The Millers Discover
New Horizons

 *

The Millers Move from Concern To Confidence

George Miller became a financially successful entrepreneur late in life. 

After working for a large manufacturer of household products for most of his career, George transitioned to the VP of Product Development at a fast-growing consumer electronics company.

A private equity investor bought the company from the founders and promoted George to President. As an incentive, he was given an interest in the company for his sweat equity in running it, which proved to be a lucrative opportunity.

George quickly improved the company's financial performance. As a result of his efforts, the business was sold to another private equity group a few years later for a substantial profit. George hit the jackpot. 

He used some of his proceeds to reinvest in the company alongside the new ownership group. He stayed in the same role and continued to grow the company. Lo and behold, the company was sold again, and his managerial genius translated into another cash windfall.

George was thrilled with his success and wanted to make sure everything he had worked so hard for became a force for good for his family. 

There was a huge issue, however. George's needs now extended well beyond what most of his individual advisors could provide. He needed a higher-level, more comprehensive solution. He needed family-office-level thinking and interactions.

Clariata Makes The Connection

George liked most of his independent advisors and wanted to continue to work with them. He also wanted to get his family more involved. He was tired of going it alone.

He knew what he wanted but had no idea how to make it all happen...and thinking about it was making his head spin.

Then, one of his most trusted advisors told him about Clariata and how its dynamic resource guidance system could help him get all the functional benefits of a family office while uniting the family and activating their wealth. 

George was thrilled to learn about such an option and set the schedule to start immediately.

Clariata Is Seamless and Simple

George wanted help managing his family's affairs. He needed an approach that would allow his advisors and family members to all participate. Clariata's practical tools and proven methods provided everything needed. 

Clariata's Unique 5D Process Points The Way

The Millers successfully connected their past to their present and began working on creating their exciting and meaningful future thanks to Clariata's unique and easy-to-use tools and methods. 

Here's how each key stage helped the Miller Family come together:

Stage One: Discover

[This stage is about learning what drives and motivates each family member and the events and experiences that helped shape and form who they are today. It's also about defining the values and beliefs the family has learned and embraced from these experiences.]

The Miller's advisor was excited to get to know the family more deeply. 

George was excited to get things underway. On the other hand, his wife, Lindsay, wasn't thrilled about being forced to attend another financial planning meeting. 

Things began at the beginning...with chit-chat, of course. Then, their advisor asked them to share the stories of their families using Clariata's prompts and discussion guides.

[Background already known by the advisor: George was 58, and Lindsay was 53. Their son Peter was 24, and their daughter Michelle was 22.]

George and Lindsay shared their experiences with their grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles. They also shared what they knew about their earlier ancestors. Their ancestors each contributed in some way to the family legacy and helped form who George and Lindsay had become.

Stage Two: Dream

[The advisor and family use the tools and methods in this stage to define what a fulfilling and meaningful life means to them today and into the future. What do family members like to do individually and collectively? How does the family want to make a difference in the lives of people they care about? What family values do they want to pass on to others as a means of helping them find their own path to success?]

For the Millers, it was clear Lindsay's grandfather was a significant influence on her. He gave up his dream when he dropped out of medical school to take over their struggling family farm after his father passed away. He told Lindsay that nothing was more important than family and that we needed to do everything we could to help each other.

This idea lived on in George and Lindsay as they wanted to help their son and daughter pursue their dreams. Their ancestral generations had taught them that family resources existed for the good of the family during their lifetime rather than after they had passed on.

This idea of doing everything to help each other became a cornerstone of the Miller Family legacy.

Stages Three & Four: Design & Deliver

[The Clariata difference becomes most noticeable in these critical stages, and things become more tangible. Goals are set, steps are defined. The family works together to figure out what needs to happen when for their new future to become a reality.] 

During a subsequent family meeting, George and Lindsay told their kids that, as was tradition in their families, they would support them in pursuing their dreams by providing the financial resources they would need. 

Their son discussed starting a furniture business while their daughter considered returning to school.

George and Lindsay told Peter and Michelle their expectations of sharing their wealth with them. George said he wanted them to be serious in their undertakings. Lindsay added that she wanted them to be committed and carry through to the end.

They went on to say that if their son wanted to start his own company, they wanted to see a business plan. If their daughter was going to embark on a new field of study, they expected her to complete the program and earn her degree.

Stage Five: Destiny

[This final stage is where generational wealth is locked in. The family works with their advisors to define how their family capital will be a resource for future generations. The Clariata system also provides the family and their advisors with proven tools and tactics for driving family connection and engagement up to five generations into the future.]

We counseled George and Lindsay to fund significant ventures their kids wished to pursue by lending them money rather than giving it to them outright. In this way, as the ventures became successful, the kids could repay the "bank," thus replenishing the family's pool of legacy wealth.

Defining what's important to the family (during times of zero conflict) makes future decision-making easier. George and Lindsay could carry out what was important to them – supporting their children's pursuit of their dreams – without the typical hurt feelings and drama that often comes with these kinds of dealings.

Clariata Finds New Horizons

The Miller Family now has more robust connections with their advisors and each other thanks to the work they did together using Clariata. Each family member actively participates in managing the family's wealth and knows their responsibilities moving forward. 

George and Lindsay are no longer concerned that their wealth could become a destructive force within the family. They are at ease and excited about the future and its possibilities.

​

​

​

< back