Fairness is not always equal shares
Equal percentages feel clean—and often create the wrong incentives when only some children work in the firm.
Parents reach for equal share splits because equality sounds like love. In an operating company, identical percentages can trap active managers under vetoes from siblings who never set foot in the yard.
Name the kinds of fairness
- Contribution fairness — recognising years on the tools or in the office
- Need fairness — supporting a child outside the business through other assets
- Voice fairness — information and council rights without blocking operations
Families sleep better when they decide which kind of fairness they are pursuing, instead of pretending one percentage does all three jobs.
Use other estate pieces
Life insurance, property, or non-operating investments can balance outcomes so the company itself is not forced into awkward ownership. This is estate-design territory—work with your lawyer and financial adviser; our role is to surface the business consequences of each option.
Document the story
When shares are unequal, write why. Future in-laws will ask. A short letter of wishes attached to the plan prevents the dinner-table rewrite five years later.
Revisit on life events
Marriage, divorce, or a successor leaving the industry should trigger a scheduled review—not an emergency. Governance calendars exist for this; see family governance sessions if your family lacks a rhythm for revisiting ownership questions.