Having no money is no fun! But having an excess sum of money can also become a big responsibility.
You are responsible to yourself to not lose it, to make it grow. You are responsible to your family members to make the most of it, to use it wisely for the good of the whole family.
You become responsible to the greater community to use your money for the good of those around you, to support schools and hospitals and other worthy causes, to help those less fortunate than you.
Money must be managed well, keeping it invested to grow safely and securely. It needs to be protected from inflation, from income taxes, from overcharges and scoundrels who are trying to get their hands on your money.
Are you better to live without money? Some would say yes. Spend very little; make do with what you have. This may be less taxing and we often don’t need all the things we have and all the worries that managing wealth entails. But if you are lucky enough to have money, you will have endless opportunities to use it well and to help those around you.
You will want to help family members to make the most of their opportunities, at school, in their jobs and businesses, in meeting their own responsibilities.
Very successful families have more money than they will need for their lifetimes. They may even have more money than their children will need for their lifetimes. Now the responsibility of money becomes even greater and requires that a great deal of planning and governance be mustered to ensure that this wealth is used very wisely to help all family members, but not to take away from them the enjoyment and challenges of being a productive success in their own chosen fields. Wealth like that can take away the normal meanings of life and leave family members lost and confused and without direction.
Use money for the opportunities it brings to help others to reach their own potentials, be that in your family, in your community and in the world at large.
We can help you to articulate the purpose of your wealth so this can be a guiding principle in how to optimize your family resources and how to educate family members to work positively together towards that purpose.
