Healthy, Wealthy & Wise

My favourite time frame is forever

samuel.instone@aesinternational.com (Sam Instone) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:24:36 GMT

I borrowed that title from the words of legendary investor Warren Buffet.

He’s talking about market timing.

Trying to get in just before prices start to rise.

And out again as they’re about to fall.

It’s exhausting thinking about it.

Worse still, it’s utterly pointless.

But don’t take my word for it.

Legendary economist John Maynard Keynes, discovered this first hand.

Incidentally, Keynes’s investment record is fascinating on a number of levels….

The moral of the story?

If even Keynes couldn’t time the market with any real success, the rest of us shouldn’t even try.

And we ought to be extremely wary of altering our investment strategy on the basis of what economic forecasters might say.

Which country will outperform? Here’s why it doesn't matter

samuel.instone@aesinternational.com (Sam Instone) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:24:21 GMT

Meet Joe.

He’s a high-earning international investor, originally from the UK.

Do you know what percentage of his portfolio is held in UK stocks?

It’s around 50%.

But as of January 2022, the UK represented just 3.9% of the global stock market.

That means Joe massively overweighs UK shares.

He invests heavily in UK stocks because he recognises their names.

He can talk about them with friends.

This gives him a nice, comfortable feeling of control.

But Joe isn’t just overly exposed to at-home, economic and political risks.

Even when he invests in UK shares, he’s concentrated in a narrow range of UK stocks, instead of the broadest range of sectors.

It’s true, there’s no place like home.

But if you’re hoping for positive investment returns and a smooth ride towards your goals, it’s best to globally diversify.

Here's why.

Investment opportunities exist all around the globe

But the randomness of global stock returns makes it pretty difficult (or impossible) to figure out which markets are likely to be outperformers.

How should investors deal with this kind of uncertainty?

You've likely see the asset allocation quilt.

It's one of my favourite charts which ranks the main asset classes (and sub-asset classes) by annual return over the last decade.

I love it because it shows how humbling the investment business can be.

There’s little consistency from year-to-year.

Here is the latest:

The same goes for a country's returns.

It's challenging, at best, to make any kinds of predictions based on the past.

In the past 20 years, annual returns in 22 developed markets varied widely from year to year (each color represents a different country, and each column is sorted top down, from the highest-performing country to the lowest.):

Two examples help make the point well:

Austria posted the highest developed markets return in 2017—but the lowest the next year
The US ranked in the top five for annualised returns over the entire 20 years but finished first in the country rankings just once over that period. In nine calendar years, it was in the lower half of performers.

Practise smart diversification

The cheapest and most efficient way to diversify is to invest in a broad range of low cost index funds covering all the main sectors, geographical regions, and bonds as well as stocks.

This way, when bumps (or opportunities) come along, you can happily absorb them and remain on track.

Put another way, a globally diversified portfolio can help provide more reliable outcomes over time.

7 life hacks to lose weight, supercharge your energy and transform your health

Andrew Hallam — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:24:06 GMT

Elliot’s routine might kill him.

But can you tell what he’s doing wrong?

Each weekday morning, he drags himself out of bed, shuffles to the kitchen and brews a cup of coffee. He then checks his email before sipping his favourite brew.

He showers, gets dressed, and then drives his Honda Civic to work. At 5:30pm, Elliot heads home and hopes he has time for some evening exercise. He has dinner at about 6:30, usually enjoying a dark green salad with chicken or fish.

At 8pm, Elliot goes to the gym. He runs on the treadmill and then lifts weights. He gets home around 9:30, drinks a protein shake and answers a few work-related emails. He then goes to bed at 10:30.

This looks healthy, on the surface. But Elliot sleeps only five to six hours a night. He falls asleep right away. But he usually wakes up a couple of hours later. Sometimes he counts sheep. Other times, he meditates. In frustration, he often gets up to read. He might pour a glass of orange juice and answer a few emails before going back to bed.

Yes, he often feels groggy in the morning. But something scary is happening to Elliot. He’s dying. Technically, we all start to die from the moment we are born. But Elliot’s lifestyle has sped up the process.

Unfortunately, only a small percentage of people would know what he’s doing wrong. If you aren’t already among them, welcome to the fold.

Dr. Satchin Panda is one of the world’s leading experts on circadian rhythm research. I believe his book, The Circadian Code, is more important than anything you could read on finance, exercise or nutrition.

