Family Business Minute Blog

Deepening New Client Conversations

September 23, 2020Family Business Consulting, Family Wealth Consulting, Wealth Psychology Consulting

I was recently speaking to a friend and colleague about the conversations he has with new clients. He is one of a new wave of wealth managers (and other professionals) who are as interested in getting to know the full picture of their client’s lives as they are about investment and planning strategies. He asked for my thoughts on deepening client conversations. Opening up conversations about money, business, family and legacy with a new client or even a prospect can Read more »

Ethical Wills – Share Your Love and Wisdom!

August 13, 2020Family Business Consulting, Family Wealth Consulting

Several years ago, I wrote about ethical wills. While they sound “legal”, they are not legal documents at all. An ethical will is a letter to children, grandchildren, really any loved ones, written to express wisdom, values, life lessons. It is a way to transfer non-financial/non-material wealth. Best shared when the writer is still alive, there can be invaluable interaction between the writer and recipients. I found the process of writing my own (shared in the blog several years ago) Read more »

Race & Wealth

July 30, 2020Family Business Consulting, Family Wealth Consulting, Wealth Psychology Consulting

This blog is mostly about race and racism in America and less about families and wealth although I do make some connections there. Racism and inequality are big issues and many, myself included, would like to see more progress. This blog includes references to some of my earlier blogs about race and wealth and details some of my recent experiences of the dynamics of racism in my professional world. I end with a collection of helpful resources for anyone looking Read more »

Article with Merrill Center for Family Wealth

May 27, 2020Family Business Consulting, Family Wealth Consulting, Wealth Psychology Consulting

I consulted with a grandfather who achieved a high level of financial success (and also had a lot of emotional intelligence and love for his family) and with his daughter and her husband who have a two and a half year-old. The grandfather attended a workshop I gave about raising children in a family business/wealth context and thought his daughter and son-in-law would benefit from some ideas and coaching. The daughter said early on in the conversation more or less, Read more »

Raising Family Business Kids – Free Workshop

April 28, 2020Family Business Consulting, Family Wealth Consulting, Wealth Psychology Consulting

Hi Friends/Colleagues, I’m facilitating a free, virtual workshop about raising children in the context of a family business. The workshop is in coordination with NYCFEC (NY City Family Enterprise Center) and is intended for business families in the greater NYC area. Tuesday, May 5th, 2020 – 4 pm – 6 pm. Come as my guest for no fee using code – JS051 – at checkout. This is a small, personal and highly interactive workshop – learning and fun. Feel free to share this with anyone who Read more »

Kids and the Coronavirus Pandemic

April 18, 2020Family Business Consulting

Young children are so capable of understanding complex ideas and feelings if you communicate and interact on their level. Parents who haven’t taken the time or effort to properly introduce their children to the realities of the family business inadvertently sow the seeds for later problems. Many of the tragic situations I run into in the world of family businesses could have been managed and even prevented with some thoughtful parenting. One of my favorite speaking, writing, and coaching topics Read more »

Coronavirus and Family Business

March 25, 2020Family Business Consulting, Family Wealth Consulting, Wealth Psychology Consulting

My family business clients all have various amounts of what every family has: closeness and harmony, as well as distance and conflict, to name a few elements. And, they share various levels of involvement in a business – leadership, management, ownership, or simply working there to see if that is what they want for the coming decades. Being tightly connected to family can put a smile on your face, or a pit in your stomach – and sometimes both. I Read more »

Forever 21

February 23, 2020Family Business Consulting, Family Wealth Consulting, Wealth Psychology Consulting

Do Won Chang and Jin Sook Chang created the retail chain Forever 21 from nothing when they came to the U.S. from South Korea. They built it to revenues of more than $4B at its height and had 43,000 employees. Their daughters, Linda and Esther, both received Ivy-league educations and were given high-level executive positions. Mr. Chang was CEO dealing with real estate and vendors and Mrs. Chang was heading up design and merchandising. At the end of last year, Read more »

Rock ‘N Roll & Family Business (Neil Peart)

January 19, 2020Family Business Consulting, Family Wealth Consulting, Wealth Psychology Consulting

If you’ve read any of these posts over the years, you know I like to connect rock music and family business one way or another. Earlier this month elite rock drummer Neil Peart, of Rush fame, died. I’ve been a Rush fan since 1980 and have been mesmerized by the speed and complexity of Peart’s drumming and the deep, meaningful lyrics for which he was mainly responsible. Often known as “nerd rock” or “cerebral rock,” Rush quoted Shakespeare and Ayn Read more »

Thanksgiving in August???

November 26, 2019Family Business Consulting, Family Wealth Consulting, Wealth Psychology Consulting

Friends and Colleagues, The Thanksgiving/holiday season is upon us and I have made a donation in honor of all of you to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK). Rather than cards or pies or gifts (which are all really cool) I decided to write to you here and send money to TASK to make an impact on the issue of hunger – an area important to me. I’ve been volunteering monthly for over 10 years at TASK and am always moved by how the Read more »

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