Are you the boss or the customer?
The inherent challenge of managing and living in your own home.
By Travis Dommert, The Lindquist Group

This article explores 10 issues often faced in passively-managed homes. As advisors to high net worth families on the efficient operation of their homes, we often encounter clients struggling to balance the need to manage their homes with the desire to enjoy living in them.  For some, a large home is simply another collection of complex assets, and a private staff is another group of employees.

Best Practices in Handling Terminations
By Travis Dommert, The Lindquist Group

Are you prepared for an employee departure? "We've decided to let you go," or "I quit" is just the beginning of the termination process, one that can be rocky and laden with risks if you are not adequately prepared.

The average domestic employee changes jobs every two years. While we are working closely with our clients to improve that statistic, most domestic employers will at some point have to deal with the termination of an employee. Even when it is expected, transitions can be difficult and create disruption in the operation of your home and life.  Here are 8 tips for making separations as smooth as possible.

Buyer Beware: Art and Collecting in a Global Economy
By James P. Kane, CIC, President of HUB International Personal Insurance
 
Fueled by the rapid expansion of global wealth, the market for fine art and collectibles continues to climb – along with prices. The recent explosion of interest in the art and collections market creates new threats and complex challenges. This paper provides an overview of the changing state of the global collections market, describes the emerging risks, and offers advice on what the savvy collector can do to manage and reduce these increased risks.

The Key to Retention: Build a Talent-Based Culture

While the media spins a future “War for Talent”, the battle for many employers, including domestic employers, has already begun.  Like corporations, households in which team members are cast in roles that leverage their natural talents and allow them to work alongside others who feel uniquely fit to their positions create a culture that can attract and retain workforces into the future.  Beyond compensation, titles, and brands, it is an attractive culture that lays the foundation for retaining talent.

Today’s luxury traveler is faced with a dizzying array of destinations, itineraries and activities, but a few simple planning rules remain constant.

• You’re always better off working with travel professionals who have been there before, because they can make better decisions for you.
• Secondly, it’s always worth the extra effort to find a truly special hideaway.
• And if you’re traveling with family, experts can help keep the transport logistics to a minimum.

Here are a few other things to consider when planning a successful luxury vacation...

The family office in America finds its roots in the wealth generation spurred by the American Industrial Revolution.  Families such as the Mellons, Rockefellers, & Carnegies established in-house professional teams and charged them with privately managing family wealth, time, and generational complexities. 

The fundamental reasons that families establish family offices are control and stewardship; no one cares as much about the well-being of a family as the family itself. Today, however, the term “family office” is used to describe a growing number of entities, each with a different origin, design, and cost/benefit.