Daniel Kaufman, founder of the permanent capital holding company Kaufman & Company, will speak at the Global Family Office Investment Summit in Miami on Oct. 15 to 16, where he plans to argue that family office capital is best positioned to build the housing American communities lack. Kaufman’s appearance comes weeks after Citi Wealth released its 2026 Global Family Office Report, which surveyed roughly 350 family offices across more than 40 countries. The report found that direct real estate makes up about 10% of the average family office portfolio worldwide and 13% in North America—the highest of any region—with nearly a third of North American respondents planning to increase their real estate holdings. It also noted that 75% of respondents invest directly in companies, and that public equities became the top destination for new capital this year.
“Family office capital is patient by design, and real estate rewards patience more than almost any other asset,” Kaufman said. “The Citi numbers tell me families are not chasing the market; they are owning what they can see and manage. The question I want to put in front of the room in Miami is whether that capital is going where the country needs buildings most, which is housing for the people who work in these communities.”
Kaufman emphasized that the advantage of a family office is time, not size. “We invest only our own capital, so every project has to stand on its own merit without a fund deadline pushing it,” he said. “That freedom is the real edge a family office has. It lets you buy land when others are selling, wait out an entitlement process, and build workforce housing that a fund chasing fees would pass on. I would like to see more families use it that way.”
Kaufman & Company invests only its own capital and does not raise outside funds. On Oct. 3, the company launched BUILD 2030, a strategy that brings its housing, construction, technology and AI infrastructure businesses under one national development platform. Its operating companies include DEK Builds, an integrated design, build, development and investment firm working across mountain resorts, hotels and commercial construction. LandBriefing, a Kaufman Ventures platform, tracks land and housing fundamentals across U.S. markets.
The implications of Kaufman’s message are significant for both family offices and housing policy. With North American family offices already holding the largest share of direct real estate and nearly a third planning to add more, their collective capital could be a stabilizing force in a housing market often constrained by short-term fund cycles. Unlike institutional funds that face redemption pressures or fixed investment horizons, family offices can hold assets through economic cycles, making them ideal partners for long-term projects such as workforce housing. Kaufman’s call for families to deploy that capital into housing addresses a critical national need: the shortage of affordable homes for workers in communities across the country. If more family offices follow this approach, they could help fill a gap that traditional developers and government programs have struggled to close. The summit, now in its 33rd edition, provides a platform for Kaufman to influence how family offices view real estate—not just as a portfolio asset but as a tool for community building. As public equities attract new capital and direct company investments remain popular, Kaufman’s argument may encourage families to reconsider real estate’s role, especially in areas where patient capital can make a lasting impact. The Citi report’s findings suggest that the trend is already moving in that direction, and Kaufman’s perspective could accelerate it.
