Curated advice. Making connections that matter.

How transparency and conflict-free investment management earned trust

Client challenge
Our client was starting a multi-family office from the ground up. The principals of the family office were CPAs and attorneys who look to outsource the investment approach offered the flexibility for them to control the asset allocation and investment selection processes. Transparency of advice and pricing were two critical priorities.

Our strategy
By exploring our client’s vision for the business and his past experiences working with large bank platforms, we learned very quickly that he was somewhat suspicious of most advisors and their firm’s approach to recommending money managers and products.

• We explained our relationship with Portfolio Advisory Group to help him  understand how we translate investment research into tangible investment advice.
• We highlighted the due diligence process, both at UBS and within our team, and how we actively manage our managers.
• We effectively demonstrated our transparent process—how we narrowed down our universe, projected our conservative investment philosophy, worked with managers and selected investments.

Our approach afforded the principals of the multi-family direct access to thought leaders inside and outside of UBS, as well as direct access to money managers— a level of transparency they value, which helped increase their credibility and earn trust with clients.

_{The case study presented, based on actual client experiences as told by our Financial Advisors, is provided as an illustration and may not be representative of the experience of other clients. There is no guarantee of the future success of any of the strategies discussed. In providing wealth management services to clients, we offer both investment advisory and brokerage services which are separate and distinct and differ in material ways. For information, including the different laws and contracts that govern, please review the PDF document at ubs.com/workingwithus. UBS Financial Services Inc., its affiliates and its employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice. Clients should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax or legal advisor.}

How our network of UBS experts helped us maximize the benefits of a multibillion-dollar liquidity event

Client challenge
Our client, a referral form a very satisfied private equity client, was in the early stages of planning the sale of his closely held business—a multibillion-dollar liquidity event—and launching his own family office from the ground up. When we were introduced, we were the 12th investment manager added to the interview process, and the only firm with no prior history with this client.

The strategy
To educate him about UBS, we connected him with a roundtable of UBS leadership from Wealth Management Americas, the Investment Bank, the firm’s Chief Investment Office. This experience differentiated UBS and our team, helping to inform his decision to choose us as one of the four firms he would select from the original 12. 

• We were mindful that our client had few resources to manage his multibillion-dollar liquidity event. 
• To help bridge the need to invest the proceeds, the client asked the four firms to work collaboratively as a single investment committee to share economic perspectives and to build a collective investment strategy.

We worked extremely hard to demonstrate our commitment to adding value in our relationships. The client still recounts the early advice he received from our head of the Global Family Office about keeping his personal and business assets separate as he built his family office and set the path toward his next entrepreneurial endeavors.

_{The case study presented, based on actual client experiences as told by our Financial Advisors, is provided as an illustration and may not be representative of the experience of other clients. There is no guarantee of the future success of any of the strategies discussed. In providing wealth management services to clients, we offer both investment advisory and brokerage services which are separate and distinct and differ in material ways. For information, including the different laws and contracts that govern, please review the PDF document at ubs.com/workingwithus. UBS Financial Services Inc., its affiliates and its employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice. Clients should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax or legal advisor.}

How we guided three generations through loss and financial transition

Client challenge
After the death of its patriarch, a financial services executive, a family was overwhelmed by the complex revocable trust and investments he managed. The family and the executor needed new leadership with strong investment acumen, estate planning experience and an understanding of the needs of the surviving spouse and the next generation. Unfortunately, the executor of the estate did not have the time, resources or emotional sensitivity to address this complicated transition.

Our strategy

• We recommended a Private Plan, an engagement with the UBS Private Planning Group that we provide to clients, that allows us to do a forensic “deep dive” into the family’s financial and estate planning picture.

• The Private Plan results in a simple but exhaustive financial road map for building a balance sheet of what the family has and needs to do.  
• The final balance sheet also allowed us to provide thoughtful investment advice to meet the needs of the surviving spouse around income, asset allocation, liquidity and risk based on legacy positions in large, illiquid investments.

• Their estate plan included the establishment of a large family foundation, for which we engaged a third-party provider as another way to simplify the transition and day-to-day management for the surviving family members.

• The plan also helped the next generation understand the family’s estate, which led to additional advanced planning for the adult children and their families. We worked closely with the executor, trustee, attorney and accountant to address the family’s other financial needs and helped settle and close the estate. Moreover, we earned the trust of the family and its professional team.

_{The case study presented, based on actual client experiences as told by our Financial Advisors, is provided as an illustration and may not be representative of the experience of other clients. There is no guarantee of the future success of any of the strategies discussed. In providing wealth management services to clients, we offer both investment advisory and brokerage services which are separate and distinct and differ in material ways. For information, including the different laws and contracts that govern, please review the PDF document at ubs.com/workingwithus. UBS Financial Services Inc., its affiliates and its employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice. Clients should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax or legal advisor.}

How lending built a bridge to a strategic equity relationship

Client challenge
An old friend and senior executive at a major private equity firm was interested in gaining access to market a new fund on the UBS platform. In that meeting, a request was made to see if UBS would be interested in lending to him and other colleagues to provide liquidity on their mandatory “side-by-side” investments into their own funds. This was a unique situation because banks do not generally lend against illiquid assets.

