Raising capital from family offices
How Joel Built a Multi-Country Single Family Office
15 Strategies to Build a Strategic Multi-Country Single Family Office | Joel Nagel Fireside Chat
Family office principals, advisors and investors who want to see how a professional services firm grew into a global platform of banks, real estate and sports holdings.
What to take from this talk
- Stay in your own lane. Joel's firm says no to work outside international tax, asset protection and estate planning. Lawyers, investment people and CPAs refer clients to the firm because they know it will not take their client.
- Unpaid projects became businesses. Early on the firm had more time than money, so Joel took on projects in areas he found interesting, even when clients could not pay. He ended up on about 25 boards worldwide, and those seeds grew into many of today's businesses.
- Back the people, then the deal. Joel says he invests in projects based on the people involved. A request from his attorney to help the Vienna Vikings led to a new league, the American Football League Europe, and to relationships with wealthy owners in seven countries.
- Treat Bitcoin as a financial tool. Joel's team had a large Bitcoin owner pledge Bitcoin as collateral for a hotel loan where bank financing was nearly impossible. A hedge fund added hedges to cover the volatility, and Joel describes how the arrangement held up when Bitcoin dipped under 15,000.
- Protect the downside on land. Before buying in Nicaragua, Joel's team bought insurance through the United States government and private title insurance. Joel describes a later dispute over part of the coast that the insurer handled over about 10 years.
What this talk covers
Joel, an international tax and corporate lawyer, describes his firm as the defense side of wealth. It focuses on asset protection, estate planning and generational transfers, and has built structures in about 43 countries. He says the firm turns down work outside that lane. He describes a long track record over 36 years and speaks highly of the firm's client outcomes.
Richard C. Wilson hosts the fireside chat. Joel explains how early unpaid projects led to board seats and later to businesses in banking, real estate and sports. He covers a European American football league, using Bitcoin as collateral for hotel financing, owning banks, and buying four miles of Nicaraguan coastline for $3 million. He closes with advice to stay in one's own lane.
From the source
- Joel's firm has created asset protection and estate planning structures in about 43 countries.
- Joel's team paid $3 million in 2000 for almost four miles of oceanfront in Nicaragua, a property of 3,000 acres.
- The American Football League Europe was started after teams disliked their old league, and it now draws teams from seven countries.
Sources
From Richard C. Wilson's Centimillionaire Strategies YouTube channel: 15 Strategies to Build a Strategic Multi-Country Single Family Office | Joel Nagel Fireside Chat. Quotes come from the video captions, lightly edited for readability. Figures are the speakers' own estimates and experience.
General education only. Not legal, tax or investment advice.
Talk to a securities attorney to explore options around asset protection structures, cross-border tax planning and collateral and title insurance. Do not use AI to write your own legal agreements.
In their words
"If you help enough people get what they want, you'll get what you want."
"We tend to invest in projects based on the people involved."
Related questions
- How do I find the decision maker at a family office?Start by meeting the family through advisors, events and the people who manage their investments.
- What deal sizes do family offices typically write?There is no single typical size.
- Do family offices co-invest alongside other investors?Yes, many family offices invest alongside other investors, and they often feel more comfortable when another respected investor is already in the deal.
Questions about this video
Why does Joel say to stay in your lane?
He says defining what you do builds trust with referral partners. Lawyers, investment people and CPAs send him clients because they know his firm will only help with international and offshore work and will not take the client relationship.
How did Joel's team use Bitcoin to finance a hotel?
A large Bitcoin owner agreed to pledge Bitcoin as collateral. A Miami hedge fund provided hedges against a Bitcoin drop. Bitcoin was around 40,000 when the deal was done and later dipped under 15,000 before recovering.
Why did Joel's family office start owning banks?
His North American clients struggled to get financing for real estate in a small-bank market. The firm began with a mortgage company in the 1990s and became a bank in the early 2000s. He later added a second, more crypto-focused bank.
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