In this third issue of our 2026 series from BanyanGlobal, Rebecca Yu and Rob Lachenauer challenge the conventional wisdom of a slow succession process, arguing that, in some cases, prolonged transitions can create ambiguity, undermine new leadership, and ultimately delay the very change they are intended to support.

Family trusts are typically viewed as legal and financial structures, but what if they are also members of the family system?

As artificial intelligence reshapes how knowledge is captured and shared, family enterprises face a provocative new question: Can judgment itself be inherited?

In family enterprise and wealth advisory environments, development is rarely an individual endeavor.

What happens when artificial intelligence meets a rapidly evolving fiduciary landscape?

Succession has traditionally been negotiated behind closed doors—within families, boards, and leadership teams.

Performance evaluation in family enterprises is more than a human resources process—it is central to fairness, accountability, and leadership credibility.

In this episode of the FFI Podcast, we speak with Christopher Gibson, FFI’s 2086 Scholar in Residence, about the evolving landscape of mediation and arbitration and what these changes mean for lawyers and advisors working with family enterprises worldwide.

Succession in family enterprises is rarely just a legal or financial event—it is a test of leadership readiness, legitimacy, and continuity. Increasingly, research suggests that philanthropy can play a meaningful role in meeting these challenges.

In this issue of FFI Practitioner, FFI Fellow Matthew Erskine examines the December 2024 Family Business Review article, “Why and How Do Family Firms Go Public? A Socioemotional Wealth Perspective of IPO.”

Today’s FFI Practitioner features a podcast on “Technology, Family Offices, and Investing for the Future” with Aaron Vaccaro, president of Singularity.

Thank you to this week’s contributor, FFI Fellow Sajjad Hamid, discussing how the use of digital newsletters can help advisors increase their skills in today’s communication environment.

Thank you to Vern Glaser, Jennifer Sloan, and Matt Knight for this week’s FFI Practitioner article about intelligently implementing AI in a family enterprise, with strategies for both family enterprise advisors and their client families.

FFI Practitioner is pleased to feature a podcast conversation with Sir Andrew Likierman, 2025 recipient of the 2086 Society’s FFI Scholar-in-Residence grant.

Thank you to Claudia Binz Astrachan for this précis of the FBR article “Do Family Owners Hold Nonfamily CEOs More Accountable Than Family CEOs for Firm Performance? A Dynamic Perspective,” from the September 2024 issue.

Thank you to Isabella Otero, PhD, for this article discussing the benefits available to clients who consider management of the family firm holistically, approaching it as a diversified portfolio rather than a single business.

Thank you to FFI Fellow Patricia Annino, member of the 2025 Conference Program Committee, for this article about the many complexities to consider when a client wants to leave a family enterprise.

Thanks to Mette Ballari for today’s FFI Practitioner article, which discusses the missing link in family business growth.

In this week’s edition of FFI Practitioner, Phelps Wood and Bill Stranberg highlight strategies for family enterprise advisors to consider when client families first bring a non-family executive into the business as CEO.

In this week’s edition of FFI Practitioner, Dr. Brad Bechtold explores the possible utility of AI applications in family advisory practice for both individual advisors and multidisciplinary advisory teams.