Family Matters On Line
A WORLDWIDE Charitable INITIATIVE OF INDEPENDENT EXPERTS
The charitable not-for-profit foundation and website Family Matters On Line has been created with the help and input of dozens of top independent experts from high profile and succesful law firms all around the world. We all have vast experience with matters that are important for families worldwide. Family Matters is committed to making our collective experience freely available to anyone looking for ideas and solutions for their important family matters.
Together, we provide help through our short articles on various topics. Our goal is to answer questions that families have about matters such as planning and protecting their estate, running and transferring their family business, and organizing medical proxies and emergency measures.
These days, many people are worried and ask themselves questions like, “Who is my family, and what should each of them receive and when?” “Should we prepare and train the next generation to take responsibility for the business?” and “How should we organize our family, and what if something happens to one of us?”
Family matters now more than ever, and families need answers. So, we will help because everyone matters.
Why
Family Matters
Over time, families tend to grow and so do their assets if they are well-planned and managed. The older generation will eventually have to hand over control of their estate, and the new heads of the family must be identified, groomed, and accepted. This process takes time and effort, especially since the rest of the family must accept and support the new leaders. This raises questions such as “What do we tell those who will not have leadership roles? What role, information, and influence should non-leaders have?”
Family Matters On Line website
This website by our charitable not-for-profit Foundation shares practical answers and experiences about this process. It also provides brief explanations of suitable and flexible structures, such as Foundations, Trusts, and Waqf, to manage and finance the family, its assets, and its philanthropy.
Suggestions are given for secure estate and safe tax planning, and the ways in which families can be organized and governed for example through family offices and with the help of family governance through documents such as a family charter with the relevant core family values, culture and understandings within the family. These and many more topics with which families are often confronted, are covered.
Many authors have addressed issues related to people moving from one country to another and the risks and opportunities that come with it.
A few of our most recent articles
Succession and Strategy: Navigating India’s Intricate Inheritance Framework
Owing to India’s vast cultural and religious diversity, India’s legal framework for succession assumes varied characteristics, differing across creeds. As opposed to jurisdictions that operate under a common inheritance framework, India’s approach rests in a pluralistic system, such that...
An Introduction to Indian Inheritance Laws and Practices
Inheritance law in India stands apart for its complexity and diversity. India’s succession landscape is shaped by centuries of history, wherein colonial-era statutes interact with deeply embedded religious and regional traditions, ultimately resulting in a multilayered system that determines...
Practical guide for individuals moving their tax residency to Greece
In recent years, Greece has emerged as an increasingly attractive destination for individuals seeking to relocate their tax residence to a favorable and dynamic jurisdiction. With its strategic location, rich cultural heritage, and robust legal framework, Greece offers a competitive tax...
Implementing Adequate Structures in Italian Family Businesses
Legal Requirements, Practical Approaches, and Strategic BenefitsThe Italian regulatory landscape governing business operations has undergone significant transformation in recent years, primarily due to Legislative Decree No. 14/2019, known as the Business Crisis and Insolvency Code. Fully...
Family Business Succession Planning: Why Next Generation Governance Matters
Should We Really Make Plans for the Next Generation? Why every family must face the question and why postponing it is the most dangerous answer of all. Every family with assets, a business, a house, a collection, a vineyard, knows, somewhere deep down, that one day there will be a change of...
How to Create a Family Transition Plan?
How to Create a Family Transition Plan? It all starts with agreeing on who is family. Transitioning leadership or ownership to the next generation—whether in a family business, a foundation, or through estate planning—requires far more than legal and financial arrangements. It is first and...
Trusts do not always work as intended
Trusts are often used for tax and estate planning purposes. They may not work well if a beneficiary is living in or moves to a civil law country. This may be illustrated by an example from real life: A HNWI residing in a common law country set up trusts, including providing for a will trust....
How to Have, Hold and Protect My Art Collection? – The Dutch Art Fund Foundation
For centuries, Dutch families have owned and protected collections of Dutch Masters. Many have done so successfully, safely, and with long-term continuity through a special legal vehicle under Dutch law: the foundation (stichting). Such an Art Fund Foundation can be created not only by Dutch...
How to Hold and Enjoy Family Assets – Now and for Generations?
How to Hold and Enjoy Family Assets - Now and for Generations? Every family fortune begins with a single pair of hands. Sometimes those hands belong to one determined founder; sometimes to a couple who have built their life and their wealth together. At that first stage, there is no confusion...
How to prepare the Next Generation “Papa, Mama, are we rich?”
How to prepare the Next Generation “Papa, Mama, are we rich?” That is often the most frightening question a parent can hear. It opens a door that cannot easily be closed again. Once the truth is shared, it becomes clear that the next step is not about wealth itself, but about education about...