Lewis Schiff

• Ten Skills Affluent Children Need by Age 18

  By Lewis Schiff  |  June 1, 2010

  How to: 1. Save 2. Keep track of money 3. Get paid what you're worth 4. Spend wisely 5. Talk about money 6. Live on a budget 7. Invest 8. Exercise an entrepreneurial...

• The Affluentialist: Raising Responsible Children

  By Lewis Schiff  |  May 1, 2010

  The toys of the children in affluent families are of a different scale. The two toddlers of one family will likely inherit their Dad's passion...

• The Affluentialist: The Challenges of Advising the Affluent

  By Lewis Schiff  |  April 1, 2010

  Advisors to very wealthy clients like the complexity of their work, but they find technical knowledge of their discipline isn't enough to do the job...

• Advisor, Understand Thyself

  By Lewis Schiff  |  April 1, 2010

  The emotional challenges faced by advisors during this time have taken their toll. Over the last couple of years, advisors needed to address their own...

• The Affluentialist: What Do Counselors Think About Clients?

  By Lewis Schiff  |  March 1, 2010

  As we've explored in several previous columns, the financial planning part of advising affluent families is often the easiest piece of a workable solution. More...

• The Affluentialist: Trends in Client Communication

  By Lewis Schiff  |  February 1, 2010

  Nothing will completely replace the benefits of face-to-face client meetings, but the pressure for greater efficiency and convenience is propelling advisors to try new means...

• Older and Online

  By Lewis Schiff  |  February 1, 2010

  From November 2004 until November 2009, the number of people over 65 years old who actively used the Internet jumped by 55%, according to a...

• The Affluentialist: The Next Case of Madoff Disease

  By Lewis Schiff  |  January 1, 2010

  Even shrewd clients and professionals are susceptible to Madoff disease--that seemingly inexplicable investment flu that stuns its victims into becoming non-questioning believers despite the warning...

• The Power of Empathy

  By Lewis Schiff  |  January 1, 2010

  The fraud perpetrated by Bernie Madoff and abetted by Ezra Merkin, a money manager and financier, could succeed in part because the "weapons of influence"...

• The Affluentialist: Preserving Capital for the HNW

  By Lewis Schiff  |  December 1, 2009

  For many affluent clients, the drive to preserve capital is stronger than the need for growth, so low-risk hedging strategies with some upside potential become very...