I am certain that a list like this is never complete. So, for anyone that I may have unintentionally missed, you are the individuals who not only listened to me but, I believe, encouraged me to talk at length on this subject matter. Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm.
Without question, I must acknowledge the truly remarkable families for whom I have had the privilege to be of service, assisting with the establishment of their succession and wealth-transition plans using the Family Bank approach. Some of these families only needed to consider a few of the concepts in this book, and in other cases I have acted as a family meeting facilitator in applying the Family Bank approach; for all, I took the utmost care to safeguard their identities and privacy. In each and every case, I am utterly awed by the strength of these families and their earnest desire to do the right thing. Without their genuine concern for their succession and wealth-transition plans to do no harm and their successful implementation of the Family Bank approach, this book would not have been written. Thank you for inspiring me to write this book and share our work with other families and their professional advisors.
Toni Cavelti, master jeweler and independant artist, and his wife, Hildegard, are successful entrepreneurs and family friends who sought my thoughts on succession and wealth-transition planning and then sparked in me the idea to make the Family Bank approach accessible to all entrepreneurial families, not just families comprised of accountants and lawyers. Thank you, Toni and Hilda, for directing my enthusiasm to delivering a useable approach for any family.
John Plul immediately understood the usefulness of the Family Bank approach and encouraged me to use my voice in communicating it. He was the very first to sit next to me and say, “You have to do this!” Great idea, thank you John.
Thank you to John Gjervan, Lynn Delahey, and Maggie Lui, fellow business team members, for your belief in the Family Bank approach and the messages contained therein–your enthusiasm and feedback inspired me to keep moving forward. Thank you all for sharing our team’s vision of always putting the needs of our clients and their families first.
Gary Brookes is an Investment Advisor and a professional business associate who, through his willingness to enter into numerous succession and wealth-transition conversations, encouraged me to focus on this area of expertise. Thank you for your ongoing support, Gary.
Linda Hamer, a distinguished educator and visionary business builder, is one of the most remarkable individuals I have ever met. Aside from being the editor of my original articles in the area of succession and wealth-transition planning, Linda is the person who willingly engaged me in numerous lengthy philosophical discussions around the Family Bank approach. She is responsible for planting the seed of an idea about this book, stopping me mid-conversation to say, “This is going to be a book you have to write.” Thank you, Linda, for the gentle nudge, the belief that this book should be written, and that I could do it.
Gary Nott, with the wisdom and wise counsel of a highly respected, retired Managing Partner of Deloitte & Touche in western Canada, yet actively engaged business leader, mischieviously asked my business partner, my husband, “if I could speak.” Unbeknownst to him, I can, in fact, speak and it is all my speaking that crystallized the content for this book. Thank you Gary for championing my work in this area.
To David Coe and your fellow members of The Executive Committee (TEC), for bringing in an “unknown” speaker and listening so attentively to that speech. Thank you, gentlemen.
To Cathy Daminato, director of advancement at Simon Fraser University, my alma mater, for reaching into our community and bringing me back into the fold at SFU, a post-secondary institution that taught me to question the status quo in an intellectual way. Ingrained at SFU, it’s exactly this kind of thinking that was foundational in writing about the Family Bank approach. Thank you, Cathy, for your support and encouragement, and for reminding me how important my SFU educational roots are.
To Chris Labonté, my publisher at Figure 1 Publishing, who took a chance and said yes to my first draft manuscript, adding “Fantastic! This is terrific! It’s all there. Now, could you please rewrite it?” Chris saw the diamond in the rough and brought it into the light of day.
To Barbara Pulling, my editor, who took my second draft manuscript and did what she referred to as a “heavy edit,” earning from me the nickname of “the friendly slasher.” Thank you, Barbara, for brilliantly removing all the rocks from my manuscript.
To Pam Robertson and Jessica Sullivan, for copy editing and design—thank you for understanding what this book is about and weaving your expertise into the pages.
