Recent Books and Articles

Family Wealth Report, November 26, 2018 –Wealth Legacy Advisors LLC, thought partner to families of wealth and their trusted advisors, and its CEO Susan R. Schoenfeld, have been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Family Wealth Report Awards 2019.  The award winners will be announced at a gala on March 20, 2019.

Wealth Legacy Advisors was named as finalist for the following three awards:

• FAMILY WEALTH COUNSELLING AWARD – Awarded to an advisor or firm providing providing counselling services to families of significant wealth and their owned enterprises; helping them navigate the complex issues around generational transition, governance and leadership succession.
• LEADING INDIVIDUAL AWARD – SUSAN R. SCHOENFELD – something special should mark out this individual working in the private client world.
• WOMEN IN WEALTH MANAGEMENT AWARD – SUSAN R. SCHOENFELD – an inspiration to female clients and colleagues.

Showcasing ‘best of breed’ providers, the Family Wealth Report Awards recognize those have demonstrated innovation and excellence during the past year.

3/9/2018: Susan R Schoenfeld, CEO of Wealth Legacy Advisors LLC, one of North America’s foremost thought-partners to families of wealth and their trusted advisors, was last night crowned ‘Best Thought Leadership Individual’ at the prestigious Family Wealth Report Awards 2018.  The judges awarded Schoenfeld for having “set high standards of thought leadership, not only by the calibre of her written material, but also through the standard of events and educational work done for the industry.”

Family Wealth Report, December 4, 2017 –Wealth Legacy Advisors, thought partner to families of wealth and their trusted advisors, and its CEO Susan R. Schoenfeld, have been shortlisted for the Family Wealth Report Awards 2018.

Wealth Legacy Advisors is shortlisted in the following categories:

• FAMILY WEALTH COUNSELLING – Awarded to an advisor or firm providing providing counselling services to families of significant wealth and their owned enterprises; helping them navigate the complex issues around generational transition, governance and leadership succession.
• LEADING INDIVIDUAL – SUSAN R. SCHOENFELD – something special should mark out this individual working in the private client world.
• WOMEN IN WEALTH – SUSAN R. SCHOENFELD – an inspiration to both female clients and colleagues.
• THOUGHT LEADERSHIP – SUSAN R. SCHOENFELD – made an outstanding contribution to thought leadership in wealth management.

Showcasing ‘best of breed’ providers, the Family Wealth Report Awards were designed to recognize those who the prestigious panel of judges deemed to have demonstrated innovation and excellence during 2017.

Susan’s article on “Tips For Giving While Living” was published in Trusts & Estates online e-newsletter October 3, 2017, coinciding with that magazine’s annual charitable giving issue. This piece, co-authored with Lauren Katzowitz Shenfield of Philanthropy Advisors, LLC, focuses on philanthropy as you approach retirement. Access the article through this link, or click here to see a copy.

We are delighted that Susan was featured in Mitzi Perdue’s (Mrs. Frank Perdue’s) blog. Susan was in conversation with Mitzi about how the ‘soft issues’ are really the hard issues for families. This blog piece is an extract of our conversation.

Susan’s  article, “Family Office Succession Planning” was published in the March 2017 issue of  The International Family Offices Journal. The article expands upon the discussion of the three important steps of this critical transition which had previously been published in Trusts & Estates magazine, August 2016, www.trustsandestates.com.

Susan was mentioned by The Family Business Leader in this piece about how families pass on ownership of their business.

Family Wealth Report, November 28, 2016 –Wealth Legacy Advisors, thought partner to families of wealth and their trusted advisors, and its CEO Susan R. Schoenfeld, have been shortlisted for the Family Wealth Report Awards 2017.

Wealth Legacy Advisors is shortlisted in the following categories:

• FAMILY WEALTH CONSULTANT – Awarded to an advisor or firm providing consulting services to families of significant wealth or their owned enterprises; helping them navigate the complex issues around generational transition and leadership succession.
• LEADING INDIVIDUAL – SUSAN R. SCHOENFELD – something special should mark out this individual working in the private client world.

Showcasing ‘best of breed’ providers, the Family Wealth Report Awards were designed to recognize those who the prestigious panel of judges deemed to have demonstrated innovation and excellence during 2016.

Susan’s article, “Family Office Succession Planning: Helping founders who are ready to retire” was published in the August 2016 Trusts & Estates Magazine’s HNW Families and Family Offices Report, and reprinted in the September 2016 Trusts & Estates Magazine as Easing Family Office Leadership Transitions. The article discusses three important steps of this critical transition. Access the original article through this link, or the reprint through this one, or click here to read a pdf copy of the article.

Susan partnered with Rebecca Meyer of Pitcairn on this May, 2016 Trusts & Estates online newsletter piece: Top 5 Traits of Effective Family Philanthropy.

Susan’s article, “Charity Should Begin At Home: Help clients develop a satisfying approach to philanthropy” was published in the October 2015 charitable giving issue of the prestigious Trusts & Estates magazine. The article discusses how parents can model philanthropic behavior for their children, and how advisors can use their personal philanthropic activities to guide clients while building their professional networks.

Susan’s article, “Should You Be Trusted? What to consider before taking on the trustee role” was published in the June 2015 edition of the prestigious Trusts & Estates magazine, and discusses my Top 10 things to consider before you accept the trustee spot. It was the lead article on the magazine website for the entire month of June 2015!

Susan co-authored and was quoted in “Family Wealth Conversations: The Role of Prenuptials“. We were proud to partner with Pitcairn, one of the world’s leading family offices, for their newsletter published March 2015. This article explains the basics of this highly sensitive document and helps families think about pre-marital financial planning in an informed, straightforward, and respectful manner.

Susan was quoted in this article on Trusteeship Challenges in Family Office Review, 2.19.2014.

Susan wrote an article on the importance of Defining Your Family Legacy, published in Family Office Review 2.18.2014

Susan was interviewed on the importance of Communication in preserving the family’s legacy in December 2013:  Sustaining a Family’s Legacy across Generations

Family Office Review, “Centerfold” personal interview feature. Susan was Ms. February 2013:   the-for-centerfold-ms-february-2013

In the event of your disability, or even death, your loved ones will be dealing with intense emotional grief. At the same time, they must locate and gather your financial and legal information. We suggest that you consider creating a comprehensive roadmap of all your key documents now to provide guidance to your loved ones.

Comprehensive Roadmap page 7.7-8

Susan wrote a technical piece for attorneys on Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Mistakes: Avoiding Them Before They Happen and Fixing Them After They Happen, published in the ALI-ABA Estate Planning Course Materials Journal, December 2010.

Susan was extensively quoted (including lead quote) in the Financial Times, March 25, 2008, “Parents Must Put Children in the Know,” by Ian Driscoll.

“The kids see the way their parents live; they see the way their parents travel,” says Ms Schoenfeld. “If the children are given mixed messages and money’s never discussed, they ultimately don’t know how it should impact their career choices or their personal priorities.”

Susan wrote “Allocation of GST Exemption to Contributions to Life Insurance Trusts“, published May 1999 in The CPA Journal.
Allocation of GSTX to ILITs