The Family Office: A Comprehensive Guide for Advisers, Practitioners, and Students (Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing Series)

I've been a long-time student of family business and I found this book on family office management to be very interesting. My family office would be in the high 5 figures in terms of total assets, instead of the 10-figure plus that the book is intended for, but was impressed at the systematic way the subject of a family office and it's challenges and differences from a typical operating company were presented. Great model for a text book, as it has a fictional vignette, followed by a summary and some key questions to consider. As you progress through the book, you "discover" new areas and challenges, from investments, to IT, to travel management, to property management, and philanthropy. This book covers it all. If I ever have the opportunity to serve or advise a family office, this will be a go-to resource!

I bought this book based upon the reputation of the authors and also curious to what they had to say about private aviation - my specialty. The book gives an overview of all the decisions that need to be made in setting up a single family office following a liquidity event, and that leads into a whole range of topics and issues including how to handle private aviation. The book is well researched and flows well. I think the book could use a few more graphs and visuals where appropriate but overall, a great read for those in this space who want to benchmark their knowledge or newbies like me who are getting to know the vastly important role of the family office within the life of an ultra high net worth family. -David Clark, Integris Aviation Consultancy

Authors Marshall and Woodson do a masterful job in creating this comprehensive family office guide covering everything from what to think about in setting up a family office, services offered, in-sourcing/out-sourcing, staffing considerations, compensation incentives, investment management, risk management, entity structures, philanthropy, governance, NexGen education and leadership – and much more. Marshall and Woodson provide much of the information through a memorable family office case study and offer key questions and tips along the way to help the reader consider what to do when along the family office journey. Finally, Marshall and Woodson offer valuable outside third party data and resources as support for their work and resource guides for the reader. Bravo!

This is a tremendous resource. I've already recommended it to 4-5 clients, and to my colleagues at the Family Business Consulting Group. The structure evolves, using a case study approach, in an organic, accessible format. The resources are well vetted. I've underlined countless sentences and recommend it strongly to anyone in the Family Office world.Respectfully, Doug Gray, PhD, Gray@theFBCG.com. Author of OKR Leadership; How to Apply Silicon Valley’s Secret Sauce to Your Career, Team or Organization (2019)

Woodson & Marshall are very experienced practitioners, and the book portrays information from an industry expert’s point of you. The book is well-written describing elements that practitioners/students must understand about family offices. Because of the case and question nature of this book, I found it very practical to understand the concepts delivered. Highly recommended, ended up highlighting the whole book.

This is an excellent practical, comprehensive, and concrete book of family office “know how”. The authors are genuine experts on family offices with real life experience & not theoreticians writing academic papers. A great guide for anyone in the family office business, from lawyers, accountants and security professionals to professors and finance students studying the topic. This comprehensive approach makes it a real ‘go to’ encyclopedia of family office practices.

The authors balance a healthy amount of data and insight with actual case studies which help apply the information to real life. It's very detailed and thorough. It reads easy too. I like how they outline the Formation of Family Offices before taking me through the Services and Governance. I've read a number of books that speak to Family Office issues in my line of work. This book is excellent.

This is a thorough and complete examination of the Family Office ecosystem. The case study format makes for an engaging way for the reader to absorb the wide ranging issues facing Family Offices. In an era where human capital, regulatory frameworks, and capital markets are constantly evolving, this book serves as lodestar for Family Office principals and advisers.