{"id":37156,"date":"2025-10-31T11:51:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T11:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/the-family-office-is-no-longer-just-for-the-superrich-heres-how-even-smaller-fortunes-can-use-one-to-last-generations\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T11:51:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T11:51:15","slug":"the-family-office-is-no-longer-just-for-the-superrich-heres-how-even-smaller-fortunes-can-use-one-to-last-generations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/the-family-office-is-no-longer-just-for-the-superrich-heres-how-even-smaller-fortunes-can-use-one-to-last-generations\/","title":{"rendered":"The family office is no longer just for the superrich &mdash; here&#8217;s how even smaller fortunes can use one to last generations"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/690486380be9845f2dc57540?format=jpeg\" alt=\"A man jogs along the riverfront with the city skyline pictured in the background at Marina Bay in Singapore, on February 5, 2022.\"\/><figcaption>Family offices are no longer just for billionaires \u2014 smaller fortunes are using lean, tech-driven models to preserve wealth and values across generations.<\/p>\n<p>Suhaimi Abdullah\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>Julius Baer&#039;s head of wealth planning says family offices are no longer just for billionaires.<\/li>\n<li>Mar\u00eda Eugenia Mosquera says hybrid and virtual models allow smaller fortunes to grow wealth like those of the rich.<\/li>\n<li>She says a well-designed family office can help preserve wealth and values for generations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once reserved for billionaires and old-money estates, the family office \u2014 a private structure for managing investments, estates, and succession \u2014 is undergoing a quiet revolution.<\/p>\n<p>What began as the domain of the Rockefellers and Rothschilds is now being reimagined for entrepreneurs, founders, and even upper-middle-class families seeking to professionalize their approach to managing and preserving wealth.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;The idea that one must have billions to justify a family office is rooted in outdated thinking,&quot; Mar\u00eda Eugenia Mosquera, Head of Wealth Planning Key Clients &amp; Family Office Services at Julius Baer, wrote in a blogpost on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Similarly, the belief that such structures are overly complex or only relevant to dynastic wealth overlooks just how adaptable the modern family office model has become,&quot; she said.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Often, the real issue isn&#039;t feasibility, it&#039;s not knowing where to begin.&quot;<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68f8c8fc5dbc4fd10dab4c15?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The moon rises behind the skyline of Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center as the sun sets in New York City on October 3, 2025.\"\/><figcaption>The ultrawealthy are pulling back from risky startups and pouring billions into private credit and real estate, per Campden Wealth&#039;s 2025 report.<\/p>\n<p>Gary Hershorn\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Smaller fortunes are getting in on the act<\/h2>\n<p>A global survey by Julius Baer and PwC \u2014 covering 2,485 wealth management and family office experts across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America \u2014 found that 41% of ultra-high-net-worth respondents cited cost as the main barrier to setting up a single-family office, followed by management complexity and the belief that their wealth wasn&#039;t substantial enough.<\/p>\n<p>But Mosquera said those concerns are often misplaced.<\/p>\n<p>With the rise of technology, regulation, and global mobility, new models have emerged that allow smaller fortunes to access the same level of professionalism as billionaires, she said.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Some families prefer to keep control of areas like philanthropy or governance, while others prioritize access to specialized expertise via external partners,&quot; she wrote. &quot;In reality, most family offices adopt a hybrid model, combining internal oversight with outsourced services such as legal, wealth planning, or investment advisory.&quot;<\/p>\n<h2>How smaller fortunes can start their own family office<\/h2>\n<p>You don&#039;t need dynastic wealth to take a family-office approach, according to Julius Baer.<\/p>\n<p>The same principles that once served Renaissance estates can be applied by today&#039;s entrepreneurs, business sellers, and globally mobile families \u2014 at a fraction of the cost.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Start small and evolve<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mosquera advises families to view the process as &quot;a phased, thoughtful evolution.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Those planning a business sale or expecting liquidity can begin by formalizing what they already do \u2014 setting clear governance, defining investment principles, and establishing communication routines.<\/p>\n<p>A single trusted advisor or accountant can act as the nucleus before more roles are added.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Use hybrid or virtual models to stay lean<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Julius Baer report defines a Virtual Family Office (VFO) as &quot;ideal for globally mobile families,&quot; using &quot;digital platforms and remote teams to deliver services flexibly across borders.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>This model gives smaller fortunes the same strategic control, minus the heavy fixed costs of staff and office space.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Outsource the complex \u2014 keep the core in-house<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As Mosquera puts it, &quot;This depends on the family&#039;s priorities, the complexity of their wealth, and how much operational infrastructure they want to oversee.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Families can outsource investment, tax, and legal matters while keeping philanthropy, governance, and education in-house \u2014 a structure that balances control with efficiency.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Choose jurisdiction wisely<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Location influences &quot;everything from stability and regulatory clarity to access to talent, privacy, and lifestyle,&quot; Mosquero wrote.<\/p>\n<p>While Switzerland, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai lead as global hubs, Mosquera notes that many families now operate virtually \u2014 coordinating data, advisors, and decision-making digitally across continents.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Anchor everything in values<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&quot;A thoughtfully designed family office often becomes the cornerstone for long-term wealth preservation and successful intergenerational transfer,&quot; said Thomas Frauenlob, member of the Global Wealth Management Committee and Co-Head Region Western Markets &amp; Switzerland at Julius Baer.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;When anchored in these elements, it offers far greater value than generic, one-size-fits-all solutions,&quot; Mosquera added.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;There&#039;s no universal blueprint,&quot; Mosquera said. &quot;Instead, the right approach is thoughtfully curated to reflect each family&#039;s unique needs, preferences, and aspirations.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Read the original article on Business Insider<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Family offices are no longer just for billionaires \u2014 smaller fortunes are using lean, tech-driven models to preserve wealth and values across generations. Suhaimi Abdullah\/NurPhoto via Getty Images Julius Baer&#039;s head of wealth planning says family offices are no longer just for billionaires. Mar\u00eda Eugenia Mosquera says hybrid and virtual models allow smaller fortunes to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-37156","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}