FOXcast

Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Roy Moëd, Co-Founder of LifeBook Memoirs, a company dedicated to helping parents and grandparents preserve their life stories in beautifully crafted, private autobiographies for their families. The inspiration for LifeBook Memoirs came from Roy’s own experience when he helped his ageing father rediscover a sense of purpose at a difficult time in his life. Since then, Roy and his company have created over 20,000 private memoirs for families in more than 40 countries. Prior to that, Roy co-founded Pourshins Limited in 1978, which grew into a global enterprise employing over 600 people in 4 countries around the world. Throughout his career, he has built businesses not just with commercial success in mind, but with a heartfelt desire to connect and impact people and families in ways that matter. Roy begins by explaining it is important for families to share their history with their children and future generations and for founders and family leaders to tell the story of their life and achievements in their own words. Nowadays, there are so many storytelling formats to choose from, yet in his business, Roy has adhered to a single traditional format – the autobiographical printed book. Roy talks about why the physical book is still the best medium for older generations to share their life story with their progeny. Many family leaders may feel overwhelmed by the notion of writing a book that captures the essence of their life’s journey and achievements. Roy offers his advice on how to get started on the journey of writing an autobiography that will speak to and be appreciated by future generations. Roy provides some practical resources that he recommends to families and family leaders who wish to consider embarking on a book-writing journey to memorialize the family’s origins, values, and stories. Enjoy this illuminating conversation with a veteran storyteller and publisher of limited-edition biographies exclusively serving enterprise family leaders and founders.

Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Amy Castoro, President and CEO of The Williams Group, where she leads a team dedicated to ensuring the smooth transfer of wealth across generations. Amy is a recognized expert in preparing high-net-worth families to successfully transition wealth while maintaining family unity and control over assets. She is also an accomplished author, keynote speaker, and senior family coach known for her direct yet compassionate approach, which fosters long-term relationships and delivers measurable results. Amy is the author of Bridging Generations—Transitioning Family Wealth and Values for a Sustainable Legacy. She is a long-time friend of FOX and has been a speaker at FOX events and council meetings. Amy has helped many UHNW families navigate intergenerational transitions, and she shares her experience on what are the hallmarks of a successful wealth transition and what role trust and communication play in achieving such successful transitions. Throughout her career, Amy has created a framework for how to build, repair, and manage trust in a family. She tells us about this framework and highlights how families can successfully leverage it. One practical tip Amy offers to many families is how to have challenging conversations and how to structure this often-uncomfortable process. She provides her recipe for success with necessary but difficult discussions within the family. Another practical tool Amy has developed is her “10 Questions Quiz” that she uses to help families strengthen relationships with each other and prepare for a smooth and successful intergenerational wealth transition. She describes the 10 questions and how she applies the quiz to help families succeed. Enjoy this insightful conversation with a leading advisor of UHNW families and practitioner in the field of family transitions and wealth transfer.

Today, it is my pleasure to welcome back to FOXcast Jeff Strese, a valued member of the FOX team. Jeff is a human capital expert and executive coach focused on family-owned business leaders and senior wealth advisors. He works with FOX as consultant to develop transformational leadership programs and support our councils with thought leadership on human capital, generational transitions, and family dynamics. Jeff also teaches in the Executive Education program at SMU’s COX School of Business based in Dallas, TX. One constant in our space is the fact that families – and their enterprises and family offices – are often in a state of transition and change. And change is not easy for anyone. Jeff talks about the most common and challenging types of change that families and family offices undergo. There are many theoretical and practical models for helping people and organizations go through change smoothly. Jeff has found that Janssen’s “Four Room Model” is particularly effective with families undergoing change. He describes this model, how it is constructed, and how families can apply it to manage the process and risks of change. We delve into the practical tips Jeff has for family leaders on how they can apply the Four Room Model to champion and lead smooth and successful change within their family and the extended enterprise. We then also turn to those who are on the receiving end of change and transformation – both family members and others within the family enterprise or family office. Jeff offers his suggestions to them on how best to engage with the process to ensure the best outcomes and experience. Do not miss this illuminating conversation with one of the leading human capital experts and practitioners in the family wealth and family office space.

