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What’s Considered ‘Fair’ in Family Business?
What’s Considered ‘Fair’ in Family Business? 4 things to consider when seeking outcomes that are acceptable to all stakeholders Byline: Rikk Larsen Read time: 4 minutes The question of what is fair has perplexed many family business owners, and their search for fairness often results in conflict. Why? Because when it comes to the search for fairness—there is no single answer. The term ‘fairness’ can have different meanings. In business, fairness is based on merit—the more you produce, the more you should earn; when it comes to ownership, fairness is proportional—the more you own, the more benefit of control and [...]
Managing Disputes and Avoiding Conflict in a Family Enterprise
Managing Disputes and Avoiding Conflict in a Family Enterprise Using COVID-19 vaccination disagreements to highlight dispute resolution approaches Byline: Rikk Larsen Read time: 3-4 minutes As COVID-19 vaccinations continue to roll out across the country, most companies are beginning to develop protocols for returning to work in person. While for many this is great news, this can be particularly challenging for family businesses with family members and non-family employees who have conflicting perspectives on the concept of vaccines. This blog will highlight methods family businesses can use to manage disputes regarding the vaccine and what to do if there’s an [...]
Webinar Recording: Understanding and Managing Conflict in Family Enterprises
In this video, Continuity Founding Partner Doug Baumoel shares 5 foundational concepts to help viewers better understand and manage the unique type of conflict that happens when families work and own together. This recent event was hosted by the Smith Family Business Initiative at Cornell University. Watch this video and you’ll learn: The reasons that underline all conflict Triggers that activate conflict How to manage and avoid it Other Resources Conflict Management Services Mediation Services This video content is hosted by the Smith Family Business Initiative at Cornell University. Clicking will open a new tab in your [...]
3 Questions Parents and Grandparents Should Consider Before Transferring Wealth
3 Questions Parents and Grandparents Should Consider Before Transferring Wealth How rushing to transfer wealth in the midst of tax changes can lead to unintended consequences, and how advisors can help clients avoid them Byline: Doug Baumoel Estimated read time: 3 minutes Distributing or transferring wealth to the next generation can present unexpected dilemmas. These dilemmas have been exacerbated by expectations that the estate tax laws may change under the Biden administration. Currently, when gifting or transferring money, there is no estate tax to be paid for up to $11.7M for an individual or $23.4M for a couple. While it’s [...]
8 Steps to Manage Sibling Wealth Disparity
Wealth disparity among siblings can wreak havoc in families—especially when a family business is involved. Unfortunately, it’s all too common for the family enterprise to magnify wealth disparity and worsen issues of entitlement, exclusion and fairness. To nurture and maintain lasting relationships, it is critical to understand and manage sibling wealth disparity. Understanding the Path to Sibling Wealth Disparity As dependents, siblings grow up with similar economic status. Their relationships are forged as equals. As they mature, siblings may take very different paths, with diverse opportunities and challenges that impact their individual wealth [...]
The Good News: Family Business, Resilience, and the Pandemic
When External Factors Increase Internal Pressures All businesses, both family- and non-family-owned, are being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. How they respond provides important insight into what makes family businesses different. Family businesses are unique, with many advantages that stand them in good stead during times of crisis. While there are unique strengths for family-owned firms working in a world changed by COVID-19, family businesses also need to be aware of unique risks they face. While some families will clearly suffer personal and financial losses due to the pandemic, the good news is that for many family businesses the challenges [...]
Five Ways to Improve Family Business Communication
We all know communication has a powerful impact on both personal and business relationships. That’s one reason why many people identify poor communication as what needs to be fixed for the family business and relationships to thrive. The complex family business system sets a series of traps for even the skilled communicator. In family business communication, it's easy for things to go awry. But just trying to fix communication is usually not the answer. Thinking that improving communication alone will solve family business conflict is usually an unrealistic oversimplification. Solving family business conflict requires a more comprehensive solution, one that [...]
Understanding Conflict in Families of Wealth
By Blair Trippe Working Through Differences Everyone fights over what matters to them. When unrelated people fight, they can choose to walk away and end relationships. When family members fight, it’s not that easy. It’s more difficult to cut ties, since family relationships often continue even if affinity doesn’t. Plus, when family members fight, they often are fighting over deeper, more personal concerns than just what issues lie at the core of their disagreement. They are also trying to figure out how they will continue as family in the future. Given that conflict is likely unavoidable, how can you think through [...]
Should We Stay Together as a Family Enterprise or Separate?
How to Figure Out if Sharing Assets Still Makes Sense By Doug Baumoel Defining Family In the back of your mind you may be asking this question: Should we continue managing our wealth, business, or philanthropy together at this point, or should we go our separate ways? Many members of families that share assets must face this question at some point, although far too often they wait until a conflict or crisis hits, when they are then forced to face this. A key challenge with legacy assets is that the group sharing those assets rarely chose to do so with [...]
It Isn’t Always Fighting: Family Business Conflict
Can you recognize family business conflict? Few people are eager to admit their family has conflict. Especially now that social media reminds us daily that our friends have perfectly harmonious families (!), it can feel like a failing to admit that there are tensions in your family…or worse. But learning to recognize family business conflict and look it in the eye can have enormous impact, especially for stakeholders in family business or family that shares significant assets. For enterprising families, conflict can be even more pernicious—and even more damaging if left unaddressed. To Succeed and Sustain Relationships: Managing Conflict is [...]