Providing multi-generational wealth management solutions for a limited and select group of families
The live oak tree, native to the southeastern Atlantic seaboard, is a beautifully proportioned tree. Reaching heights of 100 feet or more with a branch spread exceeding 150 feet and a trunk circumference that can exceed 30 feet, it is a sturdy tree well grounded by its roots. Beginning at about twenty years of age, acorns produce both new trees and food for squirrels and birds. The live oak can live hundreds of years but, to reach maturity it must survive disease, inclement weather and other outside forces. If it does so, it dominates the forest. Interestingly, the person who plants a live oak will never see its full beauty at maturity; nevertheless he plants it with the knowledge and hope that future generations will enjoy it also.
Metaphorically, the live oak is much like a family – many spreading branches of the family; well grounded in its heritage; producing offspring and providing for its community. With proper planning and nurturing, a family can prosper for centuries as well. Like the planter of the live oak, the family member who initiates multi-generational planning will not see the end result but does so with the confidence and faith that this beginning will result in a process which can guide the family well into the future.
Inspired by and adapted from Jay Hughes’ book Family Wealth: Keeping It in the Family. With permission.