Today, I’m excited to speak with Drew Mason and Christianna Mason. Drew is Managing Partner at St. Joseph Partners, a precious‑metals brokerage and wealth protection firm serving individuals, families, and family offices across the U.S. and internationally. He is a G2 principal of Andrew Mason Associates, a family business founded in 1979 as a strategic management consultancy and later pivoted to acquiring and building businesses, with three ultimately sold to private equity. Christianna is Drew’s daughter and a G3 member in their family office. She is a CPA who has advised Fortune 100 and private equity clients on global M&A from PwC’s New York office. Earlier in his career, Drew held positions at major Wall Street firms including Lehman Brothers, where he witnessed first-hand the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, an experience that triggered a personal and professional search for true financial safe havens in times of stress. This ultimately led to him founding St. Joseph Partners, and over the past fifteen years, the firm’s services have expanded to include: an online trading engine, secure domestic and international storage, private-label minting, audit and insurance facilitation and logistics. In this episode we focus our conversation on gold. Drew and Christianna share their views on what is so unique about gold as an alternative investment asset and why investors should be paying particular attention to gold right now. They also address the skeptics and risk managers out there, who may not be convinced, and explore what the worst-case scenario might look like for gold. Drew and Christianna delve into the options and intricacies associated with investing in physical gold vs. financial instruments that emulate the performance of gold. And for those who are worried they may have missed the gold rally and are wondering whether it’s too late to get in now, they provide a perspective on where their think gold is headed from here. Enjoy this instructive conversation with two of the leading experts on multigenerational families investing in gold and precious metals.

Today, it is my absolute pleasure to speak with Amy Hart Clyne, Chief Knowledge & Learning Officer at Pitcairn. Amy is responsible for Pitcairn’s Family Engagement Services function and leads the firm’s thought leadership and learning initiatives. Before joining Pitcairn, Amy served as Executive Director and Chief Knowledge Officer at FOX, and led our knowledge, learning, and education strategies serving our community of families and multi-disciplinary advisors. Amy is the co-author of the book Finding Her Voice & Creating a Legacy: Portraits of Pioneering Women Leading Wealthy Families – an exploration that draws from intimate, in-depth conversations with over 40 women of wealth about how they came to wealth, their role in the family, and the obstacles they overcame. Amy holds a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation and an Advanced Family Business certification (ACFBA) from the Family Firm Institute where she is also an FFI Fellow. She, and her firm Pitcairn, are valued wealth advisor members of FOX and we are thrilled to have their expertise as part of the FOX membership community. Finally, Amy is a former member of the FOX team, and I am thrilled to welcome such a distinguished FOX alumna to FOXCast. Amy’s book, Finding Her Voice is a groundbreaking book and, in my view, required reading in the family wealth space. Amy shares with our audience the story of the book, including what motivated her to write it and what methodology she used for gathering the insights and stories captured in the book. Having captured the fascinating and unique stories of these 40 women, Amy talks about the main revelations and learnings that she took away from her research and that she is passing on to the readers of the book. We then talk about the more practical outcomes of Amy’s research and the applied learnings for female wealth owners, starting with some practical tips and suggestions for the women who are founders or wealth-creators and built their wealth from scratch. Next, we discuss the advice and suggestions Amy would offer to female inheritors – those who are the recipients of generational wealth being passed on to them. This is a must-hear conversation with one of the pioneers of family wealth learning and education, and a groundbreaking researcher, writer, and thought leader in the field of women in wealth.

Join Amy Wirtz, a seasoned Senior Consultant with the Family Business Consulting Group, as she dives deep into the world of generation-skipping trusts. With her extensive background in law and mediation, Amy explores the nuances of these powerful estate planning tools. She outlines their tax benefits and complexities, emphasizing long-term family dynamics. Practical tips on trustee selection and effective trust management provide invaluable guidance for families. Discover the vital role of family enterprises in economic and social stability.

Today, I am pleased to welcome Bob Weinhold, Partner at Velocity Advisory Group, an advisory firm helping clients accelerate organizational success through leadership development, executive coaching, cultural alignment, and strategic execution. Bob oversees the firm’s Family Business Advisory and Executive Coaching practices. He began his career in healthcare working with executives in 1996 and later that year was fortunate to support the Atlanta Olympic Games with his individual and team performance enhancement experience. Bob supports the development of next generation leaders to prepare for succession and help senior family members transition responsibilities while mitigating risk. In his work with families, Bob talks about the concept of “mental scripts” that family members have in their heads that, while helpful in some cases, can also get in the way of successful transitions, communications, and relationships within family enterprises. He elaborates on this concept and gives some examples of how these mental scripts form and manifest themselves within families of wealth. One common challenge related to the “mental scripts” topic is the “fear of screwing up” mentality that so often guides and derails progress among enterprise families and their members. Bob explains why this “Don’t Mess It Up!” attitude is so pervasive both among older generations looking to transition control and their next-gen descendants who are looking to step into leadership. He also offers some insights into what families can do to avoid or navigate this common pitfall. One practical tip Bob offers is for family members to really mind their language – to study the phrases they use in their conversations. Bob delves into why language is so important and unpacks what family leaders and members can do to make sure how they speak to each other helps them grow and succeed rather than derail or hold them back. Another practical tool Bob uses and recommends is “the list”, which often older generations have in their mind before they can be comfortable transitioning power and control. He talks about this mental list – what’s often on it, how to deal with it, and how rising-gen members can manage toward and around this list. Enjoy this instructive conversation with a prominent and experienced thought leader and practitioner in the field of intergenerational transitions and succession within UHNW families.