That’s a big claim. But not getting enough quality sleep is like racing a ship with a brittle hull through a field of icebergs.

It can lead to weight gain, poor cognitive function, susceptibility to diseases, lack of energy, and early death. Cancer, for example, loves a lack of sleep.

So, what can we learn from Elliot’s mistakes?

Elliot drinks his first cup of coffee at 6:30am. He finishes his last drink (and sometimes a snack) by 10:00 pm. That means his “consumption window” is 15.5 hours. That’s at least 3.5 hours longer than it should be.

As soon as Elliot eats or drinks something in the morning, it starts an internal chronometer. He now has 8 to 12 hours to finish eating or drinking (with the exception of water).

Eating and drinking ignites our digestive organs and cells. They become like drill-sergeants screaming, “Move it! We need to get going!”

For example, Elliot finishes a protein shake after he comes home from the gym. That’s about 15.5 hours after he began his first cup of coffee. To make matters worse, Elliot then checks his email. This emits blue light, telling his cells it’s time to be awake.

He falls asleep right away. But his body only drops into a long, tired nap. His digestive organs are firing. His late-night screen time told his cells, “That’s the sun, buddy. Let’s get up and move.”

To make matters worse, after waking up in the middle of the night, Elliot often turns on the lights (blue light again) and grabs an orange juice. He wants to sleep, but his actions have told his body that it should be awake.

As a result, Elliot’s mind and body can’t fully recover from the demands of the day. His energy lags. His cognitive function slows. He has trouble losing weight. Cancer and a range of other nasty ailments congregate on higher ground, ready to attack.

Unfortunately, Elliot doesn’t know this. Nor do his friends, family, or most of his colleagues. Our busy lifestyles and screen-obsessed culture become quicksand beneath our feet.

It’s easy, however, to stand on solid ground. We can help prevent nasty ailments from kicking our butts. Below, I’ve listed seven life hacks. They could help you and Elliot, enjoy far better and longer lives.

Eat and drink within an 8-12 hour window. This is from the moment you start your first bite (or non-water drink) to the moment you consume your last. Even herbal tea counts as “food,” so avoid it outside the 12-hour window. An 8 to 9 hour consumption range has proven even better.
Don’t watch television or look at screens for two hours before going to bed. If you must look at a screen, use the nightshift feature or buy blue light filtering glasses.
Warm showers and warm baths are good before bedtime. But make sure the water isn’t so hot it leaves you sweating when you get out. Your body needs a chance to cool down and a lower body temperature is best for sleep.
Expose yourself to the sun’s light shortly after getting up. This could be sitting by a window or (preferably) getting outside for a walk.
If you can help it, avoid jobs that require shift work or time zone changes. If you have such a job, read The Circadian Code to learn how to make the best of your situation.
Ideally, exercise first thing in the morning. Eat or drink your first non-water substance after you exercise. The second best time to exercise is between 3pm and dinnertime.
Dim the lights in your house two hours before bedtime. Avoid any snacks (or non-water drinks) after dinner.

These life hacks are more important than a raise at work. They beat money in the bank. They make investments trivial. We have, after all, just one vessel. For ourselves, and our families, let’s do what we can to keep it afloat.

Andrew Hallam is the best-selling author of Millionaire Expat (3rd edition), Balance, and Millionaire Teacher.

This is when you should worry about your portfolio’s returns

Andrew Hallam — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:23:18 GMT

A guy I’ll call Bruce recently emailed me in a tizzy.

Every month, he had been adding money to his portfolio.

But in 2022, his portfolio dropped by several hundred thousand dollars.

“Where did I go wrong?” he asked. “And should I stop adding money?”

If you’re one of my regular readers, you might expect me to say, “Ignore the market’s movements and your portfolio’s value. Just keep adding money.”

I’m not saying that now. This time, I’m saying you might need to swap your investments for something different.

Before calling your adviser or jumping into your brokerage account, let me provide some context that might, at first, sound crazy:

During some years, your portfolio might gain or fall by 5 percent.

Depending on what you own, I might suggest you make a change.

In other years, your portfolio could plunge 20-25 percent.

This time, depending on what you own, I might suggest you stay put, and keep adding money.

This might sound a bit like Mad Hatter babble.

Imagine Alice in Wonderland for a moment.

She sees a white rabbit and chases it down a hole.

