Bridging Expertise for Seamless Family Governance
Trusted Governance offers all the services outlined here, backed by deep experience in each field. However, we often find ourselves in a central, coordinating role—ensuring that all the experts involved, such as legal advisors, family offices, accountants, investment managers, or even other family governance specialists, collaborate effectively.
For many HNW and UHNW families, governance is already considered from a financial perspective. Our role goes beyond that. We bridge financial structuring and the family's values, ensuring that wealth strategies align with the family's long-term harmony and vision. This often means facilitating conversations among family members, managing expectations, and ensuring that financial and legal solutions support—not dictate—the family’s legacy.
We also recognize that many families already have governance structures in place. We are happy to take a fresh look, offering a thoughtful review to ensure everything is aligned, complete, and truly serving the family’s best interests. Governance is never a one-time exercise—families grow, priorities shift, and external conditions change. Our role is to ensure that governance structures evolve accordingly so they continue to provide clarity, stability, and support across generations. It’s not about questioning past decisions—it’s about ensuring nothing is overlooked and that governance remains as effective as the family needs it to be.
By fostering collaboration and clarity, we help families navigate complexity confidently, ensuring governance structures that are effective and deeply rooted in their unique identity and aspirations.
Our Offering
Initial Check
Prior to initiating any planning, we begin by assessing the necessity for family governance within your family and determining the initial steps required. Our approach emphasizes a holistic perspective, including comprehensive health checks, reviewing existing setups, and exploring the feasibility of your goals and visions.
Next Generation Planning
Equipping the next generation for their future endeavors poses unique challenges. Our assistance involves cultivating knowledge about family history, business, inheritance, wealth, and financial understanding. We also focus on comprehending family values, goals, and the roles of each family member within both the family and society as integral aspects of this preparation.
Review Existing Family Governance Setup
In collaboration with you, your family, and advisors, we will assess your current family governance framework and evaluate if adjustments are necessary to align with your present goals and intentions.
Family Risk Management
We'll assist you in pinpointing potential family risks that could clash with your values, goals, roles within the family and society, as well as security. Our program includes education on managing social media presence and addressing associated risks.
Ownership & Succession Planning Structures
Collaboratively, we'll explore current and future ownership strategies. We'll engage in conversations about values, goals, and family (business) structures to craft an optimal succession plan tailored to your needs.
Creating a Family Governance Plan
In collaboration with you, we will develop a family governance plan, which may involve establishing a family council, committee, or constitution. Through individual meetings with you and your family, we will assess potential family roles and determine the most effective way to implement the family governance plan. Our services also encompass organizing family assemblies and collaborating with experts to draft governance documents.
Family Constitution
In partnership with you and your family, we will create a comprehensive family document that articulates the family's values and principles, outlining intentions and goals. This document serves as a concise summary of the family's objectives and establishes the framework for making crucial decisions moving forward.
Coaching
As a coach, Laura utilizes Upside to guide individuals, families, leaders, and teams through visual processes, addressing challenges, formulating breakthrough questions, mapping dilemmas, identifying limiting patterns, and fostering real change with proven success. Coaching can be a service on it’s own, yet is also an included service in working with families when defining goals.
Educational Training for Advisors
Addressing clients about generational planning and wealth transfers can be challenging if not handled appropriately. We emphasize education on both sides – not only should clients be informed, but advisors as well. It shouldn't be the norm to lose a client relationship during a wealth transfer.