Wealth that is not structured is wealth at risk.
It is a widely cited statistic that 70% of wealthy families lose their wealth by the second generation, and 90% by the third. Commonly known as the “third-generation curse,” this trend continues to concern families who have spent decades building meaningful financial legacies.
Accumulating wealth is a significant milestone. The real challenge lies in preserving it, structuring it effectively, and passing it on without disruption. These challenges become more pronounced in a global environment shaped by shifting markets, evolving regulations, and complex family dynamics.
Wealth management offers a disciplined and forward-looking approach. It addresses every dimension of a client’s financial life—capital growth, risk oversight, governance, and generational continuity. It provides clarity in decision-making and brings coordination across assets, jurisdictions, and long-term objectives.
For individuals and families with substantial wealth, understanding what wealth management includes is necessary. The right framework can support long-term stability, align financial plans with personal priorities, and help avoid the fragmentation that often threatens legacy.
So, what are the core components of comprehensive wealth management?
What Is Wealth Management?
Wealth management is a comprehensive and long-term approach to managing the financial affairs of high-net-worth individuals and families, especially those with private wealth spread across jurisdictions or passed through generations. It brings together strategic planning, disciplined oversight, and customised solutions to help preserve and grow wealth over time.
The 2023 North America Family Wealth Report by Brightstar Capital Partners and Campden Wealth highlights the growing need for formalised planning:
- 61% of affluent families do not have a written, formal succession plan in place.
- 60% are concerned about potential market downturns, with 75% citing inflation and interest rates as key risks.
- Among families involving the next generation, 81% say their primary goal is to protect and sustain family wealth.
These figures reflect a clear trend: families are aware of the risks but often lack the structure to respond effectively.
Wealth management introduces a holistic view—one that integrates personal values, legacy priorities, and evolving family needs into a single, actionable strategy.
Clients can remain actively involved through an advisory model or delegate day-to-day decisions under a discretionary mandate. In both cases, wealth management helps reduce complexity, strengthen decision-making, and provide clarity across every stage of life and capital.
Core Services Included in Wealth Management
What does it take to manage wealth responsibly once it reaches a certain scale? True wealth management requires customised services that address portfolio construction, manager access, private capital opportunities, and broader financial strategy.
Investment Portfolio Advice & Analysis
Portfolio management begins with a disciplined asset allocation strategy, calibrated to the client’s investment objectives, risk parameters, liquidity needs, and time horizon. This process is based on capital market assumptions, macroeconomic trends, and the client’s financial plan.
Advisory teams conduct periodic reviews to assess performance against benchmarks and rebalance exposures based on macroeconomic developments, policy shifts, and client-specific changes. The objective is to preserve capital while targeting consistent, risk-adjusted returns.
Common allocations include:
- Public markets – equities, investment-grade and high-yield bonds, and money market instruments
- Private markets – hedge funds, private credit, infrastructure, and structured products to reduce volatility and enhance diversification
For instance, a family with concentrated equity holdings may implement a hedging strategy or pursue structured exit solutions to reduce exposure. A client seeking income may allocate to a diversified, yield-focused strategy combining dividend-paying equities, short-duration bonds, and alternative income sources.
In-House Funds & Third-Party Manager Selection
Manager selection is a fundamental function in discretionary and advisory mandates. Clients benefit from access to both proprietary strategies and third-party managers vetted through due diligence.
The evaluation process considers:
- Multi-period performance against relevant benchmarks
- Consistency of investment style and alpha generation
- Portfolio construction methodology and concentration risk
- Stability of investment team and governance standards
This dual-platform approach supports diversification across strategies and styles while maintaining oversight and accountability.
Private Equity Access
Private equity provides access to non-public investment opportunities with long-term capital appreciation potential. Access is generally reserved for qualified investors with a capacity for illiquidity and longer time horizons.
The evaluation criteria include:
- Fund structure, term sheets, and capital call schedules
- Historical internal rate of return (IRR) and multiple on invested capital (MOIC)
- Sector specialisation, deal pipeline, and value creation model
- General partner commitment and alignment with limited partners
According to the latest EQuilibrium Global Institutional Investor Survey, around 66% of investors plan to increase allocations to private assets over the next five years.
Wealth Structuring
Wealth structuring focuses on arranging and consolidating personal assets across jurisdictions to support long-term control, continuity, and confidentiality.
Common structures include:
- Discretionary trusts
- Private investment companies
- Foundations
The choice of structure depends on multiple factors, including residency, regulatory frameworks, asset class mix, and confidentiality needs.
Succession Planning
Succession planning addresses the orderly transfer of wealth, decision-making authority, and ownership across generations. Effective succession strategies incorporate:
- Wills, family agreements, and governance protocols
- Trusts or holding structures to guide timing and conditions of transfer
- Family constitutions that define roles, responsibilities, and dispute resolution mechanisms
These frameworks require regular review to remain aligned with evolving family dynamics and asset growth.
Citizenship & Residency Services
These offerings support asset protection, contingency planning, and geographic flexibility for families with international exposure.
- Residency-by-investment (RBI) and citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programs
- Strategic relocation support
- Integrated structuring
Life Insurance & Risk Management
Life insurance plays a strategic role in wealth continuity. When structured appropriately, it supports liquidity planning, succession funding, and estate equalisation across family members.
Common structures include:
- Dedicated policies to fund inheritance or legacy transfer
- Cross-border coverage
- Multi-jurisdictional risk solutions
Risk management also includes a comprehensive review of liabilities across jurisdictions.
Who Can Benefit from Wealth Management Services?
Wealth management is most relevant for individuals and families whose financial affairs involve multiple dimensions—investment strategy, wealth structuring, international exposure, and succession planning.
Those who benefit most include:
- Founders or former business owners
- Retired professionals
- Multi-generational families
- Global citizens and expatriates
If any of the following apply, it may be time to explore structured wealth management:
- You have investable assets but limited time/resources
- You face exposure to volatility, inflation, or interest rate risk
- You are preparing for succession
- You own assets across jurisdictions
- You want to preserve your family legacy
Why Taurus Wealth Is Structured for Complexity
Significant wealth brings structure with it—financial, operational, and generational. It also brings responsibility.
Taurus Wealth operates as a multi-family office with a clear purpose: to support individuals and families with complex personal wealth through independent, bank-agnostic advice. With offices in Singapore, Dubai, and Zurich, the firm brings deep capability across investment strategy, wealth structuring, and cross-border coordination.
Clients value Taurus for its ability to:
- Consolidate fragmented portfolios
- Coordinate decisions with consistency
- Align strategy with long-term priorities
If you are navigating multi-jurisdictional holdings, long-term planning, or evolving responsibilities, Taurus Wealth provides the structure and insight needed to make confident, informed decisions—now and for the generations to follow.
The Taurus Wealth Editorial Team comprises experienced wealth management professionals dedicated to delivering insightful financial advice and market updates. With a collective expertise spanning over a decade, our team is committed to empowering clients with tailored strategies for wealth preservation and growth.