Family Inc.: Using Business Principles to Maximize Your Familys Wealth

Praise for FamilyInc.

"Financial illiteracy is not only an individual problem; it is a threat to our national welfare and global competitiveness. In today′s world, it′s more important than ever for individuals and families to understand how to create financial independence and security. Family Inc. offers a new perspective on personal financial security, applying time–tested business principles to real–world family situations."
Carlos Gutierrez, 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce; Former Chairman and CEO of the Kellogg Company

"Personal finance books have always had a problem. The people who know what they are talking about can′t write. And the people who can write are often charlatans. Not any longer. Family Inc. delivers something that families across the country desperately need: a clear, accessible guide to making financial decisions based on the best available data and research. No gimmicks, no get–rich schemes just sensible and intellectually honest guidance for making good financial decisions at every stage of life."
Charles Wheelan, author of Naked Economics and Naked Statistics; Professor at Dartmouth University

"By taking a different perspective seeing a family′s full financial situation the way an experienced private equity investor would McCormick shows us how to appreciate the full range of our choices and opportunities as a family ′CFO.′ Family Inc. is an easy read which offers a solid blueprint for making sound financial decisions."
Charles D. Ellis, Author of Winning the Loser′s Game and The Elements of Investing

"Family Inc. provides a fresh perspective for the important financial decisions that families face at each stage of their lives. I particularly like the chapters on career choices and on family budgeting. Readers will learn how to approach personal budgeting and investment decisions as dispassionately as any business would."
Richard C. Marston, Professor of Finance and Director of Private Wealth Management Program, Wharton School, and author of Portfolio Design and Investing for a Lifetime

"McCormick makes a compelling case that at some level we are all entrepreneurs selling our labor and skills like any business owner. Most importantly, Family Inc. provides actionable advice on how to maximize the value of your labor through education, career choice, and skill development while combining it with your capital to achieve financial independence."
Patricia Greene, Paul T. Babson Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies; Academic Director, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and 10,000 Women

Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xiii

With Appreciation for America s Armed Forces Service Members xv

Introduction xvii

Section I Every Family Needs a Chief Financial Officer 1

Chapter 1 Why Do I Need a CFO? I Don t Even Own a Business 3

Section II Maximize the Value of Your Single Biggest Asset Your Labor 17

Chapter 2 Double the Value of Y our Labor through Education 19

Chapter 3 Make Career Choices That Extend Your Possibilities 29

Chapter 4 Think Like an Investor When Making Career Decisions 33

Chapter 5 Don t Overlook Retirement Benefits Just Because They re Not Imminent 45

Chapter 6 Complement Your Career Decisions with Insurance 49

Section III Manage Your Assets Like a CFO Manages a Business 55

Chapter 7 Your Financial Assets Serve Many Functions in Your Family Business 57

Chapter 8 Diversify Your Family Business with the Right Investments 61

Chapter 9 Define the Right Goals for Your Asset Management Business 75

Chapter 10 Use History to Make Reasonable Investment Assumptions 81

Chapter 11 Safeguard Your Assets from the Main Risks 97

Chapter 12 Not All Debt Is Bad! Use Debt to Purchase Assets and Maximize Your Liquidity 101

Chapter 13 Which Is Better, Active or Passive Investment Management? It Depends. . . . 105

Chapter 14 Use Indexing for Your Low–Cost Investment Portfolio 113

Chapter 15 Understand When It Makes Sense to Pick Individual Stocks and Managers 117

Chapter 16 The CFO s Step–by–Step Guide to Building the Family Investment Program 125

Chapter 17 Know Yourself Understand the Psychological Factors That Can Torpedo Your Goals 131

Chapter 18 Don t Sweat the Details of Your Asset Management Business 135

Section IV Family Inc. Does Not Manage Itself 139

Chapter 19 Create Tools and a Reporting Dashboard for Managing Family Inc. 141

Section V Manage Your Family Endowment in Retirement 165

Chapter 20 Understand How Your Family Business Changes in Retirement 167

Chapter 21 Sleep Well Protect Your Retirement through Insurance 169

Chapter 22 What s Your Number? Determine When and How Much You Can

Afford to Spend in Retirement 179

Section VI Avoid the Rat Race Change the Game by Changing the Rules 201

Chapter 23 Pay Yourself What You re Worth through Entrepreneurship 203

Chapter 24 Jump–Start Your Heirs Financial Security 209

Chapter 25 Develop a Succession Plan to Groom Your Replacement(s) 213

Chapter 26 Develop and Manage Your Estate or Uncle Sam Will 217

Chapter 27 Maximize Your Charitable Legacy 221

Section VII A Call to Action 225

Chapter 28 But It s Different This Time. . . . 227

Chapter 29 Put Down the Book Just Do It! 229

Appendix: How to Calculate Expected Lifetime Labor Value 231

Glossary 233

Notes 237

Index 243

DOUGLAS P. MCCORMICK has a lifetime of experiences that provide the foundation for the framework, principles, and tools in Family Inc. As a professional investor, he has spent two decades managing money for institutional clients such as insurance companies, pension funds, entrepreneurs, and high net worth families. Unlike Wall Street money managers who seek to generate paper profits through passive investing, Doug partners with families and entrepreneurs to build and grow their businesses to create sustainable value. Holder of a BS in Economics from West Point and an MBA from Harvard, he is a cofounder and a Managing Partner at HCI Equity Partners. His motivation for writing this book started with his own challenges finding good personal finance advice as a young adult and his belief that financial literacy is one of the largest problems facing Americans today. He is optimistic this problem can be solved through awareness, education, and hard work.