Wealthy entrepreneurs are taking a different approach to inheritance, moving beyond traditional support or large nest eggs to actively buy businesses and involve their children in running them. According to Mint, this strategy allows parents to provide their adult children with purpose, learning experience and framework for long-term success while keeping busy with active business involvement. Eric Czepyha, director of business services at Chicago-based Northern Trust, explains that "Business owners don't typically retire in the traditional sense. They love to be active, and they love to have their brains active." This approach addresses the succession readiness crisis, where only 2.3% of ultra-high-net-worth business-owning families are fully prepared for company sales or transfers, as revealed in the Julius Baer–EY Family Barometer Report 2026.
Only 2.3% of ultra-high-net-worth business-owning families are fully prepared for the sale or transfer of their companies, according to the Julius Baer–EY Family Barometer Report 2026. This alarming statistic highlights a persistent succession gap that wealth, professional advisers and access to capital have failed to close. The challenge extends beyond technical aspects of valuation and deal execution, with 65.9% of families believing the next generation is not yet ready for leadership responsibilities. The latest data from the Family Barometer 2026 reveals that 29.5% of families are considered not prepared at all, while 56.3% have only made partial preparations for succession planning. As per the report, succession planning remains the family priority across all four regions: Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, with building family legacy ranking second in Asia.
Emotional attachment to the business ranks as the biggest barrier to successful exits, ahead of governance or valuation disagreements. In Asia, differing valuation expectations are the most frequently cited source of family misalignment during exit decisions (61.5%), followed by disagreement about the business' future (58.0%). The survey reveals that 80% of respondents cite a lack of agreement within the family as the main obstacle to successful succession planning, while tax considerations follow at 55.4%. Common weaknesses include excessive concentration of decision-making with one individual and blurred boundaries between the operating business, family office and family itself, leading to loss of decision-making when key individuals step back. Emotional attachment to the company plays a decisive role for 60.6% of families globally, creating differing views within the family regarding company valuation and future strategic direction, though this figure is 44.8% in Asia compared to the global average.
The readiness of potential successors presents a critical challenge, with only 22.6% of potential successors considered ready and sufficiently qualified to take over the family business. According to the study, 45.6% of families involve the next generation in considerations about a possible sale, but they do so without giving them a say in the decision. Only 18.5% actively involve successors on an equal footing in relevant discussions. This lack of meaningful participation compounds the emotional attachment issues, as emotional attachment to the company plays a decisive role for 60.6% of families, creating differing views within the family regarding company valuation and future strategic direction. The report emphasizes that in Asia, the most prepared families are those that make succession a shared strategic priority, well before a transaction becomes relevant.
Selling a business represents a fundamental shift from enterprise management to wealth stewardship, with 79.4% of surveyed families prioritizing preserving joint family wealth as their top priority following an exit. This evolution is driving greater focus on diversification, income stability and non-correlated returns, prompting family offices to look beyond traditional asset classes and real assets for the next phase of capital deployment. The study notes that demand for advice in wealth and succession planning rises particularly sharply during this transition phase, with families considering specialized investment vehicles and single family offices as potential solutions. For investments, geopolitical diversification was the top priority, ahead of inflation protection and real estate investing. Asia and the Middle East place greater emphasis on long-term growth, while capital preservation ranks highest in Europe and Latin America.
Regional differences emerge in succession planning priorities, with Europe and Latin America focusing on wealth preservation, while Asia and the Middle East place greater emphasis on long-term capital growth and further wealth development. Beyond business succession, succession planning was the leading family priority globally, followed by building family legacy and individual and family growth opportunities. The Family Barometer 2026 represents the sixth edition of this comprehensive study, produced in collaboration with Ernst & Young (EY) Switzerland, based on data from a survey of more than 700 financial professionals worldwide who advise UHNW families. The report examines how families navigate the sale or transfer of a family business, from preparing for a transition through to life beyond the exit, highlighting that taxation, intergenerational wealth transfer, and political stability remain the leading societal concerns for families trying to preserve wealth across generations while managing an increasingly complex external environment.