Today, I’m excited to speak with Van Carlson, Founder & CEO of SRA 831(b) Admin, a specialized risk management solutions company. Van has over 25 years of experience within the risk management industry. Prior to founding SRA, Van ran his own property and casualty firm for 15 years and was awarded Presidents Council’s and other top-performing achievements during his tenure as a P&C Agent. In 2008, he saw the Great Recession hit his commercial business clients hard, and just like them, he was also affected by the sharp economic downturn. Out of that challenging experience, he emerged committed to developing better ways to manage risk and improve business operations for his clients, and consequently founded SRA 831(b) Admin to pursue this mission. In this episode, we delve into the topic of micro-captive insurance plans, or 831(b) plans, and the ways family businesses and family offices can deploy this specialized tool to manage a range of risks. Van covers the fundamentals, offering our audience an overview of how 831(b) plans work and why wealth owners and family enterprises should consider deploying this innovative risk management tool. There are many ways 831(b) plans can create value for families and their enterprises. Van describes the most common use cases families and family offices can address by deploying 831(b) plans and shares some examples of the different unfunded liabilities this tool can help address. One very practical and helpful tool Van developed is the 831B.com website. He talks about the resources that are available on the website and how families and family office teams can utilize this public resource. The 831(b) solutions have many positive applications, but as is the case with everything in life, there are also downsides to consider. Van covers the potential risks associated with 831(b) plans and shares his tips on how our listeners can avoid or mitigate these risks. Please enjoy this insightful conversation with a pioneer and thought leader in the technical field of micro-captive insurance plans.

Today, I’m excited to speak with Brad Mindich, CEO and Founder of Inveniem, the leading archiving & fan engagement company that works directly with artists, estates, athletes, brands, and individual celebrities on finding, organizing, preserving, and monetizing their artifacts and history. Brad also founded Agent Phoenix, a brand realignment and creative consulting agency, which works with companies to improve and enhance their relationships with their target audiences. Brads businesses have served such iconic artists as Coldplay, Metallica, Norah Jones, Jeff Bridges, Questlove, and Elvis Costello, to name just a few. Prior to founding Inveniem and Agent Phoenix, Brad was President of the Phoenix Media/Communications Group, a multi-media organization, and is a veteran of several media and technology start-ups in the US and UK. Brad talks about the world of iconic creators – artists, actors, athletes, and other creative personages – and provides an overview of this exclusive niche and how he and other experts serve these VIP UHNW clients, especially helping them preserve and manage their intellectual property, intangible assets, and unique artifacts. The knowledge, tools, and processes Brad and his firm have developed and apply are not limited to just in this creative niche of the market. Brad describes how families of wealth can also leverage this approach and solutions to preserve and pass down their artifacts, heirlooms, and collections – but also their legacy and values more broadly. Brad goes over the practical steps of how families and UHNW clients can get started on this journey of understanding, managing, and making the most out of their creative assets and intellectual property. He delves into one of the most common roadblocks for many families and clients – how to first organize all the artifacts and creative assets they have so they can know what is there, what exists, and then follow the robust process to begin to manage these collections of unique, alternative assets. Enjoy this informative conversation with the leading service provider in this exclusive niche of the UHNW wealth management landscape.

Mark Tepsich, Executive Director at UBS Private Wealth Management, shares his expertise on closely held family office groups. He discusses the growing trend of firms creating in-house family office teams to provide tailored wealth management solutions. Mark delves into the rationale behind these structures, emphasizing their role in effective governance and decision-making. He also reflects on his journey from general counsel in a family office to a design specialist, highlighting the importance of collaboration and trust among advisors in the wealth management landscape.