Succession is often treated as a technical exercise. Families are advised on companies, foundations, trusts, shareholder agreements, and life insurance. The documents are signed and there is a sense that the plan is “done”. The real vulnerabilities lie in human dynamics, unspoken expectations, and unresolved questions of what the family is actually trying to preserve.

Survival mode and the residue it leaves behind

Many first-generation founders built their wealth under constant pressure. Business demands invariably came first, so emotional conversations at home were easy to postpone.

That does not necessarily make anyone a poor parent, but it can leave residue on the dynamics. From that point, even well drafted structures can strain. Decisions that appear to be about strategy or valuation often carry older emotional weight. A disagreement over governance is also a dispute about recognition. A debate about liquidity is also a conversation about trust.

Patterns that repeat across generations

Parents can sometimes confuse their own unmet needs with their children’s needs. A child who wants responsibility may receive only protection. Another who needs space may feel held in place by a structure designed to “keep the family together”. Over time, frustration can turn into mistrust or a quiet determination to prove a point.

Consider the splitting of a restaurant bill. When ten friends split a bill evenly, some will have eaten less or ordered modestly. Many still pay their share, but a few quietly feel that the split was unfair. Repeated often enough, that feeling hardens into resentment. Family enterprises replicate this dynamic at scale. By the time a formal transition arrives, perceptions may have already hardened.

Tools matter, but they are not the starting point

From a technical and structural perspective, cross-border families have many tools. We’re talking of holding structures to align assets with jurisdictions, vehicles to ring-fence wealth, agreements that separate management from control, and life insurance to create liquidity where most wealth is locked into operating businesses or property.

None of these can compensate for the absence of alignment. A structure designed to preserve capital will not satisfy heirs who believe the real objective should be independence. A governance charter will not resolve a decade of unspoken resentment about who carried the load. A cross-border life insurance policy can ease a liquidity crunch, but it cannot tell a family how to measure fairness.

The question that keeps the boat moving

After years of underperformance, a British rowing team adopted a simple filter before every decision: “Does this make the boat go faster?”

If the answer was yes, they did it. If the answer was no, they did not. Families need their own version of that question, while understanding that the specific answer may differ, but agreeing on one shared objective changes the conversation.

Once that principle is explicit, the role of advisors and structures becomes clearer. It’s important to remember that governance is designed to serve a purpose, not to compensate for the lack of one. Liquidity planning supports a chosen definition of fairness instead of trying to replace it, and cross-border complexity becomes a problem of implementation rather than identity.

The post Succession breaks where silence lives appeared first on International Finance.

When it comes to cross-generation wealth planning, trust is built quietly in the spaces between generations, where priorities shift, values diverge, and conversations can easily stall. A trusted advisor is an important figure in the room to help a family navigate those moments with empathy, clarity, and steadiness without taking sides.

Every generation thinks differently about money

One of the first steps in bridging generational gaps is recognising that each generation views money through a different lens. These differences are neither good nor bad, but they are real. Baby Boomers, particularly those shaped by scarcity or economic volatility, tend to value stability, preservation, and long-term guarantees. Financial security is often rooted in predictability. For many of them, insurance, real estate, and steady cash flows represent peace of mind.

By contrast, Gen X and Gen Z are coming of age in an entirely different environment, where flexibility, access, and value alignment matter just as much as returns. They’re more comfortable with volatility, more sceptical of traditional institutions, and often more focused on purpose-driven investing. Understanding this divide doesn’t mean simplifying people into stereotypes. An advisor recognises these distinctions, not to box people in, but to understand what questions and motivations are driving them and how each generation defines financial success.

Financial advice is a translation exercise

Advisors offer more than technical expertise. They bring the ability to translate across not just financial products, but across generational languages. When a parent talks about “protecting the family’s future,” they may be thinking of estate planning and long-term wealth preservation. Their adult children may hear something entirely different, perhaps a lack of trust, or a reluctance to let go. Similarly, when younger clients speak of “freedom” or “access,” older family members may interpret that as impatience or risk-taking.

