office” because so many family offices are fundamentally not about family—they are about managing financial capital and legal risk. Those tasks are important, but they must be fundamentally in service of the primary task, which is the flourishing of the family’s members. An enlightened family-focused office is one that prioritizes human capital and the development of the family itself, while simultaneously being excellent in the management of the financial or business assets.

This sounds simple and obvious. And yet, “top 10” lists of family offices always rank the best by AUM, or number of family members served, or financial returns. But never do we focus on the well-being of the human beings we serve.

Read about my other guiding beliefs