Posts by Edelen McWilliams
Corporate or Individual Trustee?
By Patricia M. Angus, published in NAPFA, February 2021 Selecting a trustee for family trusts is one of the most important decisions a client will make. This article offers some context and guidance on how you can help your clients make…
Read MorePermanent Rifts or Temporary Fissures?
Advising clients and bridging divides in a time of turmoil By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published on Trust and Estates on January 19, 2021 When I started writing under the theme “building bridges,” eight years ago, I had two goals in…
Read MoreFamily Enterprise in The Center of it All
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published on WealthManagement.com, December 2020 It’s impossible to look at 2020 and not see family enterprises in the center of the astounding confluence of events that shook the world in the past year. Family…
Read MoreCarter Center Legacy Circle: Your Values and Your Legacy
Often, the guiding principles or values that ground our perspective and shape our resilience are unspoken, or, more often, unwritten. By focusing on our values, we can come to know ourselves better, and we can be intentional about sharing the…
Read MoreCOVID Conversations
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in WealthManagement.com April 2020 By now, unless you work in health care or an “essential business,” you’ve likely settled into “self-isolation” mode. Working at home, your family is now nearby—physically and/or on the…
Read MoreWhat Role Should a Family Business Play in Its Community?
By Patricia M. Angus, published in Harvard Business Review, February 06, 2020 As a family business leader, you must ask: what is your understanding of the “social contract” today, in 2020? How do the family and other stakeholders view the multiple…
Read MoreFounding Women of Family Wealth
Patricia Angus convened the Founding Women of Family Wealth for a series of panel discussions exploring the practitioner perspective, at Columbia Business School Global Family Enterprise Program. Below are links to: “What is wealth?” and “Competition vs. Collaboration”:
Read MoreFamily Enterprise in the Spotlight: Key Takeaways from the Sackler Family Enterprise Story
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published by Columbia Business School Family Business Program in 2020 Introduction: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis was considered by many to be the greatest public health threat to the well-being of…
Read MoreDream it up, Pass it down: A Guide to Legacy Giving at 92Y
Patricia joins Emily Tisch Sussman, host of Your Primary Playlist podcast, for a lively and educational discussion on wealth planning for and with the next generation. Recorded December 11, 2019, at the 92nd Street Y.
Read MoreHow Should a Family Firm Approach an Ethical Dilemma?
Family firms comprise between 70 and 90% of economic activity depending on the country or region, so the impact of family business ethics can be dramatic. In this conversation, Columbia Business School Professor Patricia Angus and IAE Professor Pedro Vazquez,…
Read MorePractice, Practice, Practice: Musings on being a “Practitioner”
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in FFI Practitioner, July 16, 2019 In this edition of FFI Practitioner, Patricia examines what it truly means to be a “Practitioner” and the impact of ongoing practice when working with family enterprise clients.
Read MoreWho’s in Charge?
A new model for understanding family business ownership By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, March 2019 Family businesses are complex in many ways. They’re inevitably a mix of entrepreneurial spirit, family connections, business challenges and evolutionary processes…
Read MoreColumbia Business School discussion on Enterprising Families: Challenges, Opportunities, and Keys to Success
Many families today co-own complex businesses, trusts, and investments, but there’s no single guidebook for these enterprising families on how to do all this together, with meaning, purpose, and impact. In this webinar, Columbia Business School’s Patricia Angus — a…
Read MoreHouse of Redstone: Family Enterprise in Three Acts
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published on Columbia CaseWorks, Fall 2018 What family enterprise, ownership, and governance lessons can be gleaned from the multigenerational saga of the Redstone family?
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A Rose by Any Other Name:
Family firm terminology as a divider or unifier?
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in FFI Practitioner, July 31, 2018 In this edition of FFI, Patricia reflects on the complexities of defining some key terminology in the field.
Read MoreWeddings, Engagements and Prenups
Help clients address the “what ifs” before the “I dos.” By Marvin Blum – Originally published on Trusts and Estates in February 2018. Tying the knot. Settling down. Getting hitched. Taking the plunge. Regardless of what you call it, getting…
Read MoreGovernance for Business-Owning Families (Part II): It starts at the top
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in WealthManagement.com March 2018 The world is full of family businesses. Literally. Most of the world’s businesses are owned, controlled and often managed by a group of family members.1 These families face challenges…
Read MoreAre You Wealthy?
Wealth of Wisdom Podcast, Episode 21, 2018 In the first chapter of the book, Wealth of Wisdom (McCullough & Whitaler), Patricia Angus tells a fascinating story about a conversation she had with a cab driver about wealth and life and…
Read MoreSix Ways To Improve Family Business Governance
All business-owning families already have governance in place on multiple levels, but it’s often overlooked. By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, March 15, 2017 Families who own businesses often overlook the challenge that is “governing” all…
Read MoreSuccessfully Climbing the Growth Ladder in Family Enterprises
Highlights from Columbia Business School’s annual conference. By Patricia Riberas – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, March 10, 2017 On Feb. 17, 2017, family business owners, advisors and managers gathered at Columbia Business School’s Fourth Annual Family Business Conference to…
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