FOXcast

Today, I’m excited to speak with Jennifer Laurence, Founder and President of Luxury Lifestyle Logistics, a luxury home management and hospitality consulting firm. Jennifer has 25 years of expertise in luxury hospitality and private estate management and is a certified Butler, a trained Protocol Officer, holds a Wine Sommelier certificate, and is currently writing her doctoral research study on estate management communication. Through her consultancy, Jennifer specializes in service assessments, staff training, and operational strategy, ensuring estates function with seamless precision. We delve into the world of luxury estate management serving UHNW individuals and multigenerational families, and Jennifer provides an overview of the estate management sector and gives our listeners a sense of the scope of client needs and operational services that are common in this space. One unique aspect of the estate management space is that the asset being managed also happens to be the home of the UHNW family clients. Jennifer talks about some of the common challenges and best practices in luxury estate management today. We go over some of the practical tips Jennifer has for UHNW families and their family offices when it comes to managing their residential estates or considering the services of a professional estate manager. She also shares her insights on how families can protect against the risks that come with having a professionally managed luxury residence and describes how they can guard the family members’ privacy, safety, and personal space, while enjoying the benefits of professional estate management. Enjoy this informative conversation with one of the foremost thought leaders and practitioners in the UHNW luxury estate management space.

Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Volker Then, an independent Senior Impact Analyst who is launching a start-up company on Comprehensive Impact Measurement together with a coalition of impact partners. From 2022 to 2024, Volker was Founding Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Executive Board of Fondazione AIS (Advancing Impact and Sustainability) in Bologna. Earlier in his career, Volker was Executive Director of the Centre for Social Investment at Heidelberg University for 15 years and also served as Director Philanthropy and Foundations at the Bertelsmann Foundation. He is a former member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the OECD’s Global Action “Social and Solidarity Economy” and served on the National Advisory Board of the G7-Social Impact Investment Task Force. Impact is a big word nowadays – maybe even a buzzword – and people in our space are using it broadly and frequently. But it’s not clear that everyone has a clear shared definition of the term. Volker provides his definition of “impact”, especially as it relates to enterprise families and the objectives they set for themselves with regard to fulfilling the purpose of their wealth and their family capital. One of the greatest challenges, and opportunities, in the world of impact is the measurement of the effectiveness and outcomes of impact initiatives. Volker talks about the latest thinking and work that is being done in this area, especially the thought leadership and development he has been spearheading in his prior role at Fondazione AIS and now in his current venture. Volker offers his tips and suggestions for enterprise families who are just starting or are early in their impact journey, focusing on what he recommends they do to get better educated and equipped to realize their impact ambitions. He then turns to enterprise families who are more advanced and have a developed impact framework and strategy, sharing his advice on what they can do to further the reach and consequence of their impact programs and strategies. Don’t miss this enlightening conversation with one of the foremost thought leaders in the realm of impact definition and measurement.

Today, I am delighted to welcome Chris Koenemann, a family advisor and coach specializing in spiritual coaching and accompaniment. Chris served as Prior and Cellarer of a monastery of 20+ monks that owned and operated a school and operated a parish, and prior to that Chris was a Catholic monk for seventeen years, including five years in Rome, and as a Catholic priest. He studied organizational design and worked in that field with PwC Consulting and IBM. Of all the 5 capitals Jay Hughes defined, spiritual capital is probably still the least frequently discussed in our field. In this conversation, we focus entirely on this important and oft-neglected form of family capital. We start with a definition of define spiritual capital and how you Chris sees the importance of spirituality in today’s modern, technology-driven world. Chris describes the reality today in the wealth management space, including how well spirituality is understood, appreciated, and incorporated in the work enterprise families undertake to manage their family capital holistically. He also talks about how well family advisors understand and engage in this field. Chris has created a framework he calls “8 Conversations” for families to co-create a culture that sticks. He tells us about this framework, defining the 8 Conversations and showcasing how to apply them to help families in transition. Helping families understand and develop their unique culture is at the heart of Chris’s work. He points to Harrison’s model of culture as a useful tool to achieve these objectives. He also shares his insights about the model and how he applies it with families. Please enjoy this enlightening conversation with an expert and practitioner who spans both the technical and spiritual dimensions of building a strong family culture that lasts across generations.

In this discussion, Bruce Benesh, Managing Principal at Benesh Consulting Group, shares his extensive expertise in executive compensation for family offices. He highlights current trends and challenges in designing effective compensation packages for top talent. Bruce emphasizes the importance of aligning incentives with family values and long-term goals. He also outlines best practices and the significance of governance in compensation structures, offering invaluable insights for improving family office operations and employee retention.

Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Betsy Erickson & Joseph Brooks, Co-Heads of Family and Individual Services at Arabella Advisors, a leading philanthropy services firm supporting individual, family, institutional, and corporate donors worldwide. Prior to joining Arabella, Betsy worked for eight years in the nonprofit sector with groups focused on cancer research. She provided independent consulting services to national and regional nonprofit organizations such as CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Prior to joining Arabella, Joseph led the philanthropic advising team at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and was a fundraising strategist for Marquette University and the country’s largest HIV/AIDS service organization. Betsy and Joseph, and their firm Arabella, are valued Advisor members of FOX, and we are privileged to have their knowledge and expertise in our membership community. The role of philanthropy within enterprise families is evolving – in some cases, philanthropy becoming the primary activity of the family enterprise. Betsy and Joseph talk about what is happening today in the world of family philanthropy and highlight the latest trends that have been shaping the space over the recent years. These trends are inevitably affecting the role and design of the family office. Betsy and Joseph explain how family offices are transforming to respond to the importance of philanthropy and how they should be redesigned to support the family’s evolving needs and activities. Arabella Advisors has put forth a body of thought leadership on the barriers to philanthropy that constrain enterprise families. Betsy and Joseph provide an overview of the most common barriers families face and how they can practically overcome them. Philanthropy is often one of the most common activities families undertake together after they have evolved beyond being fully focused on their business – and as a result, it often is the training ground for other joint activities by the family. Betsy and Joseph share their views on the role of philanthropy in helping families work together and its broader practical implications on fostering lasting collaboration and unity among family members. Don’t miss this highly informative conversation with two of the leading experts and advisors in the realm of family giving and philanthropy.

Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Cassandra Levene, Managing Director of Alpine Homes and Co-Founder of Swiss Homes. Cassandra is a multilingual real estate expert specializing in luxury Alpine properties. She took over her family business five years ago, bringing innovative leadership to Alpine Homes. Her firm offers concierge-style services to UHNWI clients and family offices around the globe, helping them invest in Swiss real estate—particularly in the iconic Swiss Alps. The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on demand for secondary residences outside of the major global metropolitan areas, and Alpine homes in Switzerland were no exception. Cassandra talks about how the market for second homes in the Swiss Alps has developed and evolved over the recent decades and since the pandemic. Beyond just secondary or vacation homes, Switzerland is also becoming a choice destination for many wealth families who are relocating either their primary residence or family office to the country. Cassandra highlights the factors that are driving this increased interest and causing Switzerland to be such an attractive destination for wealthy individuals and enterprise families. Cassandra offers practical tips and suggestions for families who are looking to invest in Alpine vacation homes or even considering a primary residence in Switzerland. She also describes some of the risks families should beware and local peculiarities to watch out for when exploring an investment in primary or secondary homes in the Alps and elsewhere in Switzerland. Please enjoy this highly informative conversation with a uniquely positioned expert in the fast-evolving market for Swiss Alpine homes.

Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Kasia Flanagan, founder of Everyday Legacies, a boutique personal history firm. Kasia and her team help high-net-worth families capture the experiences, values, and wisdom that define their legacies. Through bespoke memoirs, family story books, and legacy films, they help clients create lasting qualitative assets that complement their financial wealth and preserve their true legacies. Kasia is an award-nominated historian, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker specializing in legacy preservation for exceptional individuals and families. Kasia and her firm, Everyday Legacies, are a Specialist Advisor member of FOX, and we are happy to have her expertise and thought leadership within our membership community. Kasia’s mission is to help families preserve and grow their qualitative wealth, primarily through the power of storytelling, and she talks about why the family story is possibly its most powerful capital and how shared stories strengthen and enrich the family and its individual members. Kasia describes the prevailing practices today among families who are looking to pass down their shared stories and legacies, highlighting the best practices and areas where there is room for improvement – where families could do better with this important dimension of their accumulated wealth. Kasia and her firm have formulated a clever and compelling tagline: “Preserve your values, not just your valuables.” She shares her view on how families can and should be doing that and lists many of the practical tools and mechanisms she recommends to families, family offices, and their outside advisors. Kasia also speaks to the families who are not yet ready to work with a specialized advisor, such as Everyday Legacies, and offers a broad array of DIY tools and readily accessible resources they can rely on. Please enjoy this highly instructive conversation with one of the leading practitioners in the family history and values preservation space.

Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Kevin Quinn, founder and president of Legacy Counsellors, an estate and business planning law firm serving successful individuals and families throughout New England. Kevin is a former Fellow of the Esperti-Peterson Institute and a member of the WealthCounsel, LLC, and a former member of the National Council on Planned Giving and the Connecticut Planned Giving Group. He is a co-founder of the Wealth Legacy Development Project, an organization dedicated to helping non-profit organizations develop planned giving programs. Kevin is the founder and an instructor of the Wealth Strategies Institute, a professional education institute that provides continuing education to certified public accountants, certified financial planners, attorneys, development officers, and insurance professionals. Kevin focuses his practice and work with families on the goal of “maximizing the utility of everyone in the family”. He talks about the meaning of this objective and how he approaches it in practice with UHNW families. Kevin describes the outcome of his work with families often being that they together identify underutilized resources and capital within the family and redeploy those in a timely, effective, and collectively fulfilling ways. He describes how this happens, where this pent-up energy is usually hidden within families, and how they can unlock it. Kevin created an intergenerational family wealth program, which he named “My Family My Wealth” that helps families structure a process to collectively talk about and share their abundance. He walks us through this program and highlights how it creates value for enterprise families. Another practical resource Kevin has formulated and recommends to families is the “Top 5 Ways to Use Your Family Wealth to Help Your Family Flourish”. He shares with our audience this framework and its components, and highlights how families can benefit from it. Enjoy this informative conversation with a successful practitioner in the UHNW family wealth space.

Today, I’m excited to speak with Michael Liebeskind, founder and principal at Golconda Partners, an independent firm that serves as a guide and service platform for ultra-affluent clients who are seeking to effectively navigate the sophisticated and financially powerful applications of life insurance and annuity investment account policies. Michael started his career with the accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand and today is the founder of several operating businesses in the financial services space. He is a member of the New York State Society of CPAs, the Estate Planning Council of New York City, The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), and the Yale Insurance Study Group. Michael and his firm Golconda Partners are valued advisor members of FOX, and we are very fortunate to have their knowledge and expertise as part of our membership community. In today’s conversation, we focus on the topic of private placement live insurance (or PPLI) and the many ways enterprise families and their family offices can deploy this versatile tool. Michael starts us off with the basics, providing an overview of how PPLI works and why wealthy families should consider exploring PPLI policies. There are multiple ways PPLI can create value for wealthy families, and Michael goes over the different use cases and strategies families and family offices can pursue to deploy PPLI, either as a traditional life insurance product or as a vehicle to optimize returns, wealth transfers, or income. Michael offers some practical tips for UHNW families, family office professionals, and external family wealth advisors for how to best leverage PPLI policies. He then covers the common cautionary tales and watchouts, describing what could go wrong and sharing his insights on the what families and their advisors should beware when utilizing PPLI policies for the different risk management and tax optimization use cases they can serve. Don’t miss this highly instructive conversation with one of the best recognized PPLI experts and insurance entrepreneurs in the UHNW space.

Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with David Yeager, professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and cofounder of the Texas Behavioral Science and Policy Institute. David is best known for his research conducted with Carol Dweck, Angela Duckworth, and Greg Walton on short but powerful interventions that influence adolescent behaviors such as motivation, engagement, healthy eating, bullying, stress, mental health, and more. David recently published his latest book “10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation―And Making Your Own Life Easier” which quickly became a national bestseller. Here’s a universal truth: Parents and leaders alike constantly worry about their next generation – are they ready, are they responsible, will they be able to make it on their own, etc. It’s a tale as old as time. David shares his views and research on what is going on there and why that dynamic is so universally present across time, cultures, and socio-economic contexts. This dynamic repeats itself again and again, and so many parents and leaders fall into this trap repeatedly. But is there a solution? Is there a better way to interact with and motivate young people, and if so, what is it? David illuminates these questions from the perspective of his life’s work and his most recent research. One critical and powerful practical tool David talks about in his book is language and communication style. David shares his observations on the importance of language and how parents and leaders can communicate more effectively with the younger generation. An important practical topic David emphasizes to parents and leaders is the very real and notable rise in stress and anxiety among young people. He provides his insights into what both next-gen members and the older generation and those in positions of power should know and be doing to manage and alleviate this rising and damaging trend. Enjoy this informative conversation with a leading researcher, adviser and best-selling author in the field of next-gen engagement and motivation.