Category: Family CFO
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How I Resist My Investing Urges
Recognizing our behavioural biases is one of the most powerful ways investors can improve their long-term results. However, this is often easier said than done. Each investor is a different person, a real human being with personal emotions. Some struggle with fear during market downturns, others with overconfidence during bull markets. Even experienced investors (and
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The Truth about Financial Advisor Incentives
Most families assume that financial advice is embedded in the services they receive. They see reporting, transactions, implementation, and assume that judgment is included in the fee. The industry’s compensation structure often tells a different story. And even for firms like ours, who deliberately avoid charging a percentage of assets, the incentives are more complex
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Paper Money vs Real Wealth
High income can be deceptive. It creates the appearance of abundance, stability, even financial success. But income alone is not wealth, and confusing the two can quietly undermine families for decades. And, create blind spots for the next generation, which may put their own financial future at risk. High Income Is Not the Same as
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Home Bias and Global Investing: Global vs. International Equities Explained
When investors talk about diversification, the terms global equities and international equities are often used carelessly. They are not the same thing. For Canadian and U.S. investors, understanding the distinction can materially improve clarity, discipline, and long-term results. What is the difference between global equities and international equities? And, why does it matter? Global Equities
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Good Intentions Aren’t Enough: Governance in Family Foundations
Most family foundations are created with generosity and good intentions. Over time, however, many discover that their biggest challenges have little to do with investment returns or grant performance. Instead, the friction comes from a more basic question: who actually runs the foundation? When governance is unclear, even well-funded and well-advised foundations can struggle to
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DAF, Private Foundation, or Both?
Many strategic philanthropists ask a simple question as they progress their charitable journey: Should we use a donor-advised fund or a private foundation? Over time, however, philanthropists with growing complexity often discover that the better question is not which vehicle, but how to use the charitable tools in their toolbox effectively. DAF or Private Foundation,
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Stepping Into Family Wealth Stewardship: Next-Gen Challenges
Stepping into the role of “point person” for your family’s wealth and investments is both an honour and a burden. It can feel exciting and purposeful but also heavy and awkward. Many next-gen investors don’t plan to make this their full-time job, yet they still want to protect their family legacy, create alignment, and ensure
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Three Ways to Get Unbiased Financial Planning Advice Before Selling Your Business
When someone is preparing to sell a business, financial complexity tends to spike all at once. A future liquidity event collides with legacy obligations from a prior divorce, questions about lifestyle and cash flow, the need to update an estate plan, high stakes investment decisions, and a big tax bill. At that moment, the most
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What Canada’s 2025 MFO Survey Really Reveals About “Family Offices”
The newly released Canadian Family Offices Multi-Family Office Landscape 2025 report provides a clear view into what Canadian Multi-Family Offices (“MFOs”) actually look like; who they serve, how they charge, and how they operate. But beneath the numbers lies a deeper story about what is and is not a true family office. Two findings stand
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Would You Rather Build a Complex Tech System or Simply Hire Another Admin?
As family offices grow, the volume of data grows with them. More accounts, more private assets, more custodians, and more reporting requirements. At some point, every wealth-holder or family office faces a pivotal question: Would you rather embark on an overwhelming new tech project with a long onboarding process that nobody on your team is