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.

Blended families begin with good intentions. Often after carrying the weight of past relationships, two people commit to building a new life together.. They bring children, assets, expectations, and history to the table, and hope that love will be enough to make it all cohere. Yet beneath the warmth of new beginnings, complexity almost always waits. The challenges rarely surface immediately. At first there is energy in creating a sense of unity- shared meals, new traditions,

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.

But what about those waiting in the wings? It’s easy to assume the next generation is ready to step up, but capacity here is about more than just meeting the legal minimum. It’s about financial literacy, emotional intelligence, and the ability to navigate the sometimes choppy waters of family dynamics.

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...

Family meetings are the best kind of reality TV because they offer all the suspense, conflict, and catharsis without the need for a TV deal. The parallels between family meetings and reality TV are uncanny. Reality shows thrive on conflict, negotiation, shifting alliances, and the unpredictable nature of human behaviour. The living room is no different.

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.

At some point, though, every family hits a snag. Maybe it’s a disagreement over the future direction of the business, or maybe it’s just that old family dynamics rear their heads when the stakes are high. This is where an independent Family Adviser becomes worth their weight in gold.

When it comes to leadership transitions, few events are as steeped in tradition and intrigue as the papal conclave. While the Catholic Church and wealthy families might seem worlds apart, the process of electing a new pope and planning for succession within a family business have more in common than you might think.

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.