Thank you to Gary Mendell, founder and CEO of Shatterproof, and Dr. Paul Hokemeyer, licensed family therapist and founding principal of UK-based Drayson Mews, for this conversation with the FFI Practitioner podcast about addiction and mental health treatment in enterprising and ultra-high-net-worth families.

n this week’s issue, contributor Matthew Erskine discusses estate planning measures that can be taken to prepare for the eventuality of a beneficiary’s substance abuse issues.

In this week’s edition, we feature an interview with FFI member and Miami conference presenter, Ross Ellenhorn, in which he discusses the paradigm shift that has, and continues, to reshape thinking on addiction treatment.

While all families have varied strengths and difficulties, addiction and other chronic behavioral health issues present significant risks to family well-being and wealth preservation.

Addiction contributes to poor communication, lack of trust, and even dysfunction in family enterprises.

Even within the healthiest family systems, advisors to high net worth families have to balance competing agendas, challenging family dynamics and the preservation of wealth.

Even the most astute and thoughtful advisor can lose sight of issues which, if unaddressed, threaten to destroy the stability of the family enterprise.

Last week, The Practitioner caught up with Chris on his US book tour. James Olan Hutcheson, an FFI Fellow and advocate on this issue, was able to sit down with Chris.