The combination of risk concentration and lack of liquidity poses significant challenges for wealth management, and for the preservation of wealth. If you are the owner of a private company, a top officer, director or major shareholder in public company, a principal in a private equity, hedge fund or real estate investment firm, you could be facing these very risks/challenges/problems.
Under certain conditions, illiquid wealth can quickly evaporate, or worse – assets can suddenly start to behave like liabilities. If you are successful, then you are wealthy – on paper. Illiquid assets carry a high potential for risk on the balance sheet. But individuals who hold illiquid assets tend to have many wealth planning opportunities too.
Most wealth advisors are focused on gathering and managing large pools of liquid assets, and don’t have the desire or the skills necessary to properly advise a family whose assets are mostly illiquid. As a result, wealthy families with illiquid assets are often unaware of the scope of their risks and opportunities. Ballentine Partners specializes in working on illiquid wealth situations.