That’s where a trusted advisor makes the difference. Their job is to make sure everyone at the table understands what’s really being said and why it matters. Often, it’s not the financial plan that needs adjusting. It’s the conversation around it.

Wealth without dialogue is risky

Despite best intentions, many families struggle to talk openly about money. Cultural norms, discomfort, and fear of conflict often keep legacy conversations on hold. But silence around wealth rarely preserves peace. More often, it leads to assumptions, misunderstandings, and planning gaps.

That’s why so many families now lean on trusted advisors to create space for these discussions, especially in regions like the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, where family dynamics and expectations play a central role. The most enduring legacies aren’t built through assets alone. They take shape in the quality of dialogue that precedes the transition when everyone has a seat at the table and a chance to be heard.

Continuity means engaging future generations now

Too often, financial plans are built around the needs of the current decision-maker. That makes sense in the short term, but it creates vulnerabilities over time. A plan that works well for one generation may not translate to the next, especially if the logic behind it was never shared.

Advisors take a wider view. That means anticipating how needs will shift, how roles within the family will evolve, and how to future-proof decisions without overcomplicating them. They also involve future beneficiaries in the process, not necessarily in the decision-making, but in the understanding. Without that engagement, there’s a risk that inherited plans feel imposed rather than inherited. Even the best-structured solutions can fail if they’re met with confusion or resistance.

The advisor’s role evolves with the family

As wealth moves from one generation to the next, so does the advisor’s role. It shifts from being the architect of wealth to the custodian of legacy, then to a mentor guiding new stakeholders. It also involves practical work like facilitating succession planning, adapting portfolios, revisiting insurance strategies, and adjusting to new career aspirations or life goals. That transition is rarely linear. Younger family members may not yet be ready to lead; older members may find it hard to let go. An advisor who can support both with empathy, respect, and flexibility helps ensure that the transition is both smooth and meaningful.

At the heart of an advisor’s work is a shift in mindset. Advisors help families decide what their wealth means and what it is for. When done right, financial planning becomes a conversation that connects generations. The best outcomes are seen not just in return on investment, but in the confidence of the next generation to carry the vision forward.

The post How a financial advisor bridges generational gaps appeared first on International Finance.

While there is no guarantee that the situation mentioned above won’t come back again, this article will enlighten and prepare its readers on the family financial planning front, its essential elements, and simple measures that can bring everlasting mental comfort to you and your dear ones.

Understanding the concept

While households create a family budget, many fail to implement the plan, says Taylor Kovar, the CEO of Texas-based Kovar Wealth Management.

“This is where we want to go and this is how much we have right now,” Kovar said.

Following a financial plan gives families direction, freedom to pursue their interests, and access to opportunities that they might not have otherwise had, like beginning a family company or buying a property.

“We don’t say that the person with the most money or the one with the best financial sense gets to make those decisions. Working as a team, so everybody feels satisfied” is crucial. It is a little more complex than just money,” Kovar explained further.

Establishing both long-term and short-term financial objectives for the family might aid in defining the “why” behind your strategy. It could involve long-term goals like retirement, investing in a college degree, or buying a house. Alternatively, it could be short-term objectives like saving money for an emergency fund, clearing debt, or planning a family vacation.

Knowing the game

Taking general guidelines into consideration when creating your list of objectives can be helpful. The 50-30-20 rule is frequently recommended by Brandon Robinson, president and founder of Texas-based JBR Associates Financial Services, who cites the rule’s efficacy and simplicity.

According to this rule, you should set aside 50% of your salary for necessities and 30% for luxuries. The remaining 20% goes toward savings and investments, which promote long-term growth and financial stability.

You can experiment with alternative methods or a different percentage breakdown. Don’t be scared to attempt multiple approaches until you find the one that best suits your family.

A budget is an essential tool for your family’s financial plan since it makes it clear how your money is being spent, which helps you manage it better. It is said eloquently by financial advisor Kovar, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.”

