Most writing about family offices and coordinated planning is marketing. Pelican Family Office Insights exists to add something different: careful explainers, and — as the program matures — original research that other publishers, associations, and journalists can cite with confidence.
We have not yet published original research. This page describes what is in development and the commitments any study must meet before it appears here. Nothing on this site reports findings that do not exist yet.
In development: the Advisor Coordination Gap Study
Our first research program will examine the advisor coordination gap — how often the professionals serving the same family (CPA, attorney, investment advisor, insurance agent) communicate, share plans, or coordinate decisions, and what problems families attribute to the lack of it.
The study is being designed to answer questions such as:
- How frequently do a family's professional advisors communicate with one another?
- Who, if anyone, acts as the coordinator of a family's overall plan?
- Where do business owners report coordination breaking down — entity decisions, exit timing, insurance, estate documents?
- What do CPAs say limits their ability to deliver proactive, coordinated planning?
Methodology commitments
When the study is published, it will include, at minimum:
- The full survey instrument and field dates
- Sample size, recruitment method, and screening criteria
- Anonymized, downloadable data tables alongside every chart
- A plain-language limitations section
- A named point of contact for methodological questions
If a finding cannot be published with that context, it will not be published.
Participate
The study will draw on responses from business owners, families, and the CPAs and attorneys who serve them. Professionals interested in participating — or in receiving the results when released — can write to editor@pelicanfamilyofficeinsights.com with the subject line "Coordination Gap Study."
Data and chart reuse
Charts, tables, and excerpts published on this site may be reused by journalists, educators, and associations with attribution to "Pelican Family Office Insights" and a link to the source page. We ask that data not be altered or presented out of its stated context, and that the limitations section accompany any substantial reuse.