Family offices go back to basics as financial assets fail to deliver

With many financial instruments providing flat or negative returns, some family offices are turning to what some have termed “basic businesses” or “alternative alternatives”. That is, niche real assets that existed before the introduction of financial instruments such as equities and bonds. Family offices speaking at AsianInvestor's Family Office Forum in Singapore last month said they had invested in farmland in Australia, sand mines in Brazil and water-related plays. This is in …