‘A thousand fascinating stories’: Celebrating three years of Canadian Family Offices
Since 2021, we have aimed to become a trusted resource for enterprising families, wealthy investors and advisors across the country
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As Canadian Family Offices marks the third anniversary of its launch this week, we celebrate not just a milestone but a journey filled with rich insights and substantial growth.
Even just three years ago, the term “family office” was not well known. As the concept was becoming more familiar, we saw the need for a distinctly Canadian resource on the topic.
Today, Canadian Family Offices (CFO) is aimed not only at the founders, family members and professionals who operate in a family office environment, but also wealth and asset managers and related professionals beyond the investing role.
Since its launch on June 21, 2021, CFO’s editorial team has produced more than 800 articles, consisting of a blend of reported coverage, “thought leadership” pieces by experts in their field and profiles of prominent families, founders and experts. Our aim has been to become an educational and trusted resource that helps to foster informed decision-making and better advisory practices.
This in a professional field that values privacy and discretion. Investment advisors and those who counsel in the “softer” skills of wealth and family enterprise management are reluctant to share information about their clients, of course, but thankfully many are willing to offer insights about the principles of their practices to their peers.
“There are a thousand fascinating stories to be told about working with wealthy individuals and business families,” said co-editor David Michaels. “We have a very high bar and aim to bring only the most compelling and relevant information to these advisors to help them do their jobs better.”
Co-editor Christina Varga specializes in coverage of UHNW investing tenets and profiles of Canadian business families and philanthropists.
“We enjoy giving families an avenue to tell their inspiring stories of philanthropic giving, for instance, or to talk about how leadership is passed from one generation to the next. Next-gen family members are so important.”
Profiles, advice and stories of success
From the outset, Canadian Family Offices has been committed to providing quality content. Of the total 800 articles published so far, 657 have zoomed in on specific subjects, such as the latest in real estate investments or the implications of Canada’s luxury tax. These articles are crafted with input from multiple experts, ensuring a well-rounded discussion.
Another significant portion of the content, nearly 150 articles, consisted of thought leadership. These are written by experts within the advisory community and are designed to share their knowledge, advice and lessons learned.
Another cornerstone of our coverage has been profiles of more than 60 high-net-worth individuals and families, and founders and business owners. Under the Family Business and Philanthropy headings, we delve into the stories of these families, exploring their entrepreneurial journeys, succession plans and philanthropic endeavors.
Varga says the platform offers these individuals and families a place to share their stories in their own words. This approach has enabled us to build trust with our subjects, who often shy away from the press.
Increasing readership
This combination of content approaches has paid off, with a growing number of readers across multiple disciplines.
The number of followers on LinkedIn has reached 9,700. And our twice-weekly newsletter, which brings content to readers’ email in-boxes, now has more than 6,000 subscribers in Canada and around the world.
Site traffic continues to build. The first five months of 2024 alone brought 128,220 visitors and 208,569 page views. Since launch, we have accumulated a total of 724,427 site visits and 1,124,159 page views.
We hope that this growth reflects the value the content brings to the advisory community and beyond.
Most-read articles
The site’s top 20 most popular articles of all time show the range of topics that have resonated with readers. Notable favorites include “Five smart ways to transfer wealth to your children, grandchildren,” and a profile of the family behind the Chapman’s ice cream brand.
- Five smart ways to transfer wealth to your children, grandchildren
- ʻPlease fix my kidʼ: Parents regret being too easy on their children
- The List: 79 multi-family offices in Canada
- Naim Ali, CEO of Calgaryʼs SM2 Capital, on immigrant success story
- Six immigrant families who flourished after arriving in Canada
- Fire disaster didnʼt melt Chapmanʼs ice-cream dreams
- ‘Athletes are different than other wealthy peopleʼ
- Claudine and Stephen Bronfman donated over $100 million
- Overlooked pension plan can come to the rescue of HNW families
- New spouses invariably upset the inheritance apple cart
- Claridge Homesʼ Bill Malhotra on journey from immigrant to real estate icon
- Ice cream, dyslexia and mom: Kevin OʼLearyʼs journey
- The beer-brewing family who lost it all
- Greg Sorbara family enterprise: from ruins to hospitality hotspot
- Are HNW taxpayers ready for ‘refreshed’ alternative minimum tax coming in 2024?
- Beware the too-comfortable life – it might be killing us
- If you want to leave Canada (and its taxes) behind, prepare for a very long goodbye
- Ten Canadian billionaires, and how they made their fortunes
- Married into wealth: Reflections on a life made ‘easier, not necessarily happierʼ
- How Canada’s new luxury tax works
Another prominent article in the rankings is “The List: 79 multi-family offices in Canada,” our tally of multi-family offices across the country. Rather than putting our list behind a paywall, and charging the family offices for inclusion, we reached out to each one and asked for their permission, then offered the list free to readers.
Covering all aspects of the business
Canadian Family Office’s coverage is split into seven areas.
Fundamentals: Understanding the inner workings of family offices is crucial for advisors. We have dedicated 123 articles so far to exploring how family offices function, featuring interviews with founders and executives. This content, categorized under the Fundamentals heading, showcases the diversity of family offices, both single and multi. Each firm has its unique approach, and the articles reflect this diversity, offering insights into best practices and challenges in the field.
Wealth: In the Wealth section, we have published 187 articles that highlight investment and wealth preservation strategies. These articles have garnered significant interest, especially in the realm of alternative investments, with topics ranging from hedge funds and real estate to venture capital and private equity.
Commentary: This is where informed professionals and executives share their thoughts on such topics as investing, coaching families and best practices at family offices.
Family Business: Coverage here runs the gamut, from spotlighting enterprising families and founders to offering insights about coaching the next generation, succession planning and exit strategies.
Philanthropy: Philanthropic giving and legacy are other key areas of focus for family offices. We have featured more than 30 profiles of individuals and families dedicated to giving back, highlighting their philanthropic activities and the impact of their contributions. This section also looks at giving strategies that maximize the family’s goals in the most efficient ways.
Estate planning: We have offered more than 40 articles in this critical area for HNW families. These pieces address the complexities of wills, inheritances and tax implications, offering practical advice and solutions.
Life & Family: Because it’s not always about the money, this section offers lighter yet equally important content. Among the challenging (and not-so-challenging) topics have been family dynamics, the psychology of wealth and where wealthy families are buying second homes.
Building an audience, and a reputation
Canadian Family Offices started with a selection of about 40 foundational articles. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, CFO managed to connect with family offices and wealth advisory firms virtually, gathering article ideas and building relationships with industry experts.
Since then, we have published a new article nearly every weekday, steadily building a library, audience and reputation.
As well, our founding commercial members, who support our efforts financially, have been joined by new ones.
As we celebrate our third anniversary, we remain committed to providing insights and resources for family office advisors, enterprising families and related professionals. We will continue to explore new topics, expand our network of experts and deliver high-quality content that helps advisors navigate the complexities of managing wealth. Soon we will be conducting a survey of multi-family offices in Canada, and we can’t wait to see the results and learn more about the business.
We editors and writers would like to express our gratitude to readers, contributors and the advisory community for their continued support and engagement. We also encourage readers to contact us with suggestions for topics you would like to see covered, or significant founders, enterprising families, advisors, asset managers or next-gens whom you think we should speak with.
Here’s to many more years of growth and success for Canadian Family Offices.
Devarya Singhania is a summer editorial intern with Canadian Family Offices.
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