Tag: wealth management

In recent years, family offices have emerged as formidable players in the global financial landscape, managing substantial wealth on behalf of ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Although there is still a preference by some family offices to adopt a more hands-on approach by directly acquiring private companies and properties, many are mitigating risk by co-investing with seasoned private equity professionals in direct investments.

While the African banking market has seen withdrawal of global banks over the last 5 years, the opportunity for localised banking has seen the opposite, driven by the expansion of African banking groups into the continent, led mostly by South African, West African, and Northern African banks.

As the new year unfolds, many business leaders across Africa are assessing the 2023 year to chart an increasing resilient path ahead. Last year, major key events unfolded that had global repercussions on supply chains, businesses and the leaders of those businesses.

There comes a time in every successful entrepreneur’s life when he or she has to consider how best to transition to the preservation of the wealth they’ve built, not only for their own enjoyment, but also for the sake of the legacy they want to leave behind.

Today is Heritage Day, and for many South Africans, this is an appropriate time to reflect on the assets that they’ve built up over years, and possibly generations. In these uncertain times, it’s important to re-evaluate the value of your assets, and to determine how best to leave a legacy.

Wealthy parents are often concerned about the preservation of their hard-earned family fortunes for their children, and rightly so: research has shown that around 70% of young heirs end up failing as custodians or stewards of the family wealth, sometimes squandering it within a few years after inheritance.

In order to survive as a species, people have evolved to be both risk averse and loss averse, to be fearful of such possibilities. But these attributes serve us poorly as investors. To be a successful investor, one needs to overcome that fear and to take calculated risks.

Currently controlling more than US$110 trillion (more than 20 times the US federal budget), the power the asset and wealth management industry has in shaping the future is unparalleled. With global assets under management projected to grow by up to 5.6% per annum to US$147.4 trillion by 2025, it can shape a future which is better for investors, shareholders, the economy and the wider society.

It is a key objective for many wealthy families and those who own businesses to leave a legacy while encouraging entrepreneurial spirit, underpinned by the family’s core values. There are various challenges families face when transferring family offices from one generation to the next, but there are also opportunities that can protect the family’s legacy while enabling individuals to forge their own paths.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down and amidst the uncertainty, many of us look ahead and feel a little panicky: What’s going to happen to our savings and to the retirement we were looking forward to?