E197: Why Most Family Offices Fail—7 Lessons from Harvard Professor

Christina Wing is a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, where she teaches the “Family Enterprise” course—a foundational class for the rising generation of family office leaders. She’s also the founder of Wingspan Legacy Partners, where she advises ultra-high-net-worth families on governance, talent, and legacy. In this episode, I sat down with Christina to unpack why most family offices are structurally flawed—and what to do about it. Christina shares insights from advising dozens of families and training hundreds of HBS students from Gen 1, Gen 2, and beyond. We explore the real reason most family offices fail, how to build a high-functioning investment operation, and why separating investment, concierge, and philanthropic functions is critical. Christina also walks me through what makes MSD Capital, the Koch family office, and others stand out—and how the next generation can step up and lead with clarity.