Sharing our thinking

CMG regularly updates our thinking on research, trends, and stories about business families and how best to support them.

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Warren Buffett and his deep admiration for business families

Here are three things that stood out to us in Warren Buffett's most recent letter to the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders...

Avoiding the estate planning pitfalls of rock stars

What do Pablo Picasso, Aretha Franklin, and Prince have in common? All were great artists in their own right, and each had a fair degree of ‘business smarts’ as they built their unique artistry. But they all died without a proper will or an estate plan in place...

Ted Rogers and his strategic use of corporate-owned life insurance

Entrepreneur, visionary, philanthropist and telecommunications giant, Ted Rogers was also a smart estate planner. He ensured that there was cash available to cover his tax liabilities at death ensuring the business he’d built – and grown could safely remain in his family’s hands...

Merck's commitment to family governance

In a series of updates to our original story, we explore some of Merck's best practices in more detail. Our first instalment focuses on family governance structures – and how Merck has used these to cultivate (and sustain) unity and stability within the family...

MERCK: a thirteen generation legacy

If you’re the Merck family, you leave nothing to chance. You prioritize planning the future. You invest in it. In simple terms, the Mercks have built and sustained a 13-generation legacy by taking the “Be Prepared” adage to a whole new level...

How billionaire families are contributing in a changing world

We identify five key findings and our favourite ‘sound bites’ from research jointly implemented by UBS and PwC – shining light on the impact of the past year towards billionaires, their wealth and businesses, and also to their philanthropy...

Spousal security, autonomy and independence

For successful business families, the issue of “spousal security” is rarely about money and net worth – and almost always about autonomy and control…

MERCK: thinking in generations, not just in quarters

If you’re the Merck family, you leave nothing to chance. You prioritize planning the future. You invest in it. In simple terms, the Mercks have built and sustained a 13-generation legacy by taking the “Be Prepared” adage to a whole new level...

Covering estate taxes with charitable tax credits

As one of Canada’s largest auto parts wholesalers, finding mutual wins had been Nilam Patel operating style with customers for years. But he wanted a different win-win this time. This one involved planning his charitable legacy, while at the same time covering the tax burden on his estate...

The Vaccine Billionaires of India

The Poonawalla family of India is making a dramatic impact on the global COVID-19 pandemic by becoming the world’s biggest manufacturer of vaccines...

Building business capital and access to liquidity when you need it most

Permanent life insurance is more than an estate tax solution for Canada’s business families. It also builds business capital and can be a source of liquidity – in all market conditions, including a global pandemic like the one we’re experiencing...

Will family control of Samsung end because of estate taxes?

Samsung is a highly-diversified $400 billion conglomerate, rich in three generations of history. But now it’s possible the Lee family’s control may be coming to an end...