William has been on me for some time to get a book written about what we do for families. We have made great progress this month. I now have several chapters written and wanted to share the Introduction to the book with you all here. Please feel free to give frank and open feed back about what you read. Thank you all. Title: "Family Fortune: Preserving Wealth, Legacy, and Harmony Across Generations" By Mike Schmitt Edited by: Kathryne E. Schmitt Introduction: The $83 Trillion Challenge "What will your family's legacy be in 100 years?" Imagine it's the year 2123. Your great-great-grandchildren are gathered for a family reunion. A curious 10-year-old pipes up, "Tell me about our family business!" Will the response be a proud recounting of a thriving enterprise that's weathered a century of change? Or will there be an awkward silence, followed by an aunt nervously changing the subject? As the founder of the Rubra Group, I've spent over a decade helping family enterprises ensure their story is the former, not the latter. I've seen firsthand how the right strategies can transform a family business from a potential cautionary tale into a legacy of success spanning generations. Today, we stand at a pivotal moment in economic history. Over the next two decades, an estimated $83 trillion will change hands in the United States alone, as the Baby Boomer generation passes its wealth to subsequent generations. This transfer represents both an enormous opportunity and a significant challenge for family enterprises. The stark reality is that 90% of family wealth is lost by the third generation. That's not a typo – nine out of ten family fortunes don't survive to see the great-grandchildren. The reasons are varied: lack of preparation, poor communication, misaligned values, and the inability to adapt to changing markets, to name just a few. But it doesn't have to be this way. At the Rubra Group, we've developed a four-step strategic approach that has helped numerous families not only preserve their wealth but grow it, all while strengthening family bonds and creating lasting, positive impacts on their communities:

Just a random post: We made our flight home from the Cal State Games in San Diego, in which my daughter swam, due to the kindness of a stranger. Due to the worldwide outage, the airport was in chaos, but I explained to her that we made all the technical cut offs, but the lines for bag check were so long we didn’t make it by 3 minutes. We only had 18 hours at home (including sleep time) to see my folks on my daughter’s 10th birthday. No other flights open and no extra time. This lady at Alaska Airlines went thru 3 supervisors after 2 “nos” and got us on the plane. We felt so blessed. We got home near midnight, then I pulled an all nighter and made my daughter’s orca cake and got to spend our day with my folks, both fighting major medical illnesses, for her special dinner. Sometimes, we just need a break or need to give someone else a break; it changes lives.

I am working with my daughter Kate to complete a book interview for our book on "Optimizing Family Enterprises". Looking forward to a great day.

This is what winning looks like. I am so proud of the team at the. The Red Piano. They are all 9Q trained. @Jason Jones and @Colin Campbell have been working with us for over a year and are totally committed to success and @Susan Erwin Prowse this incredibly Musician is in line to be one of the first 9QAI certified blue belts in the world! Success is not an accident, but a commitment to excellence training and development. You guys are on fire and I am so proud. 🫵🥷🔥🔥👊 https://www.facebook.com/reel/851167326517840?fs=e&mibextid=0NULKw&fs=e&s=TIeQ9V

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