Sponsored By
Trusts & Estates logo

Snapping to AttentionSnapping to Attention

A transformational year for the family office landscape.

8 Min Read
soldanojan17

Seen in the rear-view mirror, 2016 stands draped in change: 

• In March, President Obama visited Cuba, the first sitting president to do so since 1928.

• The United Kingdom sent shock waves worldwide when its citizens voted in June to exit the European Union.

• In July, the Democratic party endorsed its first female presidential nominee.

• Bob Dylan, the voice of the rock era and its disgruntled generation, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in October. 

• November brought to an end a historically divisive presidential campaign that’s left both major political parties reassessing their messages.

“The times,” the Nobel winner wrote, “they are a-changin,” and the wealth management and family office industry hasn’t been immune.

In fact, it’s safe t...

Unlock All Access Premium Subscription

Get Trusts & Estates articles, digital editions, and an optional print subscription. Choose your subscription now and dive into expert insights today!

Already Subscribed?

About the Authors

Patricia M. Soldano

 

Patricia M. Soldano has spent over 25 years managing family offices, providing full service, integrated family office services to many families. She developed Cymric Family Office Services into a multi-family office in 1996, and in January of 2009 Cymric became part of GenSpring Family Offices, which serves many of the world’s wealthiest families and advises on over $16 billion of assets. Pat Soldano is now the Managing Director of Client Service for the firm’s Western Region.

Ms. Soldano received her MBA from Claremont Graduate School and her BA in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton. A recognized speaker on the topic of family wealth, she has been published in Trusts & Estates magazine, Private WealthThe Washington PostForbesWealth Managermagazine, Fund FireInfovest, and other newspapers and periodicals. She is a regular presenter at national conferences throughout the United States, including The Investment Advisor Association, AICPA, USC Family Business Program, Family Office Exchange (FOX) Forum, Institute for Private Investors (IPI) Forum, Investment Management Institute and many others.

Ms. Soldano founded Policy and Taxation Group in 1995 to educate about the destructive effects on families, of the gift, estate and generation skipping tax. The organization encourages estate tax reform and has testified before the Ways and Means Committee for the Congress of the United States.

Ms. Soldano is a member of the Editorial Committee for High Net-worth Families for Trusts & Estates. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Paul Merage School of Business at UC/Irvine and is the current Co-Chair of its Center for Investment and Wealth Management. She is a Board member of "The Trusteeship" (International Women's Forum, Southern California), a Member of the Women's Philanthropy Fund of Orange County United Way and former Policy Committee Chair for the Alzheimer's Association of Orange County.

Chris Walters

Managing Director, GenSpring Family Offices

Chris Walters is a managing director at GenSpring Family Offices in Costa Mesa, Calif.