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SFO to MFO ConversionsSFO to MFO Conversions

Many wealthy families are tempted to convert their single-family offices (SFOs) into a multi-family office (MFOs). The hope is that sharing their office services with other high-net-worth families will help defray costs and retain professional staff. In 2004, Bloomberg Wealth Manager found that of the 64 firms it surveyed, 25 percent had descended from SFOs and 30 percent were owned wholly or in part

Patricia M. Soldano

August 1, 2005

12 Min Read
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Patricia Soldano, president and CEO, Cymric Family Office Services, Costa Mesa, Calif., and Kathr

Many wealthy families are tempted to convert their single-family offices (SFOs) into a multi-family office (MFOs). The hope is that sharing their office services with other high-net-worth families will help defray costs and retain professional staff. In 2004, Bloomberg Wealth Manager found that of the 64 firms it surveyed, 25 percent had descended from SFOs and 30 percent were owned wholly or in part by one or more of the families they serve.

We've seen a number of SFO-to-MFO conversions and can report: Some have worked. But just as often, the transformation took much longer and was more disruptive than anticipated. Operating costs were usuall...

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About the Author

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.