Opportunity at Risk

Opportunity at Risk offers a groundbreaking approach to preserving family wealth across generations by integrating proactive risk management with traditional asset planning. Drawing from decades of experience advising high-net-worth families, the authors reveal why most wealth disappears within three generations and how to prevent it. Using real-world examples, including the decline of families from the original Forbes 400 list, the book introduces the concept of financial gravity, the cumulative force of taxes, inflation, lawsuits, and lifestyle pressures that quietly erode net worth over time.

At the heart of this strategy is the Total Family Balance Sheet by Higginbotham(TM), a comprehensive framework that evaluates risk across six key asset silos: Investment Portfolios, Real Estate, Family Operating Businesses, Private Equity, Personal Assets, and Family Human Capital. The book challenges the siloed, asset-only focus of traditional planning by exposing off-balance sheet liabilities, the hidden threats most families never see coming.

This practical guide empowers families to align their emotional and financial risk tolerance, coordinate across advisors, and protect their legacy with intention. For those who have built wealth and want to preserve it, Opportunity at Risk is a must-read roadmap to financial resilience and generational continuity.