Is it because we are paranoid, insecure, embarrassed, or awkward? Or is it that we don’t want to be judged or thought of as offensive or ostentatious? Perhaps our family values and traditions have made wealth a subject to be discussed behind closed doors. Or maybe we just like a little privacy regarding our personal […]

It feels like the right time of year to sit back and reflect on what’s been happening, and what’s to come. When I am trusted to take care of administration on behalf of another person or family, I never take it for granted and it’s something I hold in great esteem. I’m feeling very privileged […]

The suite of professionals, or what Bruce likes to call them, The Circle of Wagons. The Circle of Wagons Definition: to gather a group of people together to protect them from being attacked. Back in the day of wagons, animals and Indians, they moved wagons during the day in single file. When night approached, they […]

What do we value most in life?  The freedom to choose. Naturally, our children value this as well.  So why do we sometimes impose tasks and responsibilities onto them that we assume they want, assume they are skilled to do and potentially trap them into a life without choice? I call this pigeonholing. To “pigeonhole” […]

You’ve spent a lifetime building your wealth and carving out a piece of the world to call your own. Now, as you look to the future, you’re probably considering how best to ensure that your hard-earned legacy lands safely in your children’s hands. Amid concerns about inheritance possibly ending up in the wrong hands due […]

There exists a group of individuals who hold immense significance. They are trusted advisors, the circle of wagons or professionals that we choose to do business with and trust with our wealth and sometimes even safeguard our well-being. As the saying goes, “You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family”. We can’t […]

When it comes to selling your business or preparing for retirement, it’s simple – we just need to separate business and personal interests. Yeah right! I know from experience that it isn’t simple, and it can be an overwhelming experience when you are stuck in the middle of it and/or trying to do it alone. […]

Imagine being able to centralise the management of investments, accounts, and assets and get a comprehensive view of a family’s financial situation. Or minimising tax liabilities and optimising tax strategies to preserve wealth across generations. There are many more reasons why a Family Office support service exists. The best way to describe Family Office, is […]

When you have decided on where you and your family want to direct the wealth you have created for impact and purpose, the next stage is to plan the investment strategy to make this a sustainable reality. The ‘base layer’ portfolio needs to take care of supporting family members’ needs and wants, the impact of […]

I have written this series of articles because wealth, its accumulation, and how it is deployed is important. New Zealand as a nation doesn’t respect wealth, nor does it celebrate the successes of wealth’s effective deployment. Wealth concentration is seen as a bad thing and NZ has one of the highest rates of wealth disparity […]