Serious Coin

A former business colleague of mine used to say that “Money doesn’t simplify your life, it complicates it.”  My guest today is someone who has made it his mission to help the ultra-wealthy manage their complex and hectic lifestyles. He is Mario Seiler, managing partner at Modern Butler, an estate and lifestyle management company based in Los Angeles.  His company, co-owned with partner, Robert Gertz, provides a range of services from property and household systems management to project and lifestyle management, and more – all of the essential services to allow their clients to focus on their business and personal endeavours.  In conversation with Mario, I got a super dishy glimpse into the lifestyles of LA’s super rich – including the most outrageous request he’s ever received!  He also provided some very practical advice about how to better manage your household staff, the benefits of branding an estate property and what you can do  if you have have means and want to live a more streamlined, less stressful life.  You can follow Mario on TikTok or visit the Modern Butler website https://modernbutlerla.com Serious Coin is hosted by Kelly Willis Green. Having spent a career working in wealth management as a marketing executive and having come into affluence through marriage, she brings both a personal and professional perspective on wealth. Visit our website and stream episodes here:  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/serious-coin/episodes/Introducing-Serious-Coin-e1c8rmu

Today’s episode is an inspiring story about one woman’s struggles and triumph over adversity. My guest today is Lydia Knorr, health and wellness educator, motivational speaker, mom to three adult daughters and a role model for what it means to live in alignment with your deepest values.  It was not always so. Over a decade ago, Lydia’s life came to a screeching halt when she was widowed without warning in her early 40s and was left to pick up the pieces of her family -- and their financial affairs. Eighteen months later, she would face a life-threatening diagnosis of her own. Through it all, Lydia had a coping mechanism that she hid from the world – one that left her “steady by day, unsteady by night.”  In conversation with me, Lydia openly discusses her struggles, how she overcome them and why she now says her husband’s death led to her own awakening. I first met Lydia shortly after the death of her husband. I too had been newly widowed and we were introduced by our wealth manager.  We bonded over our loss – along with a mutual desire to use the experience for good in our lives and others. In this episode, Lydia and I reflect back on that tender time in both our lives, discussing the financial realities of losing a spouse mid-career, the lifestyle adjustments Lydia decided to make, and what she wishes she had done differently financially.  This episode is a must listen for anyone thinking about their own relationships and their own mortality – and for all of us who now and then need a little inspiration in their day. You can learn more about Lydia Knorr’s journey through her TedEx talks and her website https://lydiaknorr.com/ Serious Coin is hosted by Kelly Willis Green. Having spent a career working in wealth management as a marketing executive and having come into affluence through marriage, she brings both a personal and professional perspective on wealth. Visit our website and stream episodes here:  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/serious-coin/episodes/Introducing-Serious-Coin-e1c8rmu

While many high-net-worth individuals opt for more traditional asset classes, art has become an increasingly attractive investment option as a diversification strategy and store of value. In today’s episode, I talk to a globally renowned art investment expert about the often-overlooked benefits -- and risks -- of investing in fine art. My guest is Philip Hoffman, founder and CEO of The Fine Art Group, a global leader in art investment, finance, and art advisory services for 350 of the largest art collecting families in the world.. In this episode, Philip spoke to me from his office in London about the types of returns you should expect from art, the most common mistakes people make when investing in art, and he explains why 90% of the time he stops his clients from buying a particular work. He also regales me with stories from the field, from shippers mishandling valuable pieces to unwitting collectors buying fakes. Prior to founding The Fine Art Group, Philp spent more than a decade as an executive with Christie’s, the world-famous auction house, and brings his finance background as a chartered accountant to help his collector clients make smarter investment decisions in the art world.  Philip and his art advisory team were recently named number two on the Financial Times ’Who’s Who in Art Advisor list of global power players that significant collectors should keep their eye on. To find out more about The Fine Art Group and Philip’s work, visit https://www.fineartgroup.com/team/philip-hoffman/ Serious Coin is hosted by Kelly Willis Green. Having spent a career working in wealth management as a marketing executive and having come into affluence through marriage, she brings both a personal and professional perspective on wealth. Visit our website and stream episodes here:  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/serious-coin/episodes/Introducing-Serious-Coin-e1c8rmu

Imagine what it must be like to watch your family dynasty crumble before your eyes. My guest is Frances Stroh, fifth-generation member of the Stroh brewery dynasty and award-winning author of: Beer Money: A Memoir of Privilege and Loss.  By the mid-1980s, Frances’s family, having founded Detroit’s Stroh Brewing Company in the 1850s, held the largest private beer fortune in America. But a little over a decade later, that $9 billion dynasty had collapsed. In this episode, Frances reflects on the problems that led to the value destruction and tells a cautionary tale for enterprising families everywhere about entitlement and the vagaries of fortune. Frances and I also discuss the conflicting messages she received growing up from parents who had extremely different money habits – a frugal mother and a spendy father – and what led her to cultivate a more balanced relationship with money and forge her own path apart from her illustrious family. Today, Frances is an advisor to families with generational wealth, coaching them on how to best implement thoughtful succession plans and set up future generations for success. In our conversation, she urges inheritors to consider the importance of carving out your own identity and she warns against the dangers of overidentification with a family brand. To find out more about Frances’ story growing up in the Stroh family, you can read her 2016 book Beer Money: A Memoir of Privilege and Loss. To contact Frances about her advisory services, visit www.francesstroh.com Serious Coin is hosted by Kelly Willis Green. Having spent a career working in wealth management as a marketing executive and having come into affluence through marriage, she brings both a personal and professional perspective on wealth. Visit our website and stream episodes here:  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/serious-coin/episodes/Introducing-Serious-Coin-e1c8rmu

