Hans (34) is a German serial software entrepreneur living in Silicon Valley. He is single but in a long-term relationship, holds a green card, and plans to remain in the Bay Area for the rest of his career. He owns homes in Silicon Valley, Aspen, Colorado, and Berlin.
Hans recently sold a majority interest in his latest startup to a private equity firm, resulting in his second major liquidity event in the past three years. Hans has plowed most of the proceeds from past sales into his latest projects or international real estate while leaving small amounts in low-yielding cash equivalent investments and short maturity municipal bonds.
Challenges
- Hans realizes he should diversify but has never felt comfortable with the U.S. money managers he has met in Silicon Valley.
- Except for the residence in Berlin, all of his wealth is tied up in US dollar-denominated businesses, real estate, and securities.
- He would like to support smaller companies in Northern Europe and participate in the growth of the region.
- Due to his highly visible success, Hans has been a victim of cyber-attacks and identity theft.
- He maintains most of his non-business assets in a U.S. private bank that was recommended to him by a venture capital colleague, but feels he needs to do more to protect and fortify his wealth and develop a plan for philanthropic giving to his alma mater in California as well as several public causes he wants to support.
Solution
Working with LFA presented Hans with the opportunity to diversify his holdings with an experienced investment management firm that can help him achieve his goal of investing in promising Northern European companies. He can also protect himself against cyber-attacks by holding assets with one of LFA’s Swiss banking partners, who is well-known for its strong privacy and security measures.