She enters a small room and sees a tiny door.

Alice then drinks something that makes her small, so she can get through the entrance.

Then she eats what she shouldn’t, and suddenly grows huge… crammed like a salmon in a goldfish bowl.

Plenty of people invest like this.

They chase white rabbits in the quest for something great.

And if they make money, they bear down on those fluffy tails.

They believe they’re doing well when they see their investments rise.

But chasing rabbits always, eventually, leaves us crammed in a tiny place.

This happened in the late 1950s with electronic stocks.

White rabbits said, “This is a new era.” Any stock with the suffix “tron” at the end of its name soared like crazy.

Investors shunned diversification to chase these stocks.

Warren Buffett himself said the world had gone nuts.

He even closed his Limited Partnership (a private fund he ran before becoming CEO of Berkshire Hathaway).

After several years of “easy gains” those “tronic” stocks crashed.

Investors would have been better off if they had never gone near them.

It happened again in the late 1990s with dotcom stocks.

Once again, we entered a “new era” where investors often said, “Business earnings no longer matter.”

I bought stock in Nortel Networks, among several other darlings.

And for a few years, I looked like a genius.

But I soon became a salmon in a goldfish bowl.

Technology stocks, like Nortel, crashed. Many never recovered.

And that’s my point.

If we own a globally diversified portfolio and it drops in value, that can be a gift.

We can take advantage of lower prices, and when they recover, we can earn big gains.

After all, the global markets won’t go bust.

Individual stocks, however, can.

And red-hot sectors (even when those stocks survive) can turn cold for years.

Over the past several years, we saw history repeat itself.

Rabbits, once again, promised easy gains.

Investors raced into holes during this new era.

In 2020 and 2021, previously unknown fund managers, like Cathie Wood, breathlessly told investors to buy ARK Innovation funds and their new economy stocks.

Investors pegged hopes on the future of this new paradigm.

Then those stocks crashed… wiping out plenty of hype-filled gains.

In fact, if you put $10,000 into Cathie Wood’s flagship fund when the rabbit called the loudest (January 2021) it would have shrunk like Alice to just $3,267 by March 31, 2023.

To get back to even, this fund will need to gain 206 percent.

Will it recover?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Globally Diversified Portfolio VS ARK Innovation Fund (AKKK)
January 2021 – March 31, 2023

Source: portfoliovisualizer.com

In contrast, during this same time period, a portfolio with 60 percent invested in global stocks and 40 percent in bonds dropped less than 3 percent.

The same $10,000 fell to $9,765 by March 31, 2023.

In 2022, globally diversified portfolios (depending on how they were allocated) fell between 12 percent and 18 percent.

Will they recover? Yes.

They include American stocks, European stocks, Emerging Market stocks and a slew of stocks in between.

They include popular growth stocks and deep-value stocks. They also include bonds.

Globally diversified portfolios don’t go bankrupt. Nor do they stay cold for long.

Bruce owns a globally diversified portfolio of index funds.

So when he emailed me with worry, I said, “Celebrate the discount and keep adding money.”

I wouldn’t say the same if he had fallen into a rabbit hole.

Andrew Hallam is the best-selling author of Millionaire Expat (3rd edition), Balance, and Millionaire Teacher.

Domino effect: How your responses are affecting your investing outcomes

samuel.instone@aesinternational.com (Sam Instone) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:23:04 GMT

Investing is a long-term endeavour.

Successful family stewards often spend decades pursuing their financial goals.

But being an investor can be complicated, challenging, frustrating, and sometimes frightening.

Last week, I summarised our investment philosophy in one phrase.

It's simple but not always easy to stick with - designed to help our clients stay the course when things get rough.

This simple idea highlights an important question.

How can investors maintain discipline through bull markets, bear markets, sideways markets, political strife, economic instability, or whatever crisis threatens their pathway towards their investment goals?

Throughout their lives, investors encounter many decisions that are influenced by events both in, and out of, their control. Without an unwavering philosophy to guide them, stress is inevitable.

This can lead to highly detrimental choices and consequences that harm their long-term financial health.

Typically, when investors don’t get the results they want, many may blame things outside their control (say, the government, central banks, markets, the economy, me), rather than evaluating and reflecting on their own responses to events and taking responsibility for their decisions.

One key trait that differentiates highly successful individuals from others, is their ability to influence outcomes by managing their responses to events, rather than trying to control the events themselves, according to some experts.

In other words, E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome).

Could an outcome—either positive or negative—be the result of how you respond to an event, and not just the result of the event itself?

This would mean events, while important, don't exclusively influence outcomes (if this were the case, everyone would have the same outcome regardless of their response).

Now, let's consider this idea within the realm of your investments.

Event: A major shock, such as the failure of a bank, causes a market to fall.

Response: Influenced by negative media coverage and the resulting uncertainty, you may be tempted to sell some or all of your investment.

Outcome: Without a focus on the long-term and giving in to the temptation of short-term news, you may miss out on the subsequent market recovery and experience anxiety about when or if to re-enter the market, resulting in less than optimal investment returns.

A domino effect.

Now consider this.

Event: A major shock, such as the failure of a bank, causes a market to fall.

Response: Based on your understanding of the long-term nature of returns and the certain ups and downs around news, you stick to your plan, control your emotions and tune out the noise.

Outcome: The market recovers, you changed nothing, and you reap the substantial rewards that other retail investors missed out on.

Same event, different outcome based on response.

This example also reveals why having an investment philosophy is so important.

By understanding how markets work and maintaining a long-term perspective on past events, investors can focus on ensuring that their responses to events are consistent with their long-term plan (often a 40 or 50-year plan and not a one or two-year one).

Our investment philosophy is built on solid principles backed by decades of empirical academic evidence.

Examples of such principles might be: trusting the markets, thinking far ahead (at least 5 years), diversifying and controlling the controllable.

These principles can help us approach market events with greater confidence, even in the face of globally significant or paradigm shifts. It's not uncommon to hear claims that "it's different this time," but by adhering to these principles, we can maintain a steady course and avoid making hasty decisions based on fear or uncertainty.

Simple but not easy.

Adhering to these principles can also help investors resist the temptation of investment fads or worse, scams (even the most self-aware find it hard to manage their own responses to events).

Investing will always be both alluring and scary, but a view of how to approach investing combined with the guidance of a sage fiduciary (a professional duty-bound to work in your best interests) can help you stay the course through challenging times.

So, if you're feeling a sense of drift in terms of your journey, or recognise some of the above scenarios in yourself, we'd be happy to offer a safe pair of hands, starting with an informal chat about where you're at right now.

Sometimes, this is all you need to help increase the probability of having a successful financial outcome.

Here's why you find it hard to invest (plus, what makes the best investors)

Andrew Hallam — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 05:12:25 GMT

“Sir, we’ve cloaked our vessel and we’re in Earth’s orbit.”

“Well done, Captain. Let’s check their communication devices to see what’s happening.

I’ve studied humans for several hundred years. Would you like to see how they invest their money?”

“Sir, I saw your latest research. More humans now invest in a diversified portfolio of index funds. Are we studying those who don’t?”

“No Captain, I want to see how investors in index funds behave."

“But Sir, don’t they just stick to their target allocation?”

“Oddly, ancient survival instincts wired into their DNA make that difficult for them, Captain. I’ll tap into some accounts and show you. Here’s one: This human is adding money he has earmarked for retirement into a bank’s fixed deposit account. It’s promising 5 percent per year, not including restrictions that could reduce those earnings. He’s hiding in a cave to protect his food stores. But inflation is higher than 5 percent, so the rising cost of living will act like rats eating his food.”

“But Sir, even this guy’s bond market index is better than that fixed deposit. Bonds are cheap. When prices rebound, he’ll make interest plus the surge in capital appreciation.”

“Captain, humans have a tough time perceiving risk. During the year that they call, 2022, stocks and bonds both dropped. This scared many humans, especially those who thought bonds could never fall.”

“I understand that, Sir. But don’t they know that broad asset classes are safest and likely to be more profitable in the future after they have dropped in value? If this guy adds money to his overall portfolio, he’ll pay lower prices for his stock and bond market indexes. And because that money is diversified, it would be less risky than a fixed deposit at his bank.”

“That’s true, Captain. But years of evolution is tough to shake.”

“When will he take that money out of the bank and add it to his diversified portfolio of index funds?

“Well Captain, based on his primal instincts, he’ll likely do it after bond prices bounce back.”

“Holy jumping Jupiter, Sir! He’ll forego the cheap prices and miss much higher, future gains.”

