How we work with our clients

Building a unified plan for an exceptional family’s complex wealth challenges

The situation. A large, 40-member family with significant wealth had an excellent relationship with a UBS advisory team but only a small percentage of their assets with them. The family was looking to consolidate their investments and structure more of their daily wealth management through their family office.

Because of our 20 years of experience working with exceptional families (over $100m in assets under management) and their family offices, the advisory team approached us to partner with them. We were invited to present a unified approach to the family office head and key members of the family.

Our approach. We began our process by working with our UBS advisor partner to understand all areas of the family’s interests. We conducted meaningful conversations with all 40-plus members of the family, their family office head and key external professional advisors. We evaluated their current and future needs, focusing specifically on estate and tax planning strategies, philanthropy and family governance as a means for ultimately understanding their investment goals.

Leveraging our deep relationships with the extensive resources of UBS Private Wealth Management, we then assembled the right team to provide resources appropriate to their situation. We brought on the guidance of specialists from across UBS including the Advanced Planning Group to conduct a Strategic Wealth Assessment and Family Advisory and Philanthropy to present on family governance. We worked with the Portfolio Advisory Group to develop customized portfolio allocations, including a family mandate for custom private equity and private real estate funds.

With additional, and considerable, input from our specialists in UBS Asset Management, the Hedge Fund Solutions Group, the Multi-Manager Private Equity Team Americas, Sustainable Investing and UBS Global Real Estate, we then put together a private briefing and proposed a detailed plan. This included the appropriate resources, education and platform to help ensure an efficient structure that addressed all their challenges around investment, family governance, operational workflow, tax mitigation and risk management. By tapping into the full resources of the firm, we were able to distill a complicated structure in to a simple mandate.

The result: our continuing relationship. Because of our leadership and coordination with the family’s extensive executive team, we were selected to provide a highly tailored solution as their single provider of holistic guidance and service. We provided a custom, diversified portfolio with an allocation that secured each family member an annual income. We helped align the family’s goals with a tangible, efficient governance structure that integrated their investment strategy with estate planning, multigenerational wealth transfer, and philanthropy pursuits.

But beyond the financial structure, we helped maintain unity among all members through regular family meetings, a clear mandate and a single family mission statement. Today, we continue to work together, helping to fulfill the entire family’s vision.

Helping a family successfully navigate a major liquidity event

The situation. The founder of a privately held business entered into an agreement to sell for approximately $450 million. This was a transformative wealth event for the client and he realized that his wealth had outgrown his expertise to manage it and the capabilities of his current Advisor.

The family faced a complicated business ownership structure and had specific intergenerational wealth transfer concerns. We were invited to partner with their current Advisor and present to the client a comprehensive plan.

Our approach. With 20 years of experience working with ultra high net worth clients and their family offices, we have a considerable experience overseeing the wealth management considerations associated with large liquidity events.

Working closely with the family’s advisor, we tapped our deep relationships with the extensive resources of UBS Private Wealth Management. We assembled a team of specialists from across UBS, focusing initially on positioning the UBS Investment Bank as a key component in the sale. Although the family did not engage the Investment Bank, it gave us the opportunity to showcase the extensive resources of our team and across UBS and build a strong relationship with their family office.

In a private briefing, we presented a comprehensive strategy focused on their pre-liquidity planning and their post-sale wealth management. We engaged with the UBS Advanced Planning Group to conduct a Strategic Wealth Assessment and Family Advisory and Philanthropy to establish a multigenerational plan focused on family governance, wealth transfer and charitable contributions. We worked with the Portfolio Advisory Group to develop customized portfolio allocations that included all members of the family and set a mandate for future wealth transfer.

The result: our continuing relationship. Strong execution across these areas has given the client great comfort and confidence in our relationship. With our goals-based investment approach, the family felt assured that they could meet their current lifetime needs and fulfill their philanthropic goals into the future.

We have established strong relationships with all members of the family and serve as their primary point of contact in addressing the investment, estate, philanthropic and wealth transfer issues that impact their financial lives. We continue to work closely with their family office—as well as their tax and legal teams—to work cohesively on the client’s behalf. The family has referred us to additional clients, touting our reputation as a preeminent team for UHNW ($100m +) relationships.