The need to watch spending has grown, as evidenced by a New York Life Wealth Watch poll that found an astounding 73% of parents struggle to keep up with expenses. The first step in creating a budget is adding up all of your income, including child support and other sources of income such as paychecks.

After that, every price is totalled, with variable costs like groceries and entertainment coming after fixed commitments like rent or a mortgage, auto payments, utilities, and tuition. Any money left over after deducting expenses from income should go into investments and savings to promote stability and growth in one’s finances.

Frequent monitoring of spending enables continuous evaluation and necessary adjustments, guaranteeing that financial goals are met.

Families can save money for many purposes at the same time, but if you don’t already have one, your main focus should be setting aside money for an emergency fund. You may prevent debt or even financial disaster by setting aside money for unforeseen costs like house repairs or medical emergencies.

If you’re just starting, open a different savings account and schedule a monthly or weekly automatic deposit. Selecting a high-yield savings account allows you to accrue interest in addition to your contributions. The ultimate objective is to accumulate enough funds to cover three to six months’ worth of costs in the event of a job loss, personal crisis, or other unforeseen disaster. You can start by transferring as little as $50 to $100 per month.

Having debt can hinder your ability to reach your financial objectives. Robinson claims that although some debt, such as a mortgage, may be required, many families wind up in debt as a result of overspending on wants and accruing large credit card debt. In other instances, having to use credit to cover unforeseen costs results from not having enough emergency cash.

For whatever reason, you should prioritise making those payments consistently for a while if you do have high-interest amounts. It could mean temporarily cutting back on some expenses or earning additional money. If you’re unsure of where to begin, you can look into other possibilities or consult with a credit counsellor for assistance.

The last thing you want is for unanticipated events to ruin the hard work you’ve put into adhering to a family financial plan. Products for insurance can help with it.

Term life insurance, health insurance, and vehicle insurance are the main kinds to have. In the latter case, your loved ones may benefit monetarily in the event of your untimely death if you have a term life policy worth multiple times your yearly income and you have dependents.

There are additional insurances, such as business, umbrella, and pet insurance, that could also be helpful to you.

Investing in the future

Family financial planning includes long-term planning in addition to day-to-day or month-to-month spending and saving. You can prevent yourself from ever having to support your children financially by setting up money for retirement.

You’ll have more growth potential the earlier you start investing. Additionally, you can achieve consistent growth while minimising your risk by keeping a diversified portfolio that includes a variety of investments.

Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and retirement plans such as 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are examples of long-term investing alternatives.

An investment in college can increase your children’s earning potential in the long run. The most recent data available, from 2021, showed that the median wages of individuals with a bachelor’s degree were 55% greater than those of individuals with only a high school diploma.

You can save and grow money tax-free using special accounts like 529 plans to assist lessen your children’s future student loan debt burden. Adding more money to a college savings plan can be a wise investment if you have a healthy emergency fund and are saving for your retirement.

According to Tyler Meyer, CFP, founder of RetireToAbundance.com, financial education ought to be a family affair. He suggests that everyone, whatever of age, contribute their financial expertise at a “Family Finance Night.”

“This not only fosters financial literacy but also establishes a welcoming atmosphere for candid financial discussions, strengthening sound financial practices,” Meyer stated further.

While shopping with your children, you may also look for instructional moments related to money and educate them to divide gift and allowance money into spend, save, and donate buckets.

A family financial plan ought to adapt as your priorities and funds do. It shouldn’t remain stagnant.

“Plan a monthly check-in with your partner and/or children, and then you can go deeper once or twice a year,” Kovar advises.

Additionally, you may decide to review your financial planning checklist, consider new options, and be guided by a financial counsellor or planner once a year.

Life post-retirement

A common goal for many families is to retire. A crucial component of family financial planning is evaluating clients’ retirement objectives and assisting them in creating a strategy to reach those objectives. If applicable, a successful retirement plan for a couple entails a thorough and well-coordinated strategy to guarantee that each person has the resources and financial techniques that work best for them.

As their financial advisor, you ought to urge your clients to fund their employer-sponsored retirement accounts (401(k)s and 403(b)s and to fully utilise any employer match that may be offered. When compared to other retirement savings vehicles, these plans may have higher contribution limits and offer tax advantages.

