EY Family Office Guide : Pathway to successful family and wealth management

White paper - This report provides an analysis of the most important topics and issues to consider when deciding whether to set up, or restructure, a family office.
A large number of family offices have been set up over the last 10 years all over the world. The common triggers for establishing a family office include: ensuring that wealth is transferred to future generations; preserving family wealth; consolidating assets; dealing with a sudden influx of liquidity; solving family conflicts; and increasing wealth management efficiency. Family offices have also gained prominence because of wealth holding families' desire for greater control over their investments and fiduciary affairs, as well as lifestyle management. Indeed, this desire for control has gained even more resonance since the 2008-09 financial crisis, as more families have taken control of their financial affairs. As wealth grows, particularly in the emerging markets, there is little doubt that family offices will play an even bigger role in the management of substantial wealth
in the years ahead. This guide, certainly one of the most comprehensive and in depth ever published, is designed as a learning tool to provide guidance to families considering setting up a family office. They include business families who wish to separate their family wealth and assets from the operating business, and successful entrepreneurs looking at structuring liquidity gained from a highly profitable sale in order to further grow and preserve their wealth.