North American wealth management family offices are increasingly adopting AI and automated technologies in preparation for an acceleration of generational wealth transfers during economic and geopolitical uncertainty, according to findings from “The North America Family Office Report 2025” by RBC and Campden Wealth.
Three times more family offices are leveraging AI to improve operations this year compared to 2024, the latest version of the annual report, released on Thursday, says.
“Technology adoption is advancing in family offices, particularly for automated reporting and research, delivering gains in efficiency, insight and decision-making speed,” Manju Jessa, Vice President and Head of Family Office and Strategic Clients for RBC’s Enterprise Strategic Client Group, told WSR by email.
“Generative AI offers family offices the opportunity to streamline routine processes and enhance staff capacity for higher-value work,” she said.
Jessa predicted, “Usage of technology will probably continue to expand, provided that various risks and increased costs are mitigated and managed appropriately.”
The report says, “A significant percentage of family offices are already using AI to assist in investment reporting and securities analysis. This trend will only accelerate as more advanced iterations of AI emerge.”
Another prediction in the report is that AI will likely “result in a significant reduction in the number of family office staff engaged in basic accounting and/or administrative functions.”
Other Key Findings
Another main finding cited by the report is that ultra-high net worth (UHNW) families are preparing for generational wealth transfer and almost 50% of family offices expect that transition to happen within 10 years, while 30% more have succession plans in 2025 than they did in 2024.
Also, family offices’ primary investment objectives for this year are improving liquidity, which was cited by 48% of the respondents to a survey the report findings were based on, and de-risking portfolios, cited by 33% of respondents.
“More family office leaders are prioritizing succession planning than in previous surveys as they prepare families to transition wealth, control and values to the next generation,” Angie O’Leary, Head of Wealth Strategies and Solutions for RBC Wealth Management – U.S., told WSR.
She added, “Philanthropy continues to be a high priority for families as a way to bridge generations and bring values to life.”
Last among the key findings was that private market investments continue to be the largest-held asset class, representing 29% of the average family office portfolio, according to the report.
“The largest change we observed versus 2024 is how family offices are looking inward,” according to Adam Ratner, Director of Research, Campden Wealth.
“Not only are they dialing back their investment expectations from last year, but they’re also de-risking portfolios and looking at operational matters more closely than last year,” Ratner told WSR.
Another finding of the 2025 report was that among those inclined to invest in public markets, the most popular sectors are AI, defense industries and the “Magnificent Seven,” according to RBC and Campden Wealth, who were referring to the big seven technology stocks: Alphabet/Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA and Tesla.
That was unchanged from last year, RBC and Campden Wealth said.
The firms said their report’s findings were based on 317 survey responses from single family offices and private (non-commercial) multi-family offices globally, with 141 (44%) of the responses from North America, and a majority of those from the U.S.
The survey was conducted between April and August 2025. Participating North American family offices had an average of $2 billion in assets, including operating businesses, for a combined total of $285 billion, the firms added.
Jeff Berman, Contributing Editor and Reporter at Wealth Solutions Report, can be reached at jeff.berman@wealthsolutionsreport.com.
