Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

Q.  I have heard the term “Family Office”.  What is a “Multi-Family Office”?

 

A. Like a family office, multi-family offices tend to be holistic and focus on a broad range of wealth management solutions including investment services, estate and tax planning, family governance and education and risk management. The difference between a single-family office and multi-family office is simple – a multi-family office serves many families, distributing the costs of running the firm.

 

Q. What is American Wealth Strategist Multi-Family Office?

 

A. Individuals and families with assets greater than $2 million may be best served by American Wealth Strategist Multi-Family Office. We have historically provided high net worth families with comprehensive financial services and confidentiality not available from larger, product-driven financial institutions. You can have access to a wide array of integrated services that are not collectively offered anywhere else.

 

Q. What value does American Wealth Strategist bring to the client family?

 

A. Value added by American Wealth Strategist Multi-Family Office includes:

• Forced integration and coordination of legal, tax, accounting, financial planning, insurance, and wealth management professionals

• Teams of qualified professionals who can collaborate

• Continuity of service

• Experience in managing generational transitions

• Better risk management policies and procedures

• More comprehensive information systems

• Relationship pricing for inter-disciplinary services

• Fee-only revenue model eliminating the conflict-of-interest from commissions on product sales

• A tactical, values-based approach to business management, investing, transaction planning and philanthropy

• A better overall result in meeting business and personal goals

 

Q.  What Services Does American Wealth Strategist Multi-Family Office Offer You and Your Family?

 

A. We provide a wide range of professionals across multiple disciplines – taxes, estate planning, accounting, bookkeeping, insurance, investing, etc. – to work for you and help you manage and execute your wealth management activities. By hiring a dedicated team of individuals, you ensure that only your agenda is driving all the activities. We can manage budgeting, insurance, charitable giving, family owned business, wealth transfer, family governance, reporting and data aggregation and tax functions for the families we serve.

 

Q. What Can I And My Family Expect When Using American Wealth Strategist Multi-Family Office?

 

A. You can expect to simplify your business and personal lives in all areas with better results, which includes:

• Integrity and firm experience relevant to your family’s business and personal situations

• Clear alignment of advisor interests with your family’s business and personal goals

• Flexibility in supporting your diverse family needs

• Robust and accurate accountability system

• Access to quality investment advice

• Access to managers for alternative asset classes

• Ability to support all trustees or fiduciaries

• Proactive education for involved family members

• High level of client service and responsiveness

 

Q. As A Business Owner, Do I Need A Succession Plan?

 

A. Ask any successful business owner about his succession plan and chances are he can explain it in detail. Why shouldn’t your family operate the same way? Creating a succession plan is important because it addresses questions, challenges, and it establishes your legacy for the future. Succession plans reduce intra-family conflict and ensure you are prepared for the future.

 

Q. How Do I And My Family Begin Working with American Wealth Strategist Multi-Family Office?

 

A. The best place to start is at the beginning.  We start with a Discovery Session where we have an opportunity to see how you are structured, your business operations, the family/business goals and a look at holistic solution for meeting the needs of you and your family.  You and your family can find out more about the American Wealth Strategist Multi-Family Office structure, the services, and the realm of better results that you and your family can get toward all your goals.

 

A successful business owner knows the financial information about the business.  The profits, losses, income statements, balance sheets, cash flows – all critical pieces for any successful business operation.  Why shouldn’t your family operate the same way?  The first step is often gathering a robust set of financial statements to gain a complete understanding of where you are, where you are going and where you would like to be on your financial journey.

 

We take you and your family through the journey to:

• Establish a clear purpose for your wealth and manage it with a long-term strategy.

• Have a clear understanding of everyone’s role involved in managing their wealth.

• Seek out and purchase, at the right price, the financial products that are right for you.

• Obtain robust reporting capability that allows you to measure progress.

• Establish effective decision-making processes, with transparent governance structures in place.

• Continually evaluate each provider’s effectiveness in managing your wealth.

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Q. Does AWS Create Custom Financial Plans?

 

A. Yes, we do. We create holistic financial plans to encompass all areas of your wealth, including wealth planning, investments, family governance, data aggregation, and financial planning – the plans we create for or clients are customized to address their needs, concerns and challenges.

 

Q. Can You Help Facilitate Our Family Meetings?

 

A. Yes. Our experts on staff work with you and your family to create custom learning experiences that include family meetings to focus on critical components of wealth management including:

• Family decision protocol

• Succession planning

• Wealth transfer

• Family governance structures

• Leadership roles and structures

• Next generation education

 

Q. Can You Help Me Manage My Trust or A Family Foundation?

 

A. A critical component to any holistic wealth management plan is the insurance, tax and estate plan review.  Our experienced Account Executive can work with your family’s trustees and our estate and tax planning professionals to ensure they are fulfilling their role in a way that is consistent with your overall objectives. 

 

The AWS reviews can include any or all of these:

• Life Insurance Review

• Gift Planning

• Estate Planning

• Education Funding

• Estate Distribution

• Estate Tax Liability Review

• Generational Wealth Transfer Analysis

• Legal Entity Review

 

Q. Can You Help Me Avoid Conflict Within My Family?

 

A. Communication strategy is an important part of any wealth plan.  While we cannot promise family harmony, we can promise to work with each and every family member to make sure they are able to voice concerns, express interests, discuss challenges and participate in planning for the future. This type of facilitated communication often leads to reduced conflict because your family members feel their voices have been heard and they’ve been included in the decision-making about your family’s wealth strategy. To help facilitate any challenge your family might be experiencing, in addition to our in-house experts, we work with leading providers to offer family governance and financial literacy support.

 

Q. Do I have to change banks or financial accounts?

 

A. There is no need for you to change banks. Through consolidated reporting, we review transactions, confirm pricing, review commissions, identify errors and see that what you agreed to pay is what you are being charged.

 

Q. Do I have to leave my current financial service providers?

 

A. There is no need for you to leave your current financial service providers. Our mission is to enhance and optimize your wealth management by helping you to build your wealth strategies. We understand that, at your level of wealth, you need a multitude of financial services providers, and that you find value in those relationships. We work with your financial services providers to make sure the services they are providing are in your best interests and are priced appropriately.

 

 

Q. I am just starting out. Do I need all or do I have to use all the services you offer?  I’d like to give you a try, but I’m afraid of committing every aspect of my life to the family office. Can we start slowly and build from there?

 

A. Many of our clients are just starting out in their business ventures.  But they realize the value of an integrated advisory team. So, these clients only use our legal, accounting, tax and some of our insurance strategies. While we strive to be a holistic firm for all our clients, we realize that some clients just aren't at that point yet. Our goal is to help qualified business owners regardless of where they are in their wealth creation journey.

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