As we head into Q4, I’ve spent a lot of time in rooms with Family Offices, investors, wealth managers, entrepreneurs, and others working across private markets.
The conversations covered everything from private credit, energy, and AI to succession planning, philanthropy, mental health, and preparing the next generation. But underneath almost all of them was something much simpler: relationships matter.
Where capital moves matters. So does who families trust, how relationships are built, what values guide decisions, and what wealth is ultimately being prepared to accomplish.
That thread runs through this month’s Family Office Access newsletter. I’m sharing a few takeaways from a week of Family Office events in Texas, inviting you to a practical workshop on moving from investor access to genuine relationship-building, and highlighting THE REAL Summit in New York, where leaders are exploring how capital can accelerate progress in mental and brain health.
I hope something here sparks a useful conversation of your own.
From the Field
From Texas: Capital, Succession & Relationships
A recent week in Dallas and Fort Worth gave me the opportunity to take part in three Family Office-focused events across two very different conference formats: the Marcus Evans Private Wealth Management Summit and JABOY Productions’ ELITE Private Wealth Summits in Dallas and Fort Worth.
Across the week, investment conversations remained active around private credit, real estate, energy, insurance, alternatives, and opportunities tied to AI. But some of the most meaningful discussions moved beyond portfolio construction.
We talked about resilience, succession, governance, preparing the next generation, women in wealth, mental health, and family dynamics. Across it all, one theme kept surfacing: relationships remain central to how Family Offices make decisions and build for the long term.
I also had the opportunity to moderate JABOY’s Dallas Women in Wealth panel, which brought the conversation back to a question I continue to think about:
What are we actually preparing the next generation to inherit?
Our ISS Market Intelligence team captured five takeaways from the week in a new article.
Read ‘Inside Today’s Family Office: Capital, Succession and Relationships’ →
Member + Special Guest Workshop
Finding the right Family Office is only the beginning. What happens next determines whether a name in a database ever becomes a meaningful relationship.
On October 15, join me for a practical Family Office Access Member + Special Guest Workshop with Cory Warfield and Alan Gilbert focused on using LinkedIn to thoughtfully build visibility, familiarity, and trust with the investors and industry relationships that matter most.
Drawing from Cory’s Engineered Serendipity framework, Alan’s decades of experience as a natural connector, and the relationship-led principles behind Foster. Offer. Align.™, we’ll explore how to move from identifying the right people to creating genuine opportunities for conversation.
We’ll Explore:
- Moving from investor intelligence to relationship-building
- Creating familiarity before making an introduction or request
- Building a LinkedIn presence that strengthens credibility
- Engaging in ways that offer genuine value
- Creating opportunities for “engineered serendipity”
- Turning online interaction into real conversation
- Recognizing when trust and alignment are strong enough to take the next step
Attendees will leave with practical ideas they can begin applying immediately.
🗓 WHEN: Thursday, October 15th
🕚 TIME: 1 pm – 2 pm EST
Featured Event
THE REAL Summit New York | Where Capital Meets Mental Health
What would it take to move $10 billion of new capital into mental health by 2030?
That is the goal behind THE REAL, and one I’m especially proud to support.
On October 22–23, Family Offices, investors, philanthropists, founders, researchers and other leaders will gather at AllianceBernstein’s Hudson Yards offices in New York City to explore how capital, research and innovation can come together to accelerate meaningful change in mental and brain health.
ISS Market Intelligence is proud to support THE REAL Summit and the launch of THE REAL Philanthropic Fund, including efforts to engage the Family Office and broader financial community around its mission.
I’ll be participating in a panel at the Summit and joining a closed-door VIP investor session, alongside several members of the ISS Market Intelligence team who will be in New York supporting the initiative.
What I appreciate about THE REAL is that the conversation moves beyond awareness and into action: where capital can help, what promising solutions need in order to scale, and how Family Offices and other investors can participate thoughtfully.
Mental health touches every family in some way. For me, that makes this conversation about much more than an investment category. It is an opportunity to consider what capital can accomplish when purpose, experience, and resources come together.
📍AllianceBernstein, Hudson Yards | New York City
October 22–23, 2026
As a supporter of THE REAL Summit, Family Office Access, now part of ISS Market Intelligence, is pleased to offer our community $300 off registration with promo code FriendofISS.
On Our Calendar
If you’re looking for another opportunity to connect with leaders across the Family Office ecosystem, consider:
📍Help Clients Navigate Year-End Giving with Clarity & Impact
October 6 I Virtual I Register here
Featuring Kris Putnam-Walkerly
📍The Alberta FO & HNW Conference
October 13 I Alberta I Register here
Produced by DC Finance
📍The Vancouver FO & HNW Conference
October 15 I Vancouver I Register here
Produced by DC Finance
📍11th Annual Strategic Investment Symposium
October 16 I Charleston I Register here
Produced by College of Charleston School of Business
📍The Tel Aviv FO & HNW Conference
October 20 I Tel Aviv I Register here
Produced by DC Finance
📍Impact Investing for the Next Generation
October 20-23 I Zurich I Register here
Produced by the Center for Sustainable Finance & Private Wealth
📍Integrating Philanthropy & Investing to Maximize Impact
October 26-29 I Silicon Valley I Register here
Produced by the Center for Sustainable Finance & Private Wealth
📍Global Investment in Sustainable Development
October 27-30 I London I Register here
Produced by CC Forum
📍The East Coast FO & HNW Conference
October 28 I New York I Register here
Produced by DC Finance
Explore our full Events Calendar for additional opportunities throughout the year.
Member Spotlight
One of the most meaningful parts of Family Office Access is getting to know the people behind the businesses and helping relationships grow beyond an initial introduction.
This month, we’re featuring Justin Houston, CEO of Western States Development (WSD), a Texas-based real estate development company focused on building legacy communities and large-scale residential projects. I recently had the opportunity to spend time with Justin at the Opal Family Office & Private Wealth Management Forum and learn more about the experience and philosophy behind what he is building.
Justin has spent more than a decade in residential development, with hands-on experience taking projects from raw land through infrastructure and vertical development.
At the heart of WSD’s approach is a simple idea: turn land into lasting legacies.
As the company continues to grow across Texas, Justin is interested in building long-term relationships with Family Offices and other partners who value experience, transparency, and alignment.
“Family Office Access has given us the opportunity to build relationships beyond the transaction. We value partners who think long-term, and Danielle’s Foster. Offer. Align. approach reflects how we want to work as well: bring our experience to the table, create value together, and let the right opportunities grow from genuine alignment.”
Justin welcomes conversations with Family Offices and long-term partners interested in learning more about Western States’ approach, and I’d be happy to make an introduction.
A Project Close to My Heart
From Echo to Athena: The Evolution of Women in the Great Wealth Transfer brings together 24 voices exploring women, wealth, leadership, and legacy.
My chapter focuses on mentorship and took on unexpected meaning as I wrote it while selling the business I had spent a decade building and stepping into a new chapter.
It reminded me that mentors don’t only help us get somewhere. They can also help us navigate what comes next.
I’m grateful to contribute to a broader conversation about how women are shaping the future of wealth, responsibility, and legacy.
Thank you for being part of this community.
I appreciate the conversations, introductions, and ideas so many of you share throughout the year. They continue to shape the way we think about our programming, research, and the resources we create for members.
I hope to see many of you this month, and as we head into the final quarter of the year, I’d love to hear what you’re seeing across the Family Office community.
Warm regards,
Danielle Patterson
Executive Director of Family Office