Our strategy
This opportunity was not just about lending, but about how lending could build a larger and more meaningful relationship.

• We helped create a strategic initiative that would allow us to leverage the diverse resources of UBS into a single, integrated relationship. All the firm’s senior private equity partners would have access to an experience as a single client with rewards for their aggregated size and scale.

• Working with our connections within UBS Bank USA, UBS Portfolio Advisory Group, Investment Advisory Solutions, Private Planning, inside and outside legal counsel, the offices of the CEO, COO and Risk, the Investment Bank and Regional and Branch Office Support, we were able to facilitate a customized lending program for all senior partners of the private equity firm, including an integrated wealth management experience with full access to the entire firm.

• We helped leverage the personal relationships with senior partners to assist them in accessing other areas within UBS and facilitate business with Investment Banking and other Corporate Services.

This relationship enabled the Private Equity firm to add a new, meaningful connection to its short list of preferred banks. Our relationship has provided the client with key client status within any area of UBS it engages. The private equity firm is also able to receive attractive terms on a variety of banking products and services.

_{The case study presented, based on actual client experiences as told by our Financial Advisors, is provided as an illustration and may not be representative of the experience of other clients. There is no guarantee of the future success of any of the strategies discussed. In providing wealth management services to clients, we offer both investment advisory and brokerage services which are separate and distinct and differ in material ways. For information, including the different laws and contracts that govern, please review the PDF document at ubs.com/workingwithus. UBS Financial Services Inc., its affiliates and its employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice. Clients should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax or legal advisor.}

How hedging a concentrated equity position delivered confidence

Client challenge
Our client, a senior executive at a major public company, had nearly 80 percent of his wealth in company stock. He was planning to exit the firm, taking his significant equity holdings with him. While our team already managed the liquid portion of his assets, he came to us seeking guidance and a solution for mitigating the risk to his concentrated stock during the blackout period after his departure, but before he could sell it.

Our strategy

• We began by understanding the client’s concerns and the nature and timing of his expected liquidity from the concentrated position. We then worked with all the resources at UBS to create a meaningful way to hedge his exposure, understanding his restrictions on trading his company stock.
• Our ability to assemble a team of specialists within UBS enabled us to bring together shared insights—the Portfolio Advisory Group, the Investment Bank, our Restricted Stock Desk and the Monetization Strategies team. Each of these experts contributed to the structuring of a solution that would help give our client downside protection with a group of stocks that were highly correlated to his own. To that end, we were able to help this executive effectively hedge his exposure, keeping in mind his restrictions from having to directly sell or hedge his company stock.

Our solution met our client’s financial objective, but also offered a greater benefit—comfort and confidence. It gave our client the assurance he needed to transition to his new company and fully engage in his new role.

_{The case study presented, based on actual client experiences as told by our Financial Advisors, is provided as an illustration and may not be representative of the experience of other clients. There is no guarantee of the future success of any of the strategies discussed. In providing wealth management services to clients, we offer both investment advisory and brokerage services which are separate and distinct and differ in material ways. For information, including the different laws and contracts that govern, please review the PDF document at ubs.com/workingwithus. UBS Financial Services Inc., its affiliates and its employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice. Clients should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax or legal advisor.}

How estate planning strategies delivered with compassion strengthened a lifelong relationship

Client challenge
We had a longstanding relationship with our client’s entire family, though worked primarily with the husband. He generally kept the family finances close to the vest, so when he passed away, we sat down with the rest of the family and walked them through their current financial picture. Working closely with our internal trust and estate consultant and the family’s accountant and attorney, we helped them understand and address estate planning issues and their future needs.

Our strategy

• Knowing the wife would need help, we immediately stepped up to let her know that we would assist her with anything and everything to reduce the emotional burden of settling the estate and planning for her future. This took a lot of handholding, answering a variety of questions, and often just being a friend who could listen.

• Our conversations were not always easy, but they were honest and necessary—particularly when it came to discussing income and expenses.

• Instead of chasing yield and adding risk to help meet income needs, we walked her through some scenarios to consider—income targets that could satisfactorily help meet her lifestyle needs without exposing her principal to undue risk.

• We ultimately referred her to our external network of tax and estate advisors. Together, we developed a seamless and integrated approach to help manage the family’s assets.

Our concern, attentiveness and high level of service ultimately led to a consolidation of all assets at UBS. We were then able to construct a new portfolio that was representative of the wife’s liquidity and income needs and her intended legacy for her children. More importantly, we were able to demonstrate our deep commitment to this relationship and build trust simply being there for our clients when we’re needed most.

_{The case study presented, based on actual client experiences as told by our Financial Advisors, is provided as an illustration and may not be representative of the experience of other clients. There is no guarantee of the future success of any of the strategies discussed. In providing wealth management services to clients, we offer both investment advisory and brokerage services which are separate and distinct and differ in material ways. For information, including the different laws and contracts that govern, please review the PDF document at ubs.com/workingwuiths. UBS Financial Services Inc., its affiliates and its employees are not in the business of providing tax or legal advice. Clients should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax or legal advisor.}