RSM Announces Family Office Institute, Co-Developed with Cornell University

CHICAGO – (May 24, 2022) – RSM US LLP (“RSM”) – the nation’s leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market – is pleased to announce that it has joined forces with Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business Smith Family Business Initiative to develop the RSM Family Office Institute. The RSM Family Office Institute enhances RSM’s ability to serve the unique needs of family office clients. 

The RSM Family Office Institute was created and will be led by Tony Wood, national family office leader with RSM US LLP, and Karen Costa, national family office advisory center leader with RSM US LLP, with Cornell University expert faculty. The program will be taught by Cornell faculty and Cornell Family Business Fellows.

The RSM Family Office Institute will begin in June 2022 and will help enable 35 family office specialists to communicate the business, family dynamics/conflict, financial, risk, tax and other issues family offices face. RSM’s family office clients will benefit from the firm’s tailored ideas, recommendations and solutions resulting from the RSM Family Office Institute.

“RSM’s vision is to be the first-choice advisor to clients, meeting them where they are and helping them position themselves for the future,” said Joe Adams, managing partner and CEO with RSM US LLP. “The RSM Family Office Institute equips our firm to further achieve this vision through an intensive business, family dynamics and strategic planning curriculum focused on the particular needs and trends that impact the family offices we serve. Our family office specialists will draw on this leading program to bring fresh perspectives and issues-based knowledge to our family office clients as they navigate the rapidly changing business, technological and management environments that are transforming how family offices function and thrive.”

Designed for experienced managers and above, the RSM Family Office Institute offers participants an intensive immersion into the complex dynamics of family office business, wealth, generational, succession and other issues. The RSM Family Office Institute’s specialists will leave the program with skills to analyze trends tailored to the individual circumstances of each family office and will continue to evolve as internal and external subject-matter-experts for clients.

“We designed the program curriculum to be on par with what top graduate programs are teaching about the transformative role of family offices to manage the business, personal and family affairs of wealthy families,” said Wood. “This program is designed to bring immediate practical applications for RSM and the firm’s family office clients.”

“There is a sense of urgency surrounding transformation of the family office,” said Costa. “We look forward to training a talented group of family office specialists to produce timely and actionable insights for our clients.”

“We are proud to join RSM on this innovative executive development program to advance current and future leaders to confidently grow their engagement with family offices,” said Daniel Van Der Vliet, the John and Dyan Smith Executive Director of the Smith Family Business Initiative at Cornell University. “This program will equip participants with practical, real-world tools, connect them with other professionals and prepare them to successfully develop relationships and collaborations with family offices and their key constituents.”

The initial class of RSM Family Office Institute participants includes: