Living Case Studies

Set up for Film Clip You are about to view a short, 5-minute film clip from our teaching film, The Big PayDay. It was chosen to depict the deep level of discussion and significant issues that are addressed in our stories.

Main Themes
• How much should you leave your children?
• How much is enough?
• Communication and managing expectations

Shaking the Tree’s stories, although detailed, are fictional and we’ve taken certain artistic license in order to create an opportunity for discussion such as compressing time frames and creating dramatic dialogue. Bear in mind that this small section of film is being viewed out of the context of the rest of the story.

Characters Waights Carlson McAllister: Waights (67) is the family patriarch and co-owner of McAllister Zipper Company. After the sale of the company, Waights now faces a new life, seeking a new identity or legacy for himself and the family.

Martha Lynn McAllister: Martha (64) is Waights’ wife and confidant. She and Waights have been very active in making plans for the family’s future after the sale of the business.

Charlotte Paige McAllister: Charlotte (31) is the youngest child (only daughter) and a budding fashion designer in New York City. She serves on several not-for-profit committees with high society friends.

Peter McAllister, M.D., Ph.D.: Peter (38) is a professor and deeply committed researcher at a prestigious medical school in North Carolina.

Lloyd McAllister: Lloyd (41) is the oldest child who is an attorney and worked in the family business. He had always expected to take over the business, until the unexpected sale. Lloyd is exploring new options in real estate development.

Background
Waights and his brother, John have just sold their family business, McAllister Zipper Company, for a substantial sum of money. Waights and John have different ideas about how they should share their good fortune with their families. Each will have their own family meeting, and this story focuses on the family of Waights and Martha McAllister.

It is the day of the big family meeting. Waights is still emotionally still dealing with the sale of the company. He is also still practicing his “speech” to the kids. Martha is spending the morning with her grandson, Danny. As the kids arrive, it seems clear that they have spoken with their cousins, Uncle John’s daughters. They think that they will be receiving the same level of inheritance today. They talk about their plans for the money which surprisingly, has little to do with new “toys” and other gratuitous spending – except for a new Porsche. Lloyd will be investing in his new real estate development business. Peter wants to fund a chair at the university. Charlotte will be using the money to launch her new clothing design business.

Waights and Martha arrive for the meeting and quickly dispense with the pleasantries as they see the children are eager to hear the good news. They tell their children that they have decided against giving them a large inheritance an instead will provide them with a more modest annual “gift.” They explain that they want to give the children a little comfort in their lives with these annual gifts but do not want them to lose their drive to succeed by giving them too much money.

The children are all shocked by the news, especially Lloyd and Charlotte. They were already making business plans based on access to that money. Both Lloyd and Charlotte also seem to feel that their parents do not take their business plans seriously – that also hurts them.

The clip picks up here and continues the conversation …