You should advise both spouses to open IRAs, either standard or Roth, based on their income, tax status, and eligibility, in addition to employer-sponsored plans.

Couples can diversify their retirement funds and enhance their long-term financial plan by utilising the extra tax advantages and investment flexibility that IRAs offer. You must motivate your clients to make regular contributions to their retirement accounts, especially in times of market volatility or uncertainty. Furthermore, it will emphasise the significance of routinely assessing and adjusting their investment portfolios to preserve the intended asset allocation and risk profile.

As your customers mature, talk to them about the best time to file for both spouses’ Social Security benefits, keeping in mind their ages, life expectancies, and possible survivor or spousal benefits.

Assist them in creating a retirement income plan that accounts for required minimum distributions (RMDs), tax consequences, and probable changes in their spending habits as they approach retirement.

Tax and legacy planning

Legacy planning is developing a plan for safeguarding a family’s wealth and transferring it to subsequent generations in addition to life insurance. This can involve tax planning techniques to reduce estate taxes, if applicable, as well as estate planning techniques including drafting a will or establishing a trust.

Give customers advice on the significance of establishing a power of attorney, will, and healthcare proxy. Talk about ways to minimise taxes and preserve money using gifting techniques, trusts, and charitable contributions.

To assist clients in creating a thorough legacy plan that is in line with their beliefs and long-term financial objectives, financial advisors want to collaborate with estate planning attorneys.

Due to many income streams, dependents, and possible credits or deductions, families can have more complicated tax circumstances than do individuals. Financial advisers should advise clients on ways to reduce their tax burden and assist them in understanding the tax ramifications of their financial decisions, working in tandem with certified tax professionals.

Achieving financial milestones and setting priorities is facilitated by creating financial goals that involve your entire family. Once you construct the family budget, tools, and technology can help you put a lot of your plan on autopilot, even if it can feel overwhelming at first.

Your family’s financial stability can be strengthened for both the present and the future after you manage debt, build an emergency fund and insurance policies, and begin to see growth in your savings and investment accounts.

The post Financial planning for families: The success formula appeared first on International Finance.

Taking the total assets, shareholders’ equity, and market capitalization into consideration, Commercial Bank is currently one of Qatar’s most important commercial banks in the country.

Having been around for nearly 40 years, Commercial Bank has profitable operations, earning it top credit ratings. The bank has also expanded immensely, thanks to its diverse revenue structure, solid asset quality, varied funding sources, and a strong capital foundation while offering services that are grounded in honesty and supported by strong corporate principles.

The size of Qatar’s economy and Commercial Bank’s own multifaceted strategy has contributed to the bank’s core businesses experiencing significant development.

International Finance caught up with Marlena Brzosko, Head of Wealth Management Product Development and Service, Commercial Bank of Qatar, who shared her insights about wealth management, financial planning, technological evolution in the financial sector, and much more.

Q) Why is wealth management an important consideration within the scope of personal financial planning?

A) Wealth management lies at the heart of financial planning. Our financial needs and goals change as we progress through various stages in our lifecycles. In order to achieve our financial objectives, it’s important to realize that there are no shortcuts in life. Every stage in life requires careful, considered financial planning, which leads to consistent and disciplined saving and investing habits.

Wealth management provides our clients with the right solutions that enable them to save, invest, and grow their wealth to meet their financial objectives as they progress through life. Our products allow clients to leverage the benefits of smart investments in capital markets and the power of compounding to meet their medium and long-term goals.

Q) Can you tell us about the recent growth and evolution of wealth management services at Commercial Bank?

A) Wealth management is a rapidly growing segment within Commercial Bank. We have experienced excellent traction with our customer base, and our clients are extremely eager to avail themselves of the diverse opportunities that our platform offers. Commercial Bank has seen an accelerating rate of growth in subscribers across all our product lines. Over the next few years, the wealth segment with play a pivotal role in our growth journey as a financial services provider. We have worked consistently towards upscaling our staff’s skillset on wealth products, empowering them to better guide their clients. With a full-fledged advisory team in place, we are ideally poised to sustain our strong growth, leverage customer relationship synergies, and create an exceptional service experience for our clients.

