Most families come to formal governance at a recognisable moment: decisions that stall or go unrecorded, a rising generation that wants a role but has no pathway, excellent advisers working in silos, and intentions that were never properly written down. None of this reflects a lack of capability. It reflects complexity outgrowing the informal arrangements that once served the family well. The cost compounds as wealth, family and structures grow, and the best time to act is before a crisis forces the conversation.