I’m excited to be presenting to the XPX (Exit Planning Exchange) Fairfield County Chapter with Carolyn Beers on “Transitioning to Insiders: Family Business Planning and Continuity”. Join us on Friday, April 12, 7:30-9:30 in Norwalk for practical ideas for advisors and their clients. https://exitplanningexchange.com/fairfield-county/events
Year’s End Resolutions – And Conflict Prevention
We tend to think of New Year’s Resolutions as forward-looking: commitments to change a habit or trait for the better. How about Year’s End Resolutions? What has been sitting, oh-so-patiently, on the corner of your real or figurative desk, that needs to be finished up? Perhaps the estate planning documents that you can’t […]
For One Day, No Demonizing
I am publishing this post just before Thanksgiving Day, a day that can present a potent mix of joy and aggravation. Although these ideas are especially applicable on that day, they are worth considering for a day featuring a family event or any day at all. In my work to prevent and resolve […]
Harnessing the Power of Being Heard
My article, “Harnessing the Power of Being Heard“, was published today in the Family Firm Institute (FFI) Practitioner. It is the first article in a series leading up to the FFI annual conference in Chicago, in October, 2017. The conference theme is “Electrifying”, which explains this introduction by Asher Noor, of the Practitioner Editorial Committee: […]
Silence is golden, except when it isn’t
Silence is golden when you hold your tongue about the minor, temporary thing that just doesn’t matter much. But there is nothing golden about silence on estate planning, family business succession, or other things that are so very important that they are hard to discuss. A facilitated family meeting or mediation can help. […]
Certificates Earned in Family Business Advising and Family Wealth Advising
I am proud to announce that I have completed a fifteen month educational program and have been awarded both the FFI GEN (Global Educational Network) Certificate in Family Business Advising (CFBA) and Certificate in Family Wealth Advising (CFWA) by the Family Firm Institute. It has been a great experience: excellent faculty, comprehensive and thought-provoking readings […]
WSJ on “Sibling Rivalry and Estate Planning”
Earlier this month, in the September 12-13 edition, the Wall Street Journal ran a “Wealth Advisor” article by Veronica Dagher. In “Sibling Rivalry and Estate Planning”, she highlighted some horror stories of siblings fighting after a parent’s death. Sometimes the dispute is over significant assets, but commonly the family can’t agree on who should have […]
Conflict prevention: read twice, send once
You may have heard the carpenter’s rule to measure twice and cut once. I’d say there is a similar rule for written communications, especially those you send to people with whom you may find yourselves in conflict (currently or in the future.) Write the message — be it a tweet, text, email, blog post or […]
Conflict prevention v. conflict avoidance
When I give public talks on conflict and mediation, I often begin with some tips about avoiding conflicts in the first place. As you might imagine, the tips include ideas about effective communication and understanding the perspectives of other people. I also discuss the idea that conflicts are a part of life — they can’t […]
Giving Thanks for Family
It’s easy to Talk the Talk about Thanksgiving and family: “I am so thankful for my family.” “I love my family and I would do anything for them.” “Family comes first.” But do you Walk the Walk? Have you had those important conversations about estate planning? Have your parents told you their wishes about end-of-life […]
