Verify the auditor, pricing independence and representations outside the pitch deck.

Family Office Private Wealth Journal · Editorial research desk · 2 November 2026

Companion to Trust and delegation by Stephen Brown; William Goetzmann; Bing Liang; Christopher Schwarz.

Decision in practice

An impressive manager supplies a polished operational questionnaire but chooses its own prices and controls confirmation routing.

Committee assignment

Obtain independent confirmations from custody, administration and audit contacts using independently sourced details. Compare exceptions with the original representations.

Record and decision rule

Document unresolved discrepancies and their owners. Block funding if assets or valuation authority cannot be verified independently.

Illustrative application by the editorial desk. The source authors did not evaluate or endorse this procedure.