Tim Volk is no stranger to the family office community. In fact, he knows all about family offices and family businesses — because he grew up in one.
“My career has been idiosyncratic as far as wealth management is concerned,” Volk said. “I am part of a fourth-generation family business in the Midwest that focused on insurance, property management and real estate development.”
Volk cut his teeth in the family enterprise before getting a great piece of advice: Step outside the family to get expertise in other areas — on your own. He eventually would land at Harris myCFO with industry veteran Steve Braverman and worked closely with Jay Hughes, a family office thought leader who focuses on enlightened wealth management.
As the years went on, Volk — himself a member of the LGBTQ+ community — found his calling by consulting with family offices that have LGBTQ+ family members, establishing TVolk & Co Consulting.
His latest venture takes his mission a step further.
Enter The Rainbow Bull podcast. The concept was born after speaking with a TV producer who encouraged Volk to share the lessons he has learned from years of working with very wealthy families.
“Beyond the money, I want to cover the human, intellectual, social and spiritual capital of families,” he said. “No one sits down at the Thanksgiving dinnertable and thinks about all of the power, all of the human capital that they have.”
To date, the podcast has welcomed guests who are professionals in the wealth management and family office world. Podcast topics, meant to appeal to LGBTQ+ listeners and their allies, have included addiction within families of wealth and the challenges of aging and longevity with guest Arden O’Connor, who runs her own mental health crisis business.
Moving forward, Volk plans to tackle topics such as estate planning for the LGBTQ+ community and how to help the rising generation of wealth emerge from the shadows.
“I don’t feel like the LGBTQ+ community is really represented in the wealth management market, and I feel the same way with women friends of mine and the advisers they have,” he said. “I thought by doing this show, we can raise awareness, let people listen to various topics, and they can request topics that they want to hear more about.”