Family Office Navigator

The Single Family Office (SFO)

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This is a family office that has been created by one family to manage its own wealth and affairs, or the needs of one branch of a larger family.

Within this category, we see variations, such as what we call a single “multi” family office , which is founded by and serves multiple branches of a wider family. While there are many shared activities and services, it also offers tailored services branch-by-branch, such as tailored asset allocation or philanthropy, depending on the setup. This can be seen as a hybrid structure that combines some of the benefits of a single family office with the benefits of a multi family office ( see next definition ). Keeping it within the same family, while allowing each branch to consider customized services that might not overlap with the needs and wishes of other branches in the wider family, has its advantages.

The Multi Family Office (MFO)

This is a family office that has been set up to serve multiple, typically unrelated families.

Within this category, there are also variations. One is what we call the closed, family-owned multi family office , which is established by several unrelated families from the beginning and serves their needs exclusively. These might be families that are in business together or trust each other well enough to embark on such a joint venture. Another form of a multi family office is the independent , commercial multi family office , which is started by one family but evolves to serve several unrelated families. The Rockefeller’s family office is one such example, which was set up as a single family office and then built on its knowledge and expertise to become a multi family office serving many affluent families around the world. Finally, there is what we call a dependent or commercial multi family office , which is brought to life by a bank or a professional services firm (a legal or fiduciary firm, for example) to serve multiple clients / families.