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What Do We Tell the Children? Intergenerational Talks About the Family Business and Wealth
Because money is often a touchy subject, families who’ve accumulated wealth and built enterprises likely don’t spend enough time considering how to discuss money with their children. To further complicate the situation, older and younger generations often have different questions and concerns about their own financial futures. This disparity—and the challenge of clear communication between generations and each side seeing the other’s concerns, needs, and perspectives—often causes issues during the transition of a family business.
This article discusses when and how to have these conversations, recommending planning a series of conversations, each with a different focus, in an environment where all parties feel comfortable sharing their perceptions and questions.
Transferring Wealth to Your Grandchildren
At TAG, we are often asked to advise on Transgenerational Wealth™ management, including Trust and Estate Planning and other wealth transfer strategies to directly benefit their grandchildren. Some clients are looking for ways...
Q&A: Why Investors Should Consider Infrastructure
To improve America’s poor Infrastructure score, the current administration’s proposed infrastructure bill has garnered support. It recommends committing and investing over $2 trillion to improve the country’s infrastructure—like roadways, bridges, and public transportation—through the next eight years. Some experts suggest investors would also benefit from investing in the infrastructure. First, the plan will expand well beyond the initial infrastructure components to include other elements like potable water, education, broadband, and communication networks. Second, infrastructure asset owners/operators have offered reasonable yields some investors may like, considering 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds currently generate a paltry 2%. Learn more by reading the article.
America’s Infrastructure Scores a C-
The US loses about 6 billion gallons of treated water a day—enough to fill more than 9,000 swimming pools. And somewhere nationwide, a water main break occurs every two minutes—that’s 770 breaks per day. The country’s infrastructure—from aviation and bridges to broadband and energy to hazardous waste and levees and more—needs serious attention. The American Society of Civil Engineers’ Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, published every four years, details the condition of America’s infrastructure based on physical conditions of each category, and required investments for improvement. Let’s take a look at just one state, Massachusetts: of its 5,233 bridges, 9% were deemed structurally deficient just two years ago; the state will accrue $12.2 billion in drinking water infrastructure needs over the next 20 years, and the average motorist pays about $640 extra per year due to the effects of driving on bad roads, 25% of which are in need of repair. Read the report to learn more.
Is Sustainable Investing Moving Into the Mainstream?
According to a 2018 UBS Investor Watch global survey, 81% of respondents want to align consumer spending patterns with their values. About 39% have sustainable investments, and 86% felt sustainable investment strategies encourage companies to implement better business practices. Of those surveyed, 82% felt good investing in sustainable companies which they believed to be more forward-thinking and better managed.
As a result, some of the worlds’ largest institutions, individual investors and asset managers are taking a closer look at sustainable investing. This investment approach incorporates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into investment decisions. A 2019 UBS survey found 48% of respondents have already applied ESG in anticipation of a positive impact on financial importance. Read the article to learn more.
Five Reasons Advisor Succession Plans Fail
Financial advisors help their clients plan for the near- and long-term future. And yet many of these same advisors — one study suggests 60% of advisors within five years of retirement — have not taken time to create succession plans for their own business. Gary Campbell at Forbes thinks it’s likely that many of these advisors have similar reasons for delaying creating succession plans as their clients offer for waiting to get serious about their own financial plans.
Many experts caution that waiting too long to develop and execute a succession plan can delay an advisor’s exit strategy for years. It’s recommended that advisors begin planning early — as much as 5 to 10 years in advance of retirement — to avoid some of the main reasons why succession plans fail.
- Unrealistic expectations for a business valuation
Advisors may be unfamiliar with all the factors that contribute to calculating their business’s value. Conducting valuation in plenty of time gives advisors an opportunity to strategize and implement changes to increase the value. - Not finding a good match
Advisors want to align with a successor with similar values. Finding that successor who will nurture and care for clients equally well takes time. - Inadequate successor mentoring
Advisors who leave their businesses to younger, less experienced successors must prioritize mentoring. It takes time to teach a successor how to lead, delegate, make decisions, and resolve conflicts. - Not integrating successors soon enough
Experts recommend starting the integration practice months — if not a few years — before actively retiring. This slow transition helps advisors’ successors to understand the brand, processes, teams, and clients. - Not accounting for what-if scenarios
Advisors encourage their clients to plan for the unexpected — unforeseen health issues or market fluctuations. It’s only logical for advisors to incorporate those scenarios into their own succession planning, too.