“That’s right, Captain. Here’s another fascinating, behavioural example. Can you see what this woman is doing?”

“Yes, Sir. She has a diversified portfolio of index funds. But she’s going rogue! She’s placing a large order for an S&P 500 ETF. Why would she skew her allocation and jeopardise her future returns?”

“Captain, her behaviour is hardwired into her DNA, from generations of chasing Elk on savannahs. She noticed that the S&P 500 went for a recent price run, so she decided to chase it.”

“But Sir, it’s more expensive now! Yale University’s professor, Robert Shiller, learned that markets with low prices (he calls them CAPE ratios) have better ten-year prospects than markets with higher prices. When people add money to a diversified portfolio of index funds, and maintain a consistent allocation, this ensures they add more money to their underperforming funds. That means they pay lower than average prices.”

“Captain, even if she saw that research, it might not change what she does. Notice that, over the 15 years ending June 30, 2019, an investment in the S&P 500 averaged 8.62 percent per year. But according to Morningstar, the average investor in that fund, over the same time duration, averaged just 6.34 percent. Sadly, most investors added more money when it was ‘doing well.’ And when it wasn’t ‘doing well,’ they added less. That woman is a case in point.”

Investors Underperform By Chasing Recent Winners
(June 30, 2004 - June 30, 2019)

Fund	Fund's average annual performance ending June 30, 2019	Investor's average annual performance ending June 30, 2019	Investor's annual underperformance
Vanguard's S&P 500	8.62%	6.34%	-2.28%
Vanguard's International Stock Market Index	5.67%	4.47%	-1.20%
Vanguard's European Stock Market Index	5.52%	0.93%	-4.49%
Vanguard's Pacific Stock Market Index	5.05%	0.34%	-4.47%
Vanguard's Total Bond Market Index	4.12%	3.61%	-0.51%

Source: morningstar.com

“Sir, is it true that if I show the average human the 15 year returns of those Morningstar funds in the table above and ask, ‘What would you buy?’ most would pick the fund with the best recent record? In other words, based on the performances posted above, would they avoid the European and Pacific stock indexes because they hadn’t performed as well as the S&P 500?”

“Yes Captain, that’s what makes them poor investors. Neither they nor anyone will know which will perform best in the future. That’s why smart investors diversify, own them all, and maintain a consistent allocation.”

“Sir, what other weird things do humans do?”

“Well Captain, in most cases, their DNA ensures they’re tempted by stories of other people who are supposedly making a lot of money. They love stories about private equity funds and initial public offerings, even though the long-term data suggest both are risky and tend to be poor performers. They also pine for almost anything that has recently become more expensive, whether that’s real estate, gold or crypto. In contrast, they avoid almost everything that’s cheap, like bond indexes right now.”

“These humans think in such a backward way, Sir.”

“Yes, Captain. You’re right. But there’s hope. Those who invest with a diversified portfolio of index funds, who don’t follow investment news, and have no idea (or don’t care) how their individual components ‘are performing’ tend to make the best investors.”

“Will we see more of them evolve to reach that stage, Sir?”

“That’s my hope, Captain. Let’s come back in another 100 years.”

Andrew Hallam is the best-selling author of Millionaire Expat (3rd edition), Balance, and Millionaire Teacher.

How to design a meaningful life while you (and your loved ones) can

samuel.instone@aesinternational.com (Sam Instone) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:41:13 GMT

Mike and Emily wanted to take a long trip together to visit wine country. They thought about it and planned it for years. They could never quite get themselves to go, though. It never seemed to be the right time.

Then Mike suddenly passed away from a heart attack. Emily is no longer able to take that trip with her best friend and husband.

Chris and Jessica enjoy motorcycle trips and wanted to take their motorcycles on the open road to explore all the national parks in the lower 48 states. They saved up for it. They planned their route. And much like Mike and Emily, they never got around to it.

Now, Chris is unable to go, suffering from early-stage Alzheimer's disease. Even if he could, Jessica doesn't have the physical ability to ride for that long.

Considering both the time you and your loved ones have left, as well as the quality of that time, will help you design your life to live meaningfully while you - and your loved ones - can.

Life is finite: Your lifeline

Something that everyone knows but few people like to think about is that our lives are finite. We were born, and one day we must die.

This is your lifeline.

Of course, you've already lived some of your life, so your actual lifeline looks something