Family Finance & Teaching Kids

I spent 15 years in finance in London and wealth management in Zurich where I advised high-net-worth families. The children who succeeded financially learned completely different lessons than what most families teach. Most families follow the same script: get good education, get good job, save money, retire. Wealthy families teach something else entirely: money is not something you earn. It is something you build, multiply, and use intentionally to create freedom. This is no

Children are not asking for a bank statement when they ask if you are rich. They are trying to understand their place in the world. They are noticing differences between families and trying to make sense of what those differences mean. The question usually comes from one of three places. Sometimes they are comparing themselves to friends. Sometimes they are worried because they overheard you stress about money. Sometimes they genuinely want to understand how your family work

I will never forget the morning I watched my colleague walk off the equity trading floor for the last time. We had started together as junior traders at a private bank in Zurich both handling global equity portfolios for ultra-high-net-worth clients. We worked the same brutal hours, studied the same markets, reported to the same demanding bosses. His father's company was a client of the bank. Successful across multiple countries with operations in several markets.

If you only change one financial habit in 2026, make it this: Start holding a short, monthly family money meeting. Not a detailed budgeting exercise. Not a reaction to overspending. Not a place to renegotiate decisions every few weeks. Just a consistent, calm check-in that keeps your family aligned with the financial plan you have already agreed. After years working in private banking and wealth management, advising families with very different levels of wealth but remarka

Most families work incredibly hard, yet many still feel as though they are only managing the present rather than shaping the future. It is common to believe that financial security is simply a matter of earning more, but after more than fifteen years in wealth management, I learned something different. Income alone does not create lasting wealth. What truly matters is how a family plans, saves, invests and makes decisions over time. This family wealth guide will show you the

Bringing Investment Portfolio Diagnostics Home: A Comprehensive Financial Review for Families In wealth management, portfolio health checks aren't optional. We would systematically review our clients' investments: asset allocation, concentration risk, issuer exposure, fees, performance attribution, liquidity constraints. These weren't just glances, they were rigorous diagnostics designed to identify vulnerabilities before they became problems. The irony? Many of the professio

I spent 15 years managing money for some of the wealthiest families in the world. On the equity trading floor in Zurich and in financial services in London, I watched high net worth clients build and preserve generational wealth. I saw their strategies, their mistakes, their successes, and most importantly, what they taught their children. Then I had my own daughter Ebba and I realized something that changed everything. The principles that protect and grow wealth for the ri

Most parents wait until their children are teenagers to start teaching them about money. By then, it is often too late. After 15 years in private banking, advising high-net-worth families managing portfolios worth hundreds of millions, I have observed a pattern that most people never see: the families who successfully transfer wealth across generations start financial education at age three, not age thirteen. Most habits, including money habits form between ages three and s

When my daughter was born, I realized something uncomfortable. I could explain complex trading strategies to investors, but I had no idea how to explain where money comes from to a four year old. Most parents feel this way. You know money matters. You want your children to be financially confident. But where do you even start? This made me think and write a guide on this topic from a different angle. You will see that the first two conversations are foundational and famil

I once worked with a client who had everything. Ultra-high net worth. Decades of business success. Access to every financial resource imaginable. Our bank rolled out the red carpet for him: dedicated analysts, specialists in every asset class, detailed research reports, personal portfolio reviews. He lost millions anyway. Not because he lacked intelligence. Not because he lacked education. Not because he lacked resources. He lost money because he lacked something far more v

A former private banker reveals why wealthy families teach children multiple languages early and how language skills create financial advantages beyond salary. My daughter is learning five languages before she turns five years old. Swedish. English. German. Hungarian. Russian. People think this is unusual. They ask if she will get confused. They wonder why we do not just focus on English and maybe one other language.

I have spent most of my professional life in finance, first in London, later in Zurich, working in banking and wealth management. I have seen how money shapes lives, choices, and freedom. I also learned that true wealth is much more than numbers on a screen. It is confidence, patience, gratitude, and balance. Values that are not taught nearly enough.