Q) Investment in wealth products has historically been associated with a select few experienced customers. Do you see a change in this trend?

A) The traditional understating that wealth management services are accessible only to a limited segment of customers is a thing of the past. Today, we are able to provide efficient and customized solutions across our entire customer base. With access to the latest technology platforms and an extensive range of products, we are able to develop and structure suitable investment portfolios for any customer in line with their savings, cashflows, and risk appetite. Whether you are an experienced investor looking to diversify your portfolio or someone just starting their investment journey, we have the right solutions available!

Q) What are the various offerings available to Commercial Bank customers for investing their money?

A) The wealth management platform at Commercial Bank offers a wide range of diversified investment opportunities, which can be broadly categorized into the following classes:

Bonds: We offer our customers a chance to invest in more than 1,000 local and international bonds with a range of risk profiles, returns, and maturities.

Mutual Funds: We work with leading global fund managers and provide a wide range of mutual funds which are available to our customers for a subscription. Our selection of funds includes lower-risk money market funds, as well as moderate and high-risk offerings with higher levels of equity exposure.

International Investment Plans: This unique offering is targeted towards investors who wish to save and invest on a monthly basis. With this structure, clients choose to invest in a fund of their choice with monthly contributions starting from just $300.

Share Trading Platforms: Our clients can access international (US, UK, Europe, and Hong Hong) share markets through our robust and user-friendly share trading platforms. One of the best features of our share trading app is free access to market insights, latest news, and trends.

Local Share Trading: Clients can gain access to the Qatar Exchange through our online trading services, where they can monitor live stock prices and trade with ease and convenience.

Q) Selecting the right investment products seems too complex. Is there a way to simplify this process?

A) I understand that the multitude of options and choices may seem daunting for someone just getting started on their investment journey. That is where we come in. When saving and investing through the Commercial Bank Wealth Management platform, our customers can rest assured that they are in safe hands. Our wealth advisory services aim to understand the client’s financial profile and goals, and evaluate them in line with their respective risk appetite. After careful consideration, our advisors are able to structure personalized investment portfolios that align with the client’s financial situation, risk profile, need for diversification, and return expectations. With Commercial Bank Wealth Management, managing your wealth is easy.

Q) With the rapid evolution of technology in the financial sector, how do you see this impacting your existing and potential customers?

A) Commercial Bank has always been at the forefront of technological empowerment and innovation in financial services, and wealth management is no exception. We have recently seen rapid development in AI-based robo-advisory solutions and personalization through learning-powered CRM systems. In alignment with these trends, we are focused on the development and deployment of state-of-the-art wealth management systems designed to support our frontline in better serving our customers. By leveraging AI tools, our team will be able to proactively and efficiently manage client portfolios. Our award-winning application allows customers to fund their investment accounts with convenience and monitor their investments with ease.

The post Wealth management crucial for financial planning: Commercial Bank’s Marlena Brzosko appeared first on International Finance.

The firm is listed on Nairobi Securities Exchange. It is reported that the firm has been investing efforts to recover from business slowdown in the last two years. That said, the downside effects of Covid-19 is anticipated to impact Sanlam Kenya’s performance this year.

However, the firm is reported to have bounced back to a full-year profitability demonstrating interest in life and general insurance business, media reports said. It recorded a pre-tax profit of Sh 500 million.

Sanlam Kenya chairman John Simba, told the media, “Sanlam banking on tech and partnerships to boost its post-Covid business recovery that has disrupted businesses across the world. The biggest opportunity in growing the Sanlam Kenya business lies in tapping technology to reach new market segments. This digital transformation is opening up alternative distribution channels while revolutionising the customer experience.”

Also, the firm will heavily depend on its human resources and information technology to enhance its distribution and customer service delivery platforms. It will further innovate to increase its footprint on the back of implementing robust technology.

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