UHNW Institute
The UHNW Institute Launches
A new educational initiative aimed at ultra-high net worth families gets off the ground.
This publication is proud and delighted to introduce a new initiative for ultra-high net worth individuals and advisors. To explain what it is all about is Steve Prostano, managing partner of SPI Partners and a member of this news service’s editorial advisory board. Already well known as a contributor in these pages, we are very pleased to let Steve introduce this new initiative. His email address is given below.
The UHNW Institute launches this month as an exclusive forum providing education and advocacy for family offices, wealthy individuals and the advisors who serve them.
The UHNW Institute was founded in response to clients and advisors voicing their frustration at the recent Family Wealth Report Summit last Fall in regards to overarching confusion around existing wealth management business models serving wealthy families today, a lack of transparency and unbiased education available to them in the marketplace.
Throughout the recent conference, thought leaders shared their latest thinking on the needs of the UHNW and what it means to integrate a family’s full balance sheet. Unfortunately, in spite of the number of options available to clients, the conference concluded that there is no one model that can fully satisfy the needs of UHNW families and family offices. Each business model faces a number of challenges that impacts their ability to deliver the value needed which results in confusion and frustration for clients.
In response to this plea for transparency and education, a group of senior operating executives and industry veterans have joined forces with Family Wealth Report to address these issues for the benefit of the industry at large and the clients we serve. The two main goals of this initiative are:
-- To educate and assist UHNW families and family offices as they select and work with their wealth managers; and
-- To support sustainable change and professional development in the UHNW industry.
The curriculum will involve a careful examination of the business models available to these client segments as they set out to achieve their personal, financial and business goals. An emphasis will be placed on educating these client segments on the key issues and trends affecting these models. The content will be delivered in a variety of formats including: original articles, white papers, webcasts, podcasts and videos.
Additionally, The UHNW Institute team will participate in Family Wealth Report events throughout the year and host events, including an annual “By Invitation Only” Collegium for Senior Wealth Management Operating Executives, focused on practice management issues and trends and - more importantly – what it will take to succeed into the future!
Participants can also look forward to the launch of The UHNW Institute website in February which will host additional details about the program and resources to be developed, such as a glossary of key industry terms and a due diligence guide to support important decision-making such as choosing a wealth manager. Ongoing thought leadership and original content will also be a core component of this initiative.
The content focus will be on evolving topics of relevance such as segment needs and key trends affecting these business models such as: the next gen, growing client complexity, the importance of non-financial advice, scarcity of talent, pricing, operational efficiency, technology, and the growing interest in direct and purpose investments.
I am excited to see our industry come together with the intent to serve UHNW clients to the best of our ability. For more information about The UHNW Institute, please reach directly out to me at spro375@aol.com