Families with under $100M in assets often ask us whether a family office is within reach without hiring full-time staff or leasing space. The virtual family office model is one answer, but it only works if advisors can share data securely. We wrote this article to explain what a virtual family office provides, how Masttro supports it with role-based access and centralized reporting, and how to judge whether the model suits your family.
We used AI tools to help gather research and speed up the first draft. That left more of our time for checking each figure against its original report and adding what we see in client conversations. A Masttro editor reviewed every claim, and members of our team read the article before it was published.
Key Takeaways
As wealth structures become more dynamic and globally distributed, more families are rethinking how their advisory ecosystem is built and managed. While the traditional family office remains a valuable, time-tested model for many, others are turning to a more flexible and scalable alternative: the Virtual Family Office (VFO).
This shift doesn’t mean replacing expertise, it means enabling it to operate more efficiently, cost-effectively, and with greater transparency. This approach means family office capabilities are within reach to those that have under $100M in assets, a level of wealth not historically suited to setting up an independent family office.
At the center of this evolution is technology, with platforms like Masttro able to provide a secure, full-stack solution that can support family wealth in the digital age.
What Is a Virtual Family Office?
A Virtual Family Office replicates the essential services of a single-family office or multi-family office, without the need for a centralized, physical footprint or a full in-house team. Instead, it brings together a carefully selected network of independent professionals – from investment advisors and tax specialists to estate planners, risk managers, and concierge services providers, all coordinated digitally.
This model offers:
- Flexibility to scale services based on current priorities and evolving complexity
- Cost efficiency by removing the need for a full-time internal team
- Access to expertise across a broader range of disciplines
- Seamless collaboration through the right technology infrastructure
In short, the VFO model provides a way for affluent families, wealth owners, and family office service providers to work together in a coordinated, transparent, and secure environment -- without sacrificing personalization or control.
The Core Services of a Virtual Family Office
A well-structured VFO supports the full spectrum of private wealth management, including:
| Service Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Investment Management | Portfolio oversight, asset allocation expertise, and strategy execution |
| Estate Planning | Legal entity structures, succession planning, and generational continuity |
| Tax Planning & Advisory | Comprehensive tax planning, including income, estate, and jurisdictional considerations |
| Risk Management | Analysis of insurance coverage, entity risk, and liability exposure |
| Lifestyle & Concierge Support | Integration of concierge services, family travel, wellness, and concierge medicine |
| Philanthropic Advisory | Strategy, structuring, and execution of family giving |
| Family Governance | Development of a family governance framework to guide long-term decision-making |
| Document & Information Management | Centralized, secure access to key family documents, records, and reports |
“Masttro quickly turned out to be much more than a technology vendor... Their business model makes them a true technological partner that supports us proactively in our growth strategy, and in turn has differentiated our value proposition tremendously.”
Expanding Your Family Office Capabilities
How Masttro Enables the Virtual Family Office Model
The Virtual Family Office only works if it’s underpinned by the right technology. That’s where Masttro comes in. Purpose-built to support family offices, Masttro brings clarity, control, and cohesion to even the most complex wealth structures and makes a virtual family office model feasible.
Seamless Coordination Across Your Team of Professionals
Masttro gives the family office manager, investment team, and external specialists a centralized place to work from, whether reviewing performance, accessing documents, or preparing reports. Every professional has access to exactly what they need, with security and permissioning built in by role, entity, or user.
Leading User Experience, Designed for Wealth Owners
Unlike platforms that require extensive training or IT support, Masttro is built to be intuitive from day one:
- 2-click access to real-time net worth and performance
- Custom dashboards tailored to your financial goals and risk tolerances
- Easy-to-use mobile and web interfaces that support virtual meetings, collaboration, and decision-making
Visualization tools like the Global Wealth Map help wealth owners, family office professionals and advisors easily see everything, from entities and assets to ownership and inheritance paths
“Visually, from a user interface perspective, this is by far the easiest platform to add assets and see our family mapping.” —Dan Forman, CIO, Jefferson River Capital
Powerful Reporting: Automated, Accurate, and Real-Time
Whether you’re building a liquidity report for trustees or a quarterly review for the family council, Masttro simplifies the process:
- 150+ prebuilt templates with full customization
- AI-powered ingestion of complex data like private equity statements and alternative investments
- Real-time insights into performance, cash flow, and allocation
- One-click exports in Excel, PDF, or secure portal views for distribution
Built for Security, Designed for Trust
Security isn’t optional when dealing with family wealth. It’s fundamental. Masttro takes an uncompromising approach to security, and is engineered with:
- Military-grade cybersecurity and data encryption protocols
- Client-owned encryption keys
- No third-party data intermediaries (not even Masttro can see your data)
- Multi-factor authentication and secure portals
- Secure document vaults, tiered access control, and private cloud architecture
“It’s difficult for us to trust others with delicate information. The fact that we manage everything ourselves on the platform is one of the main reasons we chose Masttro.” —Pola Zaga, Director, Single Family Office
Supporting Legacy, Growth, and the Next Generation
The VFO model isn’t just a solution for today: like any family office it’s about facilitating continuity. With tools like the Legacy Distribution Manager, Masttro helps:
- Simulate inheritance and wealth transfer scenarios
- Provide clarity around liquidity, obligations, and multi-generational plans
- Securely store and manage sensitive instructions and legal documentation
- Engage the rising generation with intuitive technology they’ll actually use
“In order to avoid common succession issues, you need technology that securely provides transparency and a central store of information.” —Stefan Aegerter, Client Director, Saffery Trust
Is a Virtual Family Office Right for You?
The VFO model may be ideal if you:
- Have complex assets but don’t want to build a full in-house team
- Are a service provider managing wealth across multiple families or jurisdictions
- Want more control, clarity, and connectivity between your experts
- Value personalization, but also efficiency and visibility
- Are thinking about legacy, not just logistics
Final Thought: The Future of Family Offices Is Flexible
Whether you’re transitioning from a traditional model, starting from scratch, or evolving a multi-family office practice, the virtual family office model offers a powerful, sustainable, and personalized path forward.
And Masttro is the platform that brings it all together—providing a comprehensive suite of tools, advanced technology, and a dedicated support framework to help families, advisors, and institutions manage wealth with confidence.
Masttro doesn’t just support the VFO. It enables it.
Speak to us and let us show you how.
See how Masttro can power your Virtual Family Office.
“The global wealth map is a critical piece that is a huge selling point to clients and prospects.”
“Masttro allows us to consolidate all custodians and set up the entire legal structure to offer our clients a true holistic vision of their assets.”
"I really appreciate their amazing customer support. The team is attentive and dedicated, and they don't just stop at software implementation. They've been really helpful with different scenarios."
