Jamie Forbes

Founder and Principal, Forbes Legacy Advisors

Jamie Forbes is the founder and principal of Forbes Legacy Advisors, a philanthropy advising firm for individuals, families and businesses. Jamie grew up in an old New England family imbued with a strong sense of belonging, good fortune and a clear understanding that with privilege comes responsibility. This experience taught him the importance of family culture, tradition, mentoring and stewardship.

Philanthropy has deep roots in his family history, and yet Jamie identified early on that there was limited training around how to give, what to give, and how to evaluate the societal impact of giving. He longed for coaching and mentoring, and today he gets great satisfaction from the coaching and mentoring that comes with this work.

Before Forbes Legacy Advisors, Jamie founded a management consulting group with several partners. Opus Advisors focuses on expanding the capacity of nonprofit organizations. During his tenure at Opus Advisors, Jamie launched their philanthropy advising division, serving both families and businesses to get the greatest impact from their giving. He has also coached and mentored his own children in their giving, including helping them raise funds and donate books to establish a library for an elementary school on the Caribbean Island of Dominica. Jamie is particularly passionate about helping people discover how to combine what they love and how to give.

Contributions

Non-family Staff Peer Network: Power and Family Systems

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Jamie Forbes, Ellie Frey Zagel

Jamie Forbes and Ellie Frey Zagel will bring their expertise from years working with families to this conversation on power and family systems. Explore family business models, culture, and best practices in collaborating with families as they relate to forging connections and power dynamics across generations. Come with questions, prepared to engage in a great discussion with peers. As a… Read More
Voices from the Field

Family Culture: Creating a Resilient Family Tree

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Jamie Forbes, Kelly Nowlin

Courtesy of Johannes Plenio from Pexels This blog post is excerpted from the Passages Issues Brief Family Culture: Creating a Resilient Family Tree. For more information about family culture, please register for our Family Identity and Culture Webinar on February 11, 2021. Family connectedness, not money, has the greatest influence on multi-generational family continuity. But when many think about legacy, it’s often in… Read More
Voices from the Field

Estate Planning is Fun: Said Nobody. Ever.

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Jamie Forbes

Rocky side of a mountain with green grass
We all know we should have an estate plan, but it’s amazing how easy it is to put off. We are loath to imagine, talk about and plan for a time when we are no longer living. It can feel morbid and uncomfortable to think about—not to mention overwhelming to go through the process of understanding all the options and deciding which are best for you… Read More

Family Staff and Volunteer Peer Network: Culture, Traditions, Giving and the Holidays

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Jamie Forbes

Family culture surrounds us all the time.  During the toughest of times, culture is what allows families to thrive and support one another. The holidays are a time when culture, family, and traditions all combine!  Join family member Jamie Forbes, who has thought a lot about culture for his nuclear and multigenerational family, for a lively discussion.  This discussion will allow… Read More

Cultivating A Healthy Family Culture

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Gilbert Miller, Jamie Forbes, Kelly Nowlin

The health of a family is often defined by its culture. Creating connections, positive relationships, and a lifetime of closeness takes ongoing effort and reflection. The Andrus and Forbes families have for many years been thoughtful about traditions, systems, cycles, and family governance. Learn more about their stories in our recent Passages Issue Brief, “Family Culture: Creating a Resilient Family… Read More

Family Culture: Creating a Resilient Family Tree

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Jamie Forbes, Kelly Nowlin

Family connectedness, not money, has the greatest influence on multi-generational family continuity. But when many think about legacy, it’s often in the context of multi-generational financial wealth. Money, though, masks what people are really interested in passing to future generations of their family. Instead of being the primary focus, financial assets should be viewed as an enabler to the bigger… Read More
Voices from the Field

Putting the Giving in Thanksgiving

Posted on October 27, 2016 by Jamie Forbes

This might hurt my mother’s feeling, but I can live without the creamed onions and the sweet potatoes covered with melted marshmallows. Despite their stubborn presence at our annual gathering, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s all about the things that I love: family, food, appreciation and giving… Read More

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