Where do you vacation when money is no object? When the only limitation is your imagination – and you have a trip planner to take care of even that. Today’s episode provides a rare glimpse into ultra-luxury vacations with Cari Gray, Founder and CEO of Gray & Co, a company that designs totally exclusive, uniquely-custom, active trips for titans in tech, celebrities and some very private public figures. Cari and I spin the globe to uncover the hottest emerging destinations … the newest and best hotel openings around the world…and the mind-blowing bucket list experiences that earn bragging rights among even the most been-everywhere, done-everything travelers -- from sleeping on the ice in Antarctica to driving motorcycles through the Medina of Marrakesh.  Cari also shares her founder’s story; her pivot from lawyer to travel specialist; what led her to start an ultra-high-end travel company at the height of the Great Recession and which American billionaire businessman she credits as an early mentor. You'll find Cari's ideas and suggestions inspiring. Serious Coin host, Kelly Willis Green brings a personal and professional perspective on wealth -- having spent two decades working in wealth management as a marketing executive and as someone who came into affluence through marriage.

Self-made multi-millionaire Derek Bullen discusses the purpose of wealth and managing family wealth responsibly. He shares his epic founder's story and insights on preparing children for wealth. The podcast also explores the challenges and growth in entrepreneurship, lessons in family wealth management, the importance of taking breaks for business success, challenges of wealth preservation, and impacting communities through wealth.

The Rockefellers, like many of the oldest, wealthiest families in the world, give away a lot of money.  But whether it’s starting a foundation or donating to the arts or supporting climate change initiatives, philanthropy isn’t as simple as just writing a cheque. And as someone whose come into his money more recently, even Elon Musk has admitted that philanthropy is a challenge for anyone who is more concerned about achieving outcomes than the mere optics of doing good. So how can we do good, better? How do we achieve greater impact and gain more satisfaction from our charitable giving? My guest, Danielle Oristian York has some answers.  She is President & Executive Director of 21/64, a New York-based not-for-profit organization that helps the world’s wealthiest families find their philanthropic footing; these are people who give away millions of dollars year, and some, hundreds of millions. Danielle she says there’s a lot we can learn from these families, regardless of your current level of giving. In this episode, Danielle offers a Masterclass in how to discover your own philanthropic identity – and how to get your family members on board with you. If you’ve ever wanted to get more focused in your philanthropic giving, to move beyond cheque-writing and charity balls, you’ll want to listen to our conversation. Serious Coin host, Kelly Willis Green brings a personal and professional perspective on wealth -- having spent two decades working in wealth management as a marketing executive and as someone who came into affluence through marriage.

Could the security cameras that guard your home increase your vulnerability to a cyber-attack? Why are high-net-worth individuals more at risk of being hacked than the average person? What can you do to protect yourself even if -- especially if -- you are not technically savvy? In this episode, we’re talking Cyber-Security with Chris Walker, Senior Manager of the Forensic Technology Practice at KPMG. When my husband and I decided to be proactive about understanding our own online risks and security gaps, we turned to Chris and his team to conduct a cyber-health check-up. In this episode, I share what we learned, and Chris gives us a lesson in being cyber-smart. He talks about the most common attacks and how they occur, the little-known risks of everyday household devices along with some surprisingly simple fixes to keep you safe.  Spoiler alert: the most important security controls aren’t technical but behavioural!

Family Offices are increasingly becoming the wealth management vehicle of choice for the wealthy – with a third of ultra-high-net-worth families reportedly using one. Still, they remain something of an enigma for many people. My guest in this episode is Carolyn Cole of Cole and Associates, one of North America's leading experts on the subject. She designs custom Family Offices for ultra-high-net-worth families.  Carolyn and I do a deep dive into Family Offices: What are they? Who’s using them and why? How do you know if you need one? We’ll give you some thoughts to consider if you’re hiring a third-party Family Office or setting one up yourself. We also discuss why some Family Offices succeed and some fail. Carolyn is warm, generous in sharing her knowledge and super interesting. She comes to this work authentically. She has more than two decades of experience advising enterprising families. She also has the personal experience of marrying into wealth and, as a young mother, attending family office meetings, diaper bag in tow as she learned first-hand the complexities that families experience when managing an enterprise.  

Why does new money so often strain old friendships? Research shows 39% of wealthy people have let a friendship with someone of lesser financial means fade because their lifestyles became incompatible. Today my guest is psychotherapist to the mega-rich, Clay Cockrell who helps us navigate the sometimes-awkward interactions and options when there’s wealth disparity between friends. We go deep into questions like: If I am generous with my friends, will this create dependence? Envy?  Or embarrassment? How should I handle requests for money? And are the new people who are coming into my life there for the right reasons? As economic and financial conditions worsen around the world, honesty and sensitivity are needed more than ever and Clay gives us some ideas about how to broach the subject with our closest friends and family members. An expert in the subject, Clay is founder of Walk and Talk Therapy in New York City serving a clientele of multi-millionaires and billionaires, many of whom are new to wealth themselves.  Clay is a frequent media spokesperson on the subject of mental health and wealth. He’s been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The Times of UK, The New York Times and Good Morning America.