When it comes to the family business, sometimes the self-made super-rich—those worth $500 million or more—can be a bit myopic and Pollyannaish in believing their children and grandchildren will all love each other and work together for the well-being of the family.
A growing percentage of super-rich families come apart after the passing of the founder. While the founder was alive, his or her presence and involvement usually kept all the children and other relatives on their best behavior, with their eyes on the same goals. After the founder’s passing, all the pent up animosities, insecurities and the disagreements usually come out.
If action is not taken to prepare for such situations, conflicts among family members will very likely hobble the business, with the family and their wealth seriously suffering.
Business interests tend to be a source of family conflicts, but they are not the only possible cause. When financial assets are intermingled and invested by the family office, for example, there is the possibility for substantial clashes between inheritors. In these scenarios, an important question that self-made, super-rich clients need to answer is, “How important is it for the investable assets to remain together?” Allowing for the division of assets under specific circumstances can potentially avoid many problems—including litigation—between family members.
Second-generation family offices, where heirs have inherited the organizations, often find that some inheritors take their money and go off on their own. "Being able to divide up the monies is many times a good strategy,” said Angelo Robles, founder and CEO of the Family Office Association and author of "Effective Family Office." “While there are some very strong reasons for aggregating a family’s wealth, such as the ability to get preferential pricing, if the family members don’t get along, investing together is likely to cause a lot more harm than good.”
Many super-rich families would be well served by developing mechanisms for handling family conflicts, and these can take a number of different forms. Implementing formal governance structures is one possibility. Another consideration is buying family members out of their share of the family business or letting family members determine their own investment solutions.
The personal fortunes created by the self-made super-rich, including their business endeavors, are at risk when they pass away. The cause of the loss in wealth is many times severe conflict among the family heirs. Consequently, it is often wise for the self-made super-rich to take a proactive approach to avoid or mitigate these inter-family confrontations.
Professionals, from wealthy managers to lawyers and from accountants to consultants, are regularly retained to help super-rich families deal with this scenario. They work with wealth creators to structure their estates to both ensure as much family harmony as possible and mitigate taxes. Furthermore, the very best professionals are usually more focused on family harmony.
Russ Alan Prince, president of R.A. Prince & Associates, is a consultant to family offices, the ultra-wealthy and select professionals.
