The Mack Podcast The Archetypical Journey of UHNW Families: Complexity, Cohorts & the Federated Family Office
Jan 14, 2026
Peter Moustakarski, CEO of Family Office Exchange and 25+ year strategist in wealth and family enterprise design. He traces the 100–150 year family arc and stages from founder-led firms to multi-generational enterprises. He unpacks complexity frameworks, a 42-factor diagnostic, and the emerging federated family office model for shared infrastructure and expertise.
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Archetypal Family Life Cycle
- Families follow an archetypical life cycle with predictable stages from business ownership to new cycles of enterprise creation.
- Segmenting families by life-stage yields clearer guidance than assets-under-management or office size.
Three Family Trajectories
- Families commonly evolve into three broad types: business-owning, financial-investor, or enterprise families.
- Each type demands different family office forms, governance, technology, and resourcing choices.
Plan The Transition Early
- Use conversations with peers and retrospective cases to spot which branch your family is entering.
- Invest time and money now to plan ahead so you have options when the family faces liquidity or generational change.