John Moonen is a friend, lawyer, and respected lobbyist in our local business community with whom I share political and Family Bank conversations. When I told John that I had written this book and it was going to be published by Figure 1 Publishing, he was the very first person to reach into his pocket and buy the first copy, even though it was still in manuscript form. Now that was fun! Thank you, John, for your vote of confidence and your continued support.
To Elise Rees, Transaction Tax Partner, Ernst & Young, Vancouver, B.C., Market Leader Transaction Advisory Services, and decades-long friend, who has always offered me the right advice, including on transaction tax, at the right time. Thank you, Elise, for your friendship and wise counsel.
Ravi Hira and Therese Alexander have consistently offered me positive words of support, decades of friendship, title ideas, and solid legal advice. I am honored and fortunate to have such wise friends and expert legal advice in my corner. Thank you for your wholehearted support.
Bruce Barclay, a true gentleman, was my Thursday night date for dinner while I wrote this book away from home, giving me something to look forward to in between all the writing. From “Lady Hamilton” to “Mr. Barclay,” thank you.
To Brian Welch, my water-ski buddy, for listening to my ramblings on the water and on the road. Ideas seem to grow better and stronger when discussed. Thank you, Brian, for allowing me to engage you in these conversations.
Gill Kassell and Julie Welch are two women with sharp wit and incisive insight. You two ladies were at the top of my list when I was trying to find a title for this book. Thank you, Gill and Julie, for your friendship, support, and seriously clever wordsmithing.
To Monica Mashal, for your thoughtful intelligence and counsel and decades of friendship. You read one of my first articles on this subject matter, long before I wrote this book and said, in a very polite way, something along the lines of, “Great, and perhaps you could be more diplomatic.” As always, you were absolutely right! Thank you, Monica.
To Marion Youngberg and Pamela Thompson, young professionals at the start of their careers in the investment industry, for being willing to question the textbook and corporate-prescribed product sales solutions to succession and wealth-transition plans, and therefore willing to think outside the box and consider the Family Bank approach. I am always inspired by those professionals who put the genuine needs of their clients ahead of product sales. Marion and Pam, thank you for considering these ideas.
To Cynthia Ingram, my friend and running partner, for listening to my ramblings for years and encouraging me to write. Thank you, Cynthia, I had to start somewhere.
It almost goes without saying that I must acknowledge my grandparents and my parents for their visions for their Family Banks, and for being the role models of solid bedrock values, and also my siblings, for a lifetime of remarkable experiences.
My in-laws, George, Geraldine, Jeff, Sheryl, and Neal Hamilton, respected community leaders and farmers, also role-modeled their family’s shared bedrock values and remained open to considering the Family Bank approach. Thank you all for always knowing when to tease “the city girl” and for making family meetings fun.
Donald Mackenzie is an extraordinary business builder who realized that no matter how financially successful one might be, retirement is boring, and turned his laser-sharp advice and insights towards the work that I do. Donald and I have shared endless hours of academic and practical business and wealth-transition conversations, and he was a willing and much needed sounding board while I wrote this book. I am eternally grateful for Donald’s support and confidence in me and the Family Bank approach. I do not know what to call Donald: a mentor, a coach, an inspirer, a personne de confiance—I could chose many different titles, but if I had to pick only one, it would be a true friend.
To my sons, David and Brandon, thank you for your support, and understanding as I worked to write this book, and for your willingness to work together and with your dad and me to build our own Family Bank. Family dinners and meetings would not be as fun without your lively senses of humour! I am so proud of each of you!
Paul Hamilton is my husband and business partner, and when I suggested that it was time for me to write this book, he immediately responded with, “How can I help and what do you need?” Believing in my work with families on their succession and wealth-transition plans, and that the Family Bank approach can help other families, Paul is always at my side sharing and supporting my work and inspiring me to do my best. Thank you, Paul, for our tall sons and for being the inspired family and business leader that you are. I awake everyday grateful that I said yes when you asked me to marry you.