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Family office trends: Investment strategies, succession & tech


 

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$5.4 trillion. That’s the projected amount of assets family offices will hold by 2030, surpassing even the growth of hedge funds. To put it into perspective, this figure exceeds what the U.S. is projected to spend on Social Security, Medicare, and national defense combined.

As family office assets continue to climb in the years ahead, we’re witnessing a broadening of horizons — not just in the investment vehicles they’re exploring, but also in how deeply high-net-worth families are engaging with and influencing their investments. According to Deloitte, family offices are evolving rapidly, expanding their roles, and embracing new strategies that shape the future of their landscape.

The 60-40 tradition is passé

Historically, a typical family office investment portfolio consisted of about a 60-40 ratio of stocks and bonds. This balanced approach aimed to provide steady returns while managing risk.

However, this model is evolving. According to the UBS Global Family Office Report (2025 edition), alternative investments now constitute 54% of U.S. family office portfolios, with private equity leading at 27%, followed by real estate at 18% and private debt at 3%. In contrast, traditional asset classes like equities and fixed income account for 46% of portfolios, with equities at 32% and fixed income at 9%.

This shift reflects a broader trend among family offices moving away from traditional 60/40 allocations towards more diversified and alternative investment strategies. The appeal lies in the potential for higher returns, greater control, and alignment with family values and long-term objectives. For further insights, read more about the evolution of family offices and the evolving family office portfolio.

Celebrities are getting down to business

Just as celebrities often set fashion trends, they're also leading the charge in the family office space, diving head-first into alternative investments.

Kim Kardashian, for example, co-founded the private equity firm Skky Partners in 2022, along with former Carlyle Group executive Jay Sammons. Although this isn’t her first foray into entrepreneurship, her involvement in private equity further expands her portfolio beyond entertainment. Kardashian has also built the shapewear brand SKIMS, which was valued at $4 billion as of 2023, and her makeup-turned-skincare line, SKKN (formerly KKW), has grown significantly since its inception.

“The list of celebrities growing their financial portfolios outside of entertainment is endless, and it's only going to keep growing,” says a Forbes article by Josh Wilson.

These celebrity ventures have led to highly successful brands like Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company, Snoop Dogg’s Dr. Bombay ice cream (which he says was inspired by his “best friend,” Martha Stewart), and Casamigos Tequila, co-founded by George Clooney and sold for $1 billion in 2017.

Kardashian, along with other stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ryan Reynolds, and tennis superstar Serena Williams, is now investing in venture capital and private equity, continuing to diversify their wealth-building strategies through investments outside of entertainment.

Family office guide

Family offices are investing outside the box

Historically, family offices focused primarily on wealth preservation. Now, there’s a growing appetite for alternative investments, such as private equity, venture capital, and real estate. According to J.P. Morgan's 2024 Global Family Office Report, approximately 45% of family office portfolios now allocate to alternative investments, including private equity (27%), real estate (18%), and venture capital.

This shift is further emphasized by a BNY Wealth survey, which shows that families with assets of $250 million or more allocate 28% to private equity, up from 21% in public stocks. Among those holding $1 billion or more, over two-thirds plan to increase their private-equity investments.

Family offices are attracted to alternatives because they offer:

  • Higher returns compared to traditional investments.

  • Greater control, especially with direct investments.

  • Diversification, helping to mitigate risks from market volatility.

Families are getting back to business

Traditionally, family office investments have been of the passive variety: public equity vehicles such as stocks and bonds, real estate, trusts – even coupling a venture capital stake with an advisory role in a startup could be considered passive compared to some family offices today, which are actively managing income-producing businesses.

The types of businesses run the gamut from investment firms to media companies to agricultural and food companies and more. According to a Deloitte report, family offices spend an average of 15% of their time on operating businesses.

The changing look of family offices

It's not just investment choices that are evolving in family offices; their structure and function have already undergone significant changes as we move forward.

Increased staffing, expanded scope

In the past, family offices were typically lean, with perhaps five team members managing $500 million in assets. However, today, family offices are transforming into more complex, boutique investment firms. Larger teams — averaging 15 employees or more — are becoming the norm, as these offices expand their scope to include broader investment strategies and services beyond traditional asset management.

According to Deloitte’s 2024 Global Family Office Report, 73% of family offices had established boards, many including professionals specializing in strategic planning, finance, and governance. The report also highlighted a strong shift toward digital operations, with 38% of family offices embracing technology solutions for operations management — a trend that continues to accelerate today.

Family offices are no longer just investment hubs. They are growing into multifaceted organizations offering services in legal, tax, and lifestyle management, with many offering comprehensive family governance solutions to ensure long-term sustainability.

Stay up to date with modern family office software 

As family offices modernize, they need technology that adapts to their changing needs.

Whether your family office is independent or part of an operating enterprise, Gravity’s family office software helps you keep up with these trends and more:

  • Multi-entity management for businesses or multi-branch offices.

  • Multi-currency support for global family offices.

  • Investment management for tracking passive and active investments.

  • Physical asset management for tracking real estate, art, and other investments.

  • Best-in-class cybersecurity powered by Microsoft.

  • Personalized dashboards powered by Microsoft Power BI.

  • Automated workflows to streamline approvals.

Get a better grip on your family office finances with Gravity

The merits of Gravity aren't lost on Bruno Pugliessa, who quickly realized after taking on his role as a family office controller that QuickBooks wasn't going to work for the number of inter-family transactions his team needed to keep track of. Logging into and out of dozens of databases to make multiple journal entries for every transaction was taking up a huge amount of time – time that would be much better spent strategizing the future of the trust.

With Gravity, Pugliessa and his team are free from this and several other administrative burdens that were bogging down the team. He found the solution’s fixed asset management – which automatically calculates depreciation – especially valuable, along with Gravity's automated bank book reconciliation, revenue recognition and consolidated reporting features.

Gravity Software is the ideal platform to support your evolving family office needs — from multi-entity consolidation to investment tracking and beyond. Ready to modernize your family office?  Schedule an online demo of Gravity Software to see how our platform can help you manage multi-entity operations, alternative investments, and intercompany transactions — all in one powerful, cloud-based solution..

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