Wealth & family office
Family Governance Starter Kit
A charter outline, a council model and a decision-rights template.
Download PDF11 pages
A family office is an answer, not a goal.
A family office is a private organisation that manages the affairs of one or more families: investments, reporting, administration, tax coordination, governance and family services. It exists to bring order to complexity. Not every family needs one. Some are better served by a lighter model, or by working with an outsourced office. This guide helps a family decide whether it is ready, what model fits, and what to put in place first.
What it covers
- Do you need one?
- What a family office does
- Models compared
- Governance and decision rights
- People, systems and reporting
- Cost and value
- Starting a family office
- Readiness check
About this guide
Written by the BlackLeaf team, this is the 2026 edition: 11 pages, free to read online or download as a PDF. It is general information for South African owners, boards and families, and is not legal, tax or investment advice. Speak to a qualified adviser before you act on it.
How BlackLeaf can help
BlackLeaf supports families with governance, oversight and administration for complex family structures.
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