A program for family office professionals by the industry’s best.

Analyzing Investment Performance (AIP) is a program developed in accordance with AICPA guidelines and delivered by accomplished faculty from Drexel University, LeBow College of Business.

AIP Fall 2020 was a collaborative and thoroughly enjoyable time with industry experts and fellow professionals learning and sharing ideas.

Family offices are one of the fastest-growing and preferred investment vehicles worldwide. As a professional working in a family office, you are the first stop and the steward of all information required to make decisions on investments, taxation, and even personal matters. Determining what information is important within your office, who is relying on that information and how that information may impact the bigger picture is critical. The purpose of the Analyzing Investment Performance program is to help you develop the expertise to optimize the information your office manages in order to maximize the value you can provide to family principals.

Through class-room style instruction and real-life examples utilizing the unique Asset Vantage family office integrated accounting and investment management platform, we worked through multiple case studies designed to enhance platform output. We reviewed tax planning opportunities to enable your ability to spot tax savings. We also analyzed financial statements in order to improve cash flow forecasting and present useable information to the decision-makers in your family office.

Over 20 CFOs, CPAs, Family Office Professionals from leading SFOs, MFOs and CPA firms from New York, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago, Naples FL, Houston, Jackson, St Paul, St Louis, San Francisco engaged virtually over 2 full days in exploring best practices and learning from each other.

The greatest value this course brings is the interactions with other professionals working for high net worth family offices. These offices tend to be quite siloed, so the camaraderie that comes from discussing common challenges is invaluable. From a new employee of a family office to its CFO, everyone left with something. I’m pleased with the way we provided it virtually in a way that forced participants to break out of their cliques and get to know new people. – Lindsay Cook, CPA & Faculty at Drexel LeBow.

We will explore some of the themes we picked up during the two days of learning and discussion in detail through blogs over the coming weeks and months, with input from Family Office professionals as well as our own experience as a business birthed from a family office.

Election-led Uncertainty
With a US election upon us and an outcome unclear, it’s vital that families retain cool heads and make considered, rather than knee-jerk, planning decisions.

Education
Younger generations often lack financial knowledge and wisdom. There are key moments when trusted advisors have opportunities to provide counsel.

Cash is King. Communication is Queen
Effective communication within family office principals and their teams is paramount in the current time of volatility.

Rise in ESG Investments
The growing trend in sustainability-focused investments was highlighted. With metrics that may differ from traditional asset allocations, they add new complexity to family office portfolios.

During the course, we launched Family Office 4.0 – a portal packed with tips on the establishment and management of a modern family office. Upcoming blogs will add to a host of resources already available on subjects important to you. And, if there are others in your firm or network who you think would benefit from our know-how, please give them a nudge in that direction too. It’s completely free to sign up!

Please connect with us on LinkedIn to know more about our activities and future education opportunities.

Drexel Lebow is an Asset Vantage knowledge partner.