A family office
that's all about you

For those who have generated great wealth - it can be extremely challenging retaining it.

Plans for preserving your family wealth should often take a very long-term view - potentially up to 100 years. 

Success requires far more than financial capital - an investment in human and intellectual capital.

This requires a focus on physical and emotional well-being, education and life experience. 

AES specialise in international family office services to wealthy families who require advice in excess of normal governance structures. 

We're about ensuring your family is 'On purpose' - healthy, happy and prosperous - in our experience, a rarity amongst many wealthy families.

We question the assumption that wealth management is primarily about investment products or standardised portfolios.  Instead, we believe investments are best managed as part of an integrated, intergenerational approach, encompassing the entirety of a family’s wealth. 

For us, investment decisions should be seen through the lens of the family as a whole, drawing on a deep and detailed understanding of family circumstances. We appreciate that many entrepreneurial clients have a highly personal approach to investment risk, which is often significantly at odds with traditional asset managers. So we have developed an approach to risk that bridges the gap between accepted investment theory and the broader perspective of the entrepreneur.

Investment decisions rarely take place in a vacuum.  Like most of our clients with complex financial affairs, you'll likely need to consider all manner of other issues including tax, legacy issues and legal consequences. That requires a real commitment to collaboration which is unfortunately all too rare.

We see true wealth management as so much more than just portfolio management. We see it as the combination of;

1. Investment Consulting – determining your risk required risk tolerance and risk capacity.

2. Strategic Planning – Wealth enhancement, wealth protection, wealth transfer, and generosity.

3. Relationship Management –  integration with your other professionals such as accountants, lawyers, private bankers and real estate professionals etc.

We also have our own network to ensure we can find an expert to help you resolve any issue with financial implications you encounter.

A lot of thought and planning needs to go into what activities are required. However, when set up and run properly the multi-family office is a perfect vehicle for managing and preserving personal wealth for successive generations.

Each family or individuals’ requirements are different so every family office needs a bespoke structure designed to meet their unique and specific needs.

Examples of the sort of work carried out by a multi-family office can include:

• Property management
• Real estate development activity
• Succession planning
• Employment of household staff
• Centralisation of resources
• Co-ordinating tax, legal and investment advice
• Organisation family security, vacation and business travel arrangements
• Family governance
• Trust and company administration
• Monitoring investment management performance
• Coordinating investment policies with regard to private equity, venture capital and philanthropy

The important thing to remember is that this is a vehicle designed by a family to look after your assets and interests with a core objective of preservation and where possible enhancement of those assets for the benefit and enjoyment of your family members.

The benefits of such a structure are numerous and include administration, consultancy and investment services carried out free of conflicts-of-interest.

The ability to have a continuous and on-going regular contact between family and skilled employees dedicated to providing solutions to their requirements.

Above all, the multi-family office provides a structure that gives the client a comprehensive oversight and management of personal assets, freeing themselves up to explore other interests knowing that someone is managing/monitoring the family’s business interests on a day to day basis.

Wealth is international. Our clients are global citizens.  So we are an international business.  Even those clients who are based primarily in their home country value the advice we bring from an international perspective, with access to contacts and investment opportunities worldwide.

We have moved across borders as our clients and their interests have expanded, and our expertise has similarly grown with our clients’ requirements.

Cross-border living and cross-border investment calls for cross border knowledge and we can offer specialist advice about the tax and legal implications of international lifestyles.

Our attitude, culture and philosophy are shaped by the combination of deep roots in local communities and a modern international outlook.

The types of questions we help families answer:

Does your family share a vision and a purpose for your family wealth?
What are your ambitions and concerns for the family business?
Are there assets that depend heavily on your personal expertise?
How can you demonstrate your values through the investments you make?
How are you preparing those who will inherit?
Have you discussed the practicalities of the transition?
How is family leadership determined?
What values do you want to instil in future generations?
What are the risks to your family and your family’s long-term wealth?
Do you want your wealth to promote and support good causes?

Family offices are private wealth management advisory firms that serve ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) investors. They are different from traditional wealth management shops in that they offer a total outsourced solution to managing the financial and investment side of an affluent individual or family. For example, many family offices offer budgeting, insurance, charitable giving, family-owned business, wealth transfer, and tax services.