Corporate Finance & Planning Insights for Multi-Generational Family Businesses
Macro-economic volatility has put pressure on compensation programs that depend on accurate goal-setting and stable growth, affecting executive morale and jeopardizing talent retention. Ultimately, the family-owned companies that best weather this uncertainty consider pay adjustments within the broader context of family shareholder and business needs.
While its status as a Christmas song is perhaps debatable, Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December” is classic country music at its finest. The song captures the strain of economic hardship, with a recently downsized father lamenting his inability to … Continued
Hazel Krantz’s “100 Pounds of Popcorn” may be a children’s book, but it offers a surprisingly sharp lens on family business dynamics. When three children discover an unexpected windfall, they confront the same challenges real enterprises face: recognizing opportunities, making intentional decisions, managing costs, and navigating differing shareholder priorities. The story is a reminder that clarity, discipline, and alignment matter far more than size or sophistication. Sometimes the best business lessons come from the simplest places.
Thanksgiving traditions like Nashville’s Boulevard Bolt offer a powerful reminder for family business leaders: meaningful progress is always a shared effort. The same sense of community, gratitude, and trust that makes these events successful also strengthens the long-term value of a family enterprise. When leaders acknowledge contributors, foster healthy governance, and build trust across generations, they reinforce the very qualities that drive stability and resilience. This holiday season is an ideal time to reflect on those connections and invest in what truly sustains a family business.
Dividends are about more than distributing profits. They are about distributing confidence that the business is healthy, that management is accountable, and that the true meaning of the family business is being honored.
We released our newest booklet, “Capital Budgeting in 30 Minutes,” a few weeks ago. The purpose of this booklet is to assist family business directors in evaluating proposed capital projects and contributing to capital budgeting decisions that enhance the value of their businesses. Capital budgeting can’t be avoided — the only question is whether your family business has a consistent and disciplined process for evaluating potential investments or instead makes significant capital commitments in a more haphazard way. The capital budgeting guide provides practical insights to help directors make informed, disciplined investment decisions that align with the company’s long-term goals. Get your copy and learn more about capital budgeting in this week’s post.
Brown Brothers Harriman’s third annual Private Business Owner Survey offers insights from nearly 500 owners of family and privately held companies. The report provides a revealing look at how these owners approach succession, growth, and shareholder returns. For family business directors, the findings serve as a valuable opportunity to reflect on the governance, planning, and alignment practices that sustain long-term continuity and success.
Capital budgeting decisions are among the most important choices a family business board will make. Capital Budgeting in 30 Minutes helps directors understand how to evaluate proposed investments using tools like net present value and internal rate of return—while also considering strategic fit and non-financial constraints. This guide equips family business leaders to make disciplined, informed capital allocation decisions that enhance long-term value.
When families articulate a shared mission, they define what truly matters. But in family enterprises, that mission must align with what the business means economically to the family. Whether the business is built for growth, preservation, liquidity, or lifestyle, clarity about its financial role ensures that purpose and prosperity move forward together.
We recently read a fantastic post on the Altair Advisers’ blog, “Words on Wealth,” by Jason M. Laurie, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer. The post addresses five things that founders wish someone had told them before selling their businesses to private equity firms. We thank Jason for allowing us to share the post with our readers.
