Who We Are

Financial and Investment Advisors

We invest family fortunes and help families to grow and prosper harmoniously over the generations. Our observation is that bad life choices erode family fortunes faster and more surely than poor investment returns. Therefore, excellent investment management, for which we strive, is desirable but not sufficient to preserve wealth.

The “homme d’affaires”: a financial family doctor with a multi-generational perspective

We are seasoned investment professionals with a proven investment discipline but, importantly, our experienced team can also save time, money and anguish by effectively preparing and guiding clients in their necessary consultations with attorneys, accountants, trustees.

• Our heritage and foundation come from our experience as money managers for large families. We have worked with multiple generations to both preserve their wealth over many decades and to manage their family affairs across both sides of the Atlantic — and now the Pacific. Our strength lies in our international background: we know how to listen to clients in several languages, we are sensitive to different cultures, and we strive to facilitate communication between generations; we also understand the economic and social environments of the countries where our clients live.
• Today, because of the proliferation of choices available in all domains, the challenges facing large patrimonies are increasing exponentially. The natural tendency is to enlist the help of experts in narrowly specialized areas such as taxes, the law and real estate. But financial specialization and the constant quest of institutions for productivity have killed the close contact and broad communication that clients used to enjoy with what was called their “homme d’affaires”.
• In the past the “homme d’affaires” meant an individual (man or woman) who was a trusted adviser with wisdom acquired from a broad experience of business, investment, families, the law, etc. He was not necessarily a technician of any of these disciplines but, as an experienced generalist, he could use his wisdom and his knowledge of client families to ensure that decisions made were consistent with their true needs.
• The affairs of wealthy individuals and families are especially complex nowadays because, in addition to the management of investment portfolios, property and other assets, they involve sensitive and evolving family relationships, inheritance considerations and tax planning in an increasingly regulated and legalistic world. It is almost impossible to give sensible advice about one part of a client’s fortune without considering the consequences to other parts of his or her patrimony.
• In addition, many fortunes today are relatively recent and belong to owners who are sophisticated in technology and business matters but often lack the experience of dealing with complex patrimonial problems. This is why it is not just desirable, but increasingly essential that all advice on major issues be channeled through someone who really understands the whole picture.

Sicart Associates aims to be the modern day “homme d’affaires.”