Succession
Wealth passing between generations, and preparing the next one to hold it.
Bank of America finds 83% of US family offices have named a successor. Only 27% have a trust distribution policy.
The 2026 Bank of America Family Office Study, published on 20 October 2026, surveys 355 US family office decision makers. Most have picked the next leader; far fewer have written down the rules that leader will inherit.
HSBC Private Bank and MIT Sloan launch an online course for UHNW heirs aged 23 to 30
HSBC Private Bank has launched The Future Family Leaders Digital Programme with MIT Sloan Executive Education: six weeks online, for clients' heirs aged 23 to 30, first cohort from 3 November to 8 December 2026.
Only 36% of Indian business families have a documented succession plan, Grant Thornton Bharat and Entrust find
A study by Grant Thornton Bharat and Entrust Family Office, reported on 18 October 2026, draws on interviews with about 50 Indian business families. Most have agreed broadly on succession; far fewer have written it down.
JCB names George Bamford joint chairman, settling a long-watched family succession
On 28 September 2026 JCB said George Bamford, Lord Bamford's third son, will become joint chairman alongside his father: the first change at the top of the family-owned manufacturer in more than 50 years. What the joint-chair model tells other business-owning families.
Twenty-nine people hold 27% of billionaire wealth, and London lost billionaires last year
Altrata's Billionaire Census 2026 counts 3,795 billionaires holding a record $15.1 trillion. It also expects $6.6 trillion to pass to about 5,000 heirs and spouses over the next decade.
The Buss family trust and the 17.8 per cent that carries a job
Five of Jerry Buss's six children want to sell the family trust's remaining Lakers stake. Jeanie Buss says a 2017 court order will not let them.
Le Monde investigation reopens the LVMH succession question as Arnault pushes back
A six-part Le Monde series on rivalries inside the Arnault family drew a sarcastic three-page rebuttal from Bernard Arnault. LVMH shares fell about 10 per cent in a week, and the group still has no named successor.
A promise, a changed lock and a £2m claim: Lambert v Lambert reaches the High Court
A son who gave up his career to care for his mother is suing his father over the family wealth. The case shows what happens when family promises never make it onto paper.
UK probate fee to rise to £526 from July 2026
The Ministry of Justice will raise the grant of probate fee from £300 to £526 on 13 July 2026, a rise of about 75%, alongside wider court fee changes.
An unsigned will, four siblings, and an AU$2 billion estate: the Andrianakos dispute
Melbourne property billionaire Nick Andrianakos died in Greece in March 2025. His children are now fighting over which version of his will is valid.
Solorz signed one document. A court in Vaduz made it permanent.
Polish billionaire Zygmunt Solorz transferred founder's rights in his Liechtenstein foundations, tried to revoke the next day, and lost. His media empire now belongs to his children.
Preparing the family for a liquidity event
Selling the business turns operators into investors overnight. The families who handle it well prepare the people, not just the deal.
The Murdoch trust: $3.3 billion to settle what an irrevocable document was supposed to prevent
Rupert Murdoch tried to rewrite a 1999 family trust to give Lachlan sole control of News Corp and Fox. A Nevada court blocked the move. A $3.3 billion settlement followed.
Preparing the next generation for real responsibility
Succession is not a single handover. How families prepare the next generation for real responsibility, and the mistakes that derail the transition.
Financial education for the next generation
Heirs are handed wealth and expected to steward it with no training. What real financial education looks like, and when it should start.
Trusts and succession: the questions that matter
Families reach for a trust before they have answered why. The structure should follow the intent, not the other way round.
The Safra succession: a $25 billion banking empire, three wills, and one son who walked away
Joseph Safra's death in 2020 triggered years of litigation within one of the world's wealthiest banking dynasties. The dispute is over. The family has restructured.
The week in family offices
One email a week: what moved across family offices and private wealth, and what it means.