The Canadian Family Office Advantage
Building wealth is hard. Stewarding it across generations is harder. Remarkably few families achieve both.
The 90%
of wealthy families fail to preserve their wealth beyond the third generation
Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.
For centuries, cultures around the world have observed the same recurring pattern. Nearly 90% of wealthy families fail to preserve their wealth beyond the third generation. The Canadian Family Office Advantage explores why, and what families can do differently.
The 90% is real. It does not have to include you.
"Marvin is the advisor every family office conference wants on stage, and the one every family wishes they'd called first."
Recognized as a Leading Voice in Family Enterprise
The Book
The Canadian Family Office Advantage
Creating wealth is one achievement. Successfully stewarding it across generations is another.
This is not a book about getting rich. It is about ensuring your family never becomes part of the 90%: a blueprint for integration, governance, stewardship, and long-term purpose.
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About Marvin
Wealth should serve life, never the other way around.
For more than three decades, Marvin has helped ultra-high-net-worth families integrate business, investment, real estate, governance, and family enterprise into a single, coordinated strategy. He is Founder, Principal, and Senior Wealth Strategist of Schmidt Family Office, and the author of The Canadian Family Office Advantage — read the full story behind the book.
Read Marvin's Story →The Framework · The Three-Legged Stool
Who owns the whole picture?
Lasting family wealth stands on three legs: integration, coordination, and accountability. Remove any one, and the whole begins to tip.
Core Advisory Services
The Technical Engine
The disciplined, fiduciary foundation.
Supporting Services
The Family Support Engine
The operational framework that structures and relieves friction.
Coordination & Integration
The One-Point-of-Contact Hub
The coordinating backbone of the family office, where everything comes together.
Praise for The Canadian Family Office Advantage
"A rare, clear-eyed guide to the one thing most families never plan for: keeping wealth intact, and purposeful, across generations."
Speaking
For the Rooms Where These Conversations Matter
Keynotes, fireside chats, private family meetings, and curated gatherings on family office strategy, governance, stewardship, and legacy.
Marvin speaks to the audiences explored in depth on the Speaking page — from private banks to family enterprise groups.
Resources
Practical tools for families and their advisors.
Practical Tools
Family Office Fit Assessment
A confidential self-assessment to clarify whether a family office is right for your family.
→Family Mission Statement
A guided framework for articulating your family's values and unity.
→Legacy Conversation Questions
Thoughtful prompts to open conversations about wealth, stewardship, and next-generation preparedness.
→Insights
Ideas to read and watch.
Articles, interviews, research notes, and commentary on family office strategy and stewardship, drawn from the latest on Insights.
Explore Insights →