2026 RBC and Campden Family Office Survey
RBC Wealth Management, & Campden Wealth. (2026, September 29). 2026 RBC and Campden Wealth Report: North American family offices shift from caution to optimism amid Great Wealth Transfer, AI acceleration. https://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/en-us/newsroom/2026-10-01/2026-rbc-and-campden-wealth-report-north-american-family-offices-shift-from-caution-to-optimism-amid-great-wealth-transfer-ai-acceleration
The 2026 North America Family Office Report, based on 155 survey responses from single-family and private multi-family offices, finds North American family offices raising their expectations after a strong year amid the Great Wealth Transfer, new wealth creation, and technology transformation.
Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of family offices experienced a generational transfer within the past five years, while half report an incomplete or non-existent succession plan.
After expecting an average annual return of just 5 percent a year ago, respondents now expect 84 percent of direct private equity investments and 74 percent of private equity funds to match or beat 2025 results in two to five years.
Artificial intelligence is the top investment pick over the next 12 months for 85 percent of family offices, and half of offices report AI is embedded and essential to their workflow.
Despite AI adoption, 73 percent of offices still believe investment reporting is too manual, a top concern for three years running.
Cybersecurity and data breaches are now the top near-term operational concern, cited by 59 percent of respondents, up from 16 percent last year, while failure to upgrade technology tops the long-term risk list at 51 percent.
Some 86 percent of offices invest in private markets, with direct investments averaging 45 percent of the private markets book ahead of funds at 36 percent.
Knote: What surprised me was the percent of direct private markets investments vs funds. Seems high at 45%.