–Kristen Oliveri

September 15, 2009

The Family Wealth Alliance is readying Alliance University, the first-ever accreditation program for family office relationship managers, and has picked its initial curriculum, faculty and tuition. Tom Livergood, ceo, told PAM the three-day training program is set to be held in Chicago at the University of Chicago’s Gleacher Center Oct. 26-28, and an additional program will run Nov. 10-12.
For the fall program, Livergood said the University will have a pool of 12-15 faculty members, one being Thomas Handler, chairman of Handler Thayer in Chicago. Additional faculty members will be announced before the start date. The program will include courses on investment management, reporting, tax management, estate planning, financial planning, and philanthropy. “Our three-day program is a microcosm of what to expect in the two-year one,” said Livergood. The course costs $2,850 for participants and those who complete the course will be given a certificate of completion.
FWA is set to roll out the two-year accreditation program in the beginning of 2010. The firm originally decided to create Alliance University after speaking with both multi-family offices and single-family offices about their struggles to create their own talent pool of advisors (PAM Daily, 5/19).