Generational Unpreparedness, Not Markets, Threatens Family Wealth

According to WealthManagement.com, the 2026 Family Office Operational Excellence Report, produced with Campden Wealth, found that nearly half of family offices say the families they serve have defined their wealth's purpose, up from one-third in 2025. The article argues the biggest threat to multi-generational wealth is not market volatility but generational unpreparedness. Among families that have started defining purpose, 65% cited guiding the next generation as a driver, but only 17% have fully engaged the rising generation in that process.

The findings suggest family offices that focus on returns alone may overlook the determinant of long-term wealth survival: whether heirs understand and own the purpose of the money. With the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history underway, advisers and family offices face a succession problem that legal structures alone cannot solve.