Sometimes the family assumes they are less interested somehow. Sometimes old habits carry forward without being questioned. And sometimes daughters themselves wait to be invited, not wanting to disrupt the existing pattern. The irony is that when they do step in, the quality of conversation changes… immediately.

The family accountant knows every dividend ever declared. The lawyer remembers the first trust deed. There is loyalty here, and gratitude. But there is also a feeling that the conversations have stopped evolving. For the next generation, this is a hard truth to sit with. Firing a parent's professional adviserfeels personal, almost disrespectful.

Most people assume it’s about the market, the right buyer at the right time and the right price. You might imagine there will be a moment when all the stars align, when the perfect economic and business cycles match your own life. But those stars rarely line up. If you wait for perfect certainty, you may end up waiting forever.

Walk down the main street of any Australian town and you’ll find them. The bakery that’s been in the same family for three generations. The transport company still run from a fibro office out the back of the depot. The vineyard where the children grew up running between the rows, now bringing in their own ideas about climate and technology. Family enterprises don’t just make up part of our economy, they carry the character of our communities.

For family businesses, the end to the financial year is much more than just a date on the calendar or a stack of invoices waiting to be reconciled. It is a time when the conversations shift from what happened last quarter to what comes next, not just for the business, but for the family running it.

Understanding the Challenges of Wealth The belief that significant wealth brings clarity and simplicity is persistent. However, the...

Imagine a family legacy that stretches not just decades, but a full century into the future. That’s the promise—and the challenge—of 100-year wealth planning. It’s a bold, forward-thinking approach that asks families to look far beyond the next inheritance or business deal, and instead plant the seeds for a flourishing family tree that will stand strong for generations.

For many Australian family business owners, the timing of a sale often feels completely out of sync with the business’s growth cycle, the prevailing economic winds, or the evolving plans and aspirations of the family itself. If you’re grappling with this conundrum, you’re not alone—and the path forward is rarely linear.

Financial decision-making in a family enterprise is less about individual authority and more about collective responsibility.

Explore the April 2025 edition of "Beneath the Canopy" on financial disaster. Learn how to prevent financial disaster and family discord

Welcome to "Beneath the Canopy" - Canopy East's monthly update on the world of family wealth management.

Will the next generation look to preserve their family's wealth? Or continue a cycle of high levels of discretionary consumer spending while