
Wealth of Wisdom
Welcome to the Wealth of Wisdom podcast with your hosts Tom McCullough and Keith Whitaker. This podcast is an audio companion to the book, ‘Wealth of Wisdom: The Top 50 Questions Wealthy Families Ask’ written by Tom and his co-author Keith Whitaker. The book features insights from more than 50 of the world’s top thinkers and practitioners in the family wealth field and each podcast episode features an interview with a different contributor to the book.
Latest episodes

Sep 12, 2023 • 36min
Investment Education for Family Members
In this episode, Tom McCullough and Jim Garland delve into the story of the Jeffrey family and their investment education seminars. The Jeffrey Company, a family-owned business, created a private mutual fund and conducted seminars to educate family members on their unique investment objectives. These seminars aimed to foster family cohesion and provided valuable insights into investment fundamentals, behavioral finance, taxes, and estate planning. Join us as we explore the importance of investment education for family members and its impact on family wealth preservation.

Aug 22, 2023 • 45min
Values that Matter
In this episode, Keith Whitaker talks with Sharna Goldseker and Danielle Oristian York about the importance of aligning values within family businesses, offices, and philanthropic endeavors. They introduce their Motivational Values Cards©, a powerful tool that helps individuals and families identify their deeply held values, engage in meaningful conversations, and make intentional decisions based on their values. This tool has proven effective in empowering individuals, transforming families, and guiding collective decision-making over the past 20 years.

28 snips
Aug 15, 2023 • 51min
Identifying Actionable Values for Family and Enterprise & Strengthening Your “Family Factor” to Deconstruct Conflict
In this episode, Tom McCullough talks with Blair Trippe and Doug Baumoel and delves into the "Family Factor" concept and how it can deconstruct conflicts within families. They explore the three components of the Family Factor: shared history, shared vision of being a family in the future, and trust. Listeners will gain insights into evaluating their own family factor and learn practical steps to build and strengthen it over time, fostering resilience and connectedness within their families.

Aug 8, 2023 • 47min
A Framework for Family Wealth and Well-Being
Welcome to the next edition of the Wealth of Wisdom podcast, with your hosts Tom McCullough and Keith Whitaker. This podcast is an audio companion to the book, 'Wealth of Wisdom: Top Practices for Wealthy Families and Their Advisors', where we focus on practical applications and how a family can use these tools, exercises, practices to learn, develop and thrive. In this episode, Keith Whitaker talks with Richard Franklin and Claudia Tordini about a transformative approach to family wealth and well-being. They propose a framework that integrates various domains of well-being, such as career, social, financial, physical, and community and emphasizes the importance of incremental progress and growth.

Aug 1, 2023 • 54min
Constructing an Investment Portfolio to Support Family Goals
In this episode, co-editor Tom McCullough interviews investment expert Jean Brunel to discuss the challenges individuals and families face when constructing an investment portfolio that aligns with their specific goals. They highlight the importance of considering multiple goals with different time horizons and stakeholders in mind and emphasize the need to factor in costs, such as taxes, when adjusting asset allocation. Through practical examples and statistical analysis, they guide listeners through the process of setting goals, identifying sub-portfolios for each goal, and combining them to develop an overall investment portfolio. Listeners will gain valuable insights into how to align their investment strategy with their family's financial aspirations and make informed decisions about portfolio construction.

Jul 18, 2023 • 42min
Monitoring Financial Capital with the “Four Horsemen” Graph
Welcome back to the Wealth of Wisdom podcast with your hosts Tom McCullough and Keith Whitaker. This podcast is an audio companion to the book, 'Wealth of Wisdom: Top Practices for Wealthy Families and Their Advisors', where we focus on practical applications and how a family can use these tools exercises, and practices to learn, to develop, and to make progress. In this episode, Scott Peppet, President of Chai Trust Company, introduces the "Four Horsemen" graph, a powerful tool for families to monitor their stewardship of financial capital. By condensing information on investment gains or losses, fees, taxes, spending, and inflation into a simple visual, the graph helps families assess whether they are preserving their purchasing power and effectively managing their wealth for future generations.

Jul 10, 2023 • 43min
Using Genograms to Understand Family Patterns
In this episode, co-editor Tom McCullough interviews Guillermo Salazar, a family business advisor, exploring the power of genograms as a tool for understanding family patterns. Genograms go beyond traditional family trees, using symbols to depict the dynamics and interactions among family members. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of genograms, uncovering hidden stories, identifying patterns, and discovering how they can help families navigate their legacies and create a brighter future.

Jul 4, 2023 • 37min
Using RACI to Determine Roles and Responsibilities in a Complex Multigenerational Family Enterprise
One of the most challenging aspects of managing financial wealth together as a family is making shared decisions. The family enterprise structure and system, which often includes the family office, family foundation, operating businesses, trusts, trust protectors, family council, close advisors, and other operating partners, can be fertile ground for confusion and duplication if not managed efficiently and with transparency. In this episode of the Wealth of Wisdom podcast series, co-editor Keith Whitaker interviews Kathryn McCarthy on the “RACI” (pronounced RAY-SEE) governance framework. RACI distinguishes among people who are Responsible, those who are Accountable, those who should be Consulted, and those who need to be Informed. They discuss how a family enterprise can keep track of these different categories for different stakeholders and make better decisions.

Jun 27, 2023 • 39min
Balancing Entitlement and Responsibility in Children’s Birthdays
In this episode of the Wealth of Wisdom podcast series, co-editor Keith Whitaker interviews Joline Godfrey. They discuss her chapter and the concept of "making kids happy" vs. "raising happy kids". She introduces the Birthday Eve tradition, which promotes maturity, self-sufficiency, and the balance between privilege and responsibility in children.

Jun 13, 2023 • 45min
Family Behavioral Health Wellness Assessment
In this podcast episode, Tom McCullough interviews Arden O'Connor, founder, and CEO of the O'Connor Professional Group. They discuss her chapter on the impact of mental health issues on families, addressing warning signs, family dynamics, protective behaviors, and crisis management. Arden emphasizes the potential for growth and recovery in this journey.