Our Approach

We believe that the process of managing your financial affairs has become overly complicated. Everyone has a hidden agenda and, maybe not so hidden conflicts of interests. You may be surrounded by high paid experts, but what you need is expertise. Our clients have chosen Wealthaven to be their unbiased advisor; we have only our client’s interests at heart.

We created our firm because, after decades working for leading investment firms and advising some of the wealthiest families in the world, we were frustrated. Even families of unlimited resources were unable to obtain truly conflict-free advice. Our goal was to provide a comprehensive offering to help these families unlock the true nature of their wealth.

As each family’s needs differ, so do the services provided by Wealthaven. For some families, we act purely as a consultant, facilitating a discussion or bringing best practices to fruition within a family enterprise. For other families, we help to implement these recommendations. We have been retained to set up private trust companies, implement buy-sell agreements, develop a family office. For several families, we have been retained as a broad project manager for the sale or transition of a business – bridging the investments, estate and tax planning and governance needs of the family enterprise.

We also believe that implementation needs to support the high-level strategic planning and the “boots on the ground” level. To that end, we operate outsourced, full service family offices on an interim or permanent basis for selected clients.

What We Do

Estate and Financial Strategic Planning

Frustrated by the complexity of your financial or estate situation? You are not alone. We design and implement financial and estate plans that solve the problems you are facing today, and anticipate what issues you may face in the future. We then oversee the implementation of plans into clear, workable systems. We believe that plans are only as good as their ongoing maintenance. Wealthaven can handle all the “care and feeding” these complex entities need to ensure your plan holds together over time.

Investment Strategy and Oversight

Do all investment pitches sound alike to you? Wish you had an impartial advocate who had your interests at heart? We do not manage assets, we guide you through the process and can hire and fire and oversee managers and advisors with you. In the last few years, we have outsourced over $2.5 billion of assets on behalf of our clients. We ensure the asset allocation is appropriate and the transition is seamless. We can remain involved to provide ongoing oversight of multiple relationships.

Trustees and Beneficiaries

Trusts are a fact of life for most families of financial means. Yet the operation and management of trusts can be horribly complex. More importantly, the relationship between trustees and beneficiaries can quickly become a minefield. We support trustees and beneficiaries with education, trust administrative support and oversight of all aspects of their operation on your behalf.

Governance and Succession

Effective governance and succession plans can provide a clear direction, shared vision and code of conduct for a closely held or family business. We help clients develop strategic plans to ensure the preservation of their family’s financial, human, social and intellectual capital in times of transition.

Experiential Learning

We love to learn and to find new ways to bring financial mastery to the rising generation of leaders. We have developed and led training and educational programs for all ages, that are tailored to the needs of the family. We have pioneered new online and e-learning initiatives and incorporated gamification into family meetings.

Family Office

Need a family office but don’t want the cost or administrative hassle? We incubate family offices for those who need administrative or strategic support but recognize that their needs will shift over time. For families that are seeking to create or restructure their family offices, we can provide both strategic planning as well as implementation and ongoing support.

The foregoing is merely a sample of the breadth of client issues we have addressed.  We welcome an opportunity to discuss your family’s specific needs and to help you develop, and implement, an appropriate plan of action.