Communication across generations.

You pride yourself on being a great communicator. You can present to any board of directors, woo diverse clients and raise funds for your favorite charities without breaking a sweat. The same feels true when it comes to your children. You’ve bonded during vacations and over their academic triumphs (and failures); you’ve encouraged them to come to you with any problem so you can sort it out together. Yet, when it comes time to talking about your wealth – specifically, what will happen when they inherit it – you may find yourself tongue-tied. Maybe you were raised that talking about money is inappropriate; maybe you don’t want your kids to overly rely on your wealth or let it define them. Whatever the case, current events have reminded us that the time for procrastination is over. Here are some simple…

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5 Simple Changes That Will Make a Big Difference with Your Estate Management

In some ways, managing one’s estate is a lot like managing anything else life  – some people will be tempted to oversee every detail (i.e. checking in with their household staff several times a day regarding everything from mundane tasks to the preparations for a dinner party), while others may all but abdicate their role as principal and rely too heavily on their financial advisors. (Still others do both!)  The first robs you of valuable time (and likely causes a lot of aggravation for you and those in your employ), and the second robs you of knowledge and therefore agency over your holdings.  The key is to strike a balance that allows you to enjoy your wealth in the now while maintaining and growing it for the future.  If you are already seeing all the moving parts dancing in…

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Managing multiple properties & weather season creates a need for complete visibility with all your physical assets.

You can’t believe it’s happening again. It seems like yesterday when you purchased your second home – a modern masterpiece just a few hundred yards from the beach in Sag Harbor – only to have it nearly levelled by Superstorm Sandy. The floor-to-ceiling windows that sold you on the property were shattered, and the recently renovated great room was under several feet of water. Outside, magnificent Linden trees, some hundreds of years old, had been felled by gale-force winds and were waiting to be carted away. The aftermath of the storm was one of the most stressful times in your life. It was bad enough having to throw out the furnishings you and your spouse had chosen with such care and excitement; losing the eclectic collection of artwork and other items, most of which had been inherited from your…

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