Daring to ask...
Who am I? Why am I here? Who doesn't want to explore the big questions in life? In reality, we often shy away from asking them because they aren't easy to answer or because we are scared of the responses. However, it is by daring to ask these fundamental questions and finding answers to them that we are actually able to make better decisions, live more focused lives and achieve what we really want – and not simply what others expect of us.
The current NextGen is the largest in history and is a force to be reckoned with. Its influence on consumer and investor trends will be unprecedented as NextGens embrace ethical and sustainable industries and products and shun those at odds with their values. Above all they are not afraid to do things differently – testing themselves and the status quo. They are poised to ask the “scary” big questions:
... and finding answers together
Credit Suisse has been actively engaging with the NextGen of influential families for the last 15 years. We are at their side as they face unique challenges and strive to achieve their ambitions. This includes facilitating a conversation on "sensitive" topics such as succession, death, and the transfer of wealth, as well as supporting families in establishing new norms for how they interact with each other.
Supporting NextGens on their path to realize their life goals and create a more sustainable world is an exciting and rewarding task. Since 2007, we have partnered with the Young Investors Organization (YIO) to foster a dialogue about the main challenges they face, to exchange views about effective solutions in areas such as education, family conversations, legacies and business opportunities, and to see how we can contribute towards the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) together.
We believe in the power of togetherness – and in daring to ask the big questions in life, in thinking outside the box, and in promoting greater understanding across generations within individual family units and beyond. We do so because we believe that the NextGen have the potential to transform the meaning of wealth and create a more sustainable world.
Money and its soft facts. Ensuring harmonious succession in families.
Viola Steinhoff Werner, Head of Global Next Generation and Families Department, Credit Suisse; Founder and General Manager, Young Investors Organization, and Wolfgang Jenewein, Professor for Business Administration at the University of
St. Gallen (HSG)
Why wealth management needs more EQ than IQ
Constant global connectivity, instant digital information and widespread artificial intelligence (AI) will be a reality in all aspects of life for digital natives in the future. The world of wealth management must, however, recognize that it has to follow another path, a more human-driven one, a more personal and emotional one, especially for the top segment of the wealth pyramid and in particular for their heirs.
Read the article
Who is the NextGen?
The NextGen is broadly defined as members of the second, third or later generations of a family, who are poised to inherit their family’s wealth, or have recently done so.
As entrepreneurs, investment professionals, future business leaders and global philanthropists, they look upon wealth as a resource they can leverage to drive positive change and make the world a better place.