Posts by Edelen McWilliams
Beneficiary’s Choice: One way to reduce the chance of creating trust fund babies
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, August 2014 Among trusts and estates professionals, especially lawyers, but also family office executives, accountants and financial advisors, the topic of how to avoid creating trust fund babies dominates many…
Read MoreAttending to a Client’s True Needs: Lessons learned in unexpected places
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published on WealthManagement.com on July 29, 2014 I recently found myself in need of medical help for an unexplained injury. Once again, I found myself learning some lessons that can easily – if not…
Read More
My Family Enterprise Day
Don’t overlook what’s all around you
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, May 2014 Planning for family businesses is becoming a hot topic in the private wealth management community. While the discussion often focuses on what might be considered “Mom and Pop”…
Read More
Scattergories?
Getting on the right track for financial security
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, May 2014 As a long-time proponent of knowing one’s own finances to be able to live a financially secure and purposeful life, I was recently reminded of some of the…
Read MorePritzker Family Enterprise: A Family Governance Case Study
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published on Columbia CaseWorks Fall 2013 What does the Pritzker family story, one of the wealthiest and most philanthropic families in the United States, tell us about family governance?
Read More
Estate Planning Metrics
Outcomes beyond measure?
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, March 2014 “Metrics” is a hot word these days. In the world of charitable giving, how they measure, evaluate and assess outcomes. Non-profit organizations are encouraged to run their operations…
Read MoreReality Trumps Myth: Pritzker family enterprise story
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, March 2014 Family business, trust and estate planners have been relying on a set of assumptions about client goals, family relationships and the definition of “success” for as long…
Read MoreGot Love? Getting to the “heart” of it
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published on Wealth Management.com in February 2014. Valentine’s Day is always a bright spot in the midst of a sometimes (especially this year on the East Coast) long, cold winter. Long enough into the…
Read MoreNew Year’s Resolutions: Goals for 2014 to improve client/advisor relationships
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, December 2013 As another year ends and a new one begins, it’s hard not to reflect on achievements and shortcomings—all the things that one has accomplished over the past year,…
Read More
Friend or Foe?
Think twice before becoming your client’s BFF
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, September 2013 If you choose to work as a professional in trusts and estates or private wealth management, you have an opportunity to get to know the lives of your…
Read More
“Go Away”
A tried and true wealth preservation “technique”
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, August 2013 During the hazy, hot and humid days of summer, it can be hard for advisors to think about how to help clients with their family needs. Some days,…
Read MoreWhat is a “Family?”: Supreme Court rulings highlight timeless estate planning questions
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, June 2013 This has been quite a week for legal rulings affecting the trusts and estates community: the Supreme Court essentially struck down the Defense of Marriage Act and declined…
Read More
Which Gen?
Questioning the Labeling Trend
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, May 2013 The private wealth management industry has recently directed its focus to the “Next Gen.” Originally a term used in the technology industry, it’s quickly been adopted to refer…
Read MoreTrust and Miracles: A simple test as useful groundwork for establishing a long-term relationship
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, May 2013 The word “trust” is used all the time in the private wealth management world. Firms advertise themselves as being “trusted advisors,” and families use trusts to hold and…
Read MoreThe Perfect Storm?
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, March 2013 It’s brewing on the estate-planning horizon, and clients and their advisors may be heading directly into it. Although it was more than a decade ago, I still remember…
Read More
May I Help You?
How perspective matters in client-advisor relationships
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published on WealthManagement.com on February 28, 2013 Some time ago, I was describing a particular client dilemma to a colleague. After listening to my concerns, she said, “so, the question is: have you been…
Read MoreNow What?: The hard work has only just begun.
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, January 2013 The collective sigh among lawyers, accountants and investment advisors across the United States was practically audible as Dec. 31, 2012 came to a close. This group wasn’t reacting…
Read MoreFamily Meetings Come of Age: How to create an effective forum for all generations
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published on WealthManagement.com, 2013 As older members of the Baby Boom generation were reaching adulthood, I spent many an hour watching the bevy of TV shows that were focused on the ways that the…
Read MoreIsland Hopping: An archipelago can be a model for healthy relationships.
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, December 2012 Last month, I had the opportunity to walk through a city that’s connected as much by its bridges as by its land. In the dim grey winter light…
Read MoreNew and Improved: Do we run the risk of discontinuing advice and services that are quite good?
By Patricia M. Angus – Originally published in Trusts & Estates, November 2012 Lately, it seems everywhere I turn, things are “new and improved.” Perfectly good items that have served me well no longer exist. Recently, I needed new running shoes…
Read More