The Vanderbilt Problem (UBS Rooftop Panel)
Hosted on the private UBS rooftop in Midtown Manhattan, The Vanderbilt Problem examines the decisions that determine whether wealth survives the person who created it.
This private conversation will bring together distinguished founders and advisors to examine how great fortunes are divided, diminished or preserved across generations.
Guests will gather in an intimate rooftop setting overlooking Manhattan, with small plates and a curated selection of drinks served throughout the evening.
Topics We’ll Explore
Legacy Building: How founders can define what the wealth is intended to accomplish beyond their own lifetime.
Estate Planning: Which decisions should be made while the founder still has time, control and flexibility.
Trust Structures: How trusts may support asset protection, tax planning, family governance and long-term stewardship.
Buy / Sell Planning: How ownership should be handled in the event of death, disability, disagreement, departure or a future sale.
Preparing Heirs: How families can develop capable stewards rather than passive recipients of wealth.
Philanthropy: When charitable planning should become part of the founder’s broader capital and legacy strategy.
The Panel
Moderated by Jack Payne, CFP®, CEPA®, Wealth Advisor to Founders, Business Owners & Tech Employees @UBS
Jack also moderated ProperRoom NYC’s recent UBS Rooftop Panel on Exit Regrets, guiding a candid discussion between an exited Y Combinator founder and advisors to high-growth companies.
For The Vanderbilt Problem, the final panel is being curated around three complementary perspectives:
Founder or Family Enterprise Principal
Trusts, Estates and Ownership Counsel
Family Office or Next Generation Steward
Together, the panel will examine the legal, financial, operational and emotional realities of building a legacy that can endure beyond the founder.
Evening Schedule
6:30 to 7:00 PM
Private rooftop arrival, reception, small plates and drinks
7:00 to 7:05 PM
Opening remarks and introduction to The Vanderbilt Problem
7:05 to 7:50 PM
Executive panel on legacy, ownership and generational wealth
7:50 to 8:05 PM
Audience questions and moderated discussion
8:05 to 9:00 PM
Curated founder conversation and private rooftop networking
This gathering is designed for:
Founders and business owners anticipating a sale, recapitalization or succession event.
It is also intended for founders already holding concentrated private wealth, family enterprise principals preparing the next generation, and select legal, financial and philanthropic advisors working closely with entrepreneurial families.
This is not a broad wealth management seminar or an open networking event.
Attendance will be curated to create a serious room of people responsible for building, transferring or preserving significant value.
Why “The Vanderbilt Problem”?
ProperRoom NYC was created to address the founder conversations that are often discussed privately but rarely examined honestly in public.
Our recent programming has included our Rooftop Panel on Exit Regrets, bringing Series A+ founders together with an exited Y Combinator founder and advisors to high-growth companies to explore what founders wish they had engineered differently before liquidity became imminent.
That gathering followed our flagship New York Tech Week event, which assembled 345 startups representing more than $1.15 billion in venture backing, alongside venture investors, family offices and founders across multiple stages of growth.
Across these rooms, we noticed a recurring divide.
Founders spend years learning how to create wealth. Far fewer are given a serious framework for preserving it.
The Vanderbilt Problem is the next conversation in that series.
Once value has been created, how should it be owned?
— 🤝 Featured Partner: MongoDB for Startups
Rigid legacy systems weren't created for AI... creating friction, draining budgets, and blocking innovation. As a true partner in growth, MongoDB for Startups has specific tiers tailored for every stage of your journey (from MVP to rapidly scaling VC-backed companies).
The startups in their ecosystem represent over $200 billion in combined valuation, specifically because MongoDB serves as an AI-ready data foundation that lets founders scale without dealing with painful re-platforming down the road.
👉 Apply directly to the MongoDB for Startups program here to claim your credits, architecture support, and ecosystem benefits.