UBS Family Advisory and Philanthropy Services

The situation: Judy and Tim were concerned about how to make financial gifts to their three children through individual trusts. Like many families, they feared that the gifts might foster dependency or a sense of entitlement.

The solution: The couple’s UBS Private Wealth Advisor set up a meeting with the UBS Family Advisory & Philanthropy team, who helped the couple think about the intention or spirit behind their gifts, rather than viewing them simply as monetary transfers. Together, they explored:

• What Judy and Tim wanted to achieve with their gifts
• How the gifts would reflect their values
• Whether the gifts would bring the couple joy
• Each child’s age, character and stage of readiness to receive a gift

This became the basis for deciding the amount and the timing of gifts. Because the couple highly valued education, they developed a communication plan to help their children understand the intent of the gifts as an encouragement to pursue higher education in their chosen fields.

The situation: John had received a sizeable inheritance and, as an avid diver and nature enthusiast, was looking to create the largest impact he could in terms of saving the world’s oceans. He was interested in collaborating with other philanthropists and organizations to move the needle on this cause.

The solution: Together with his UBS Private Wealth Advisor, John met with members of the UBS Family Advisory and Philanthropy team who introduced him to the UBS Optimus Foundation. The foundation offers three ready-made opportunities to practice collective philanthropy, which offers several benefits, including:

• Working with people with shared interests and determination to solve an issue
• Participating in a learning experience with peers to boost knowledge, skills and confidence 
• Connecting with powerful people, organizations and solutions to magnify efforts

After several discussions, John decided to join the UBS Climate Collective, which is focused on building coastal resilience, one of the most affected areas and where promising solutions exist.

Learn more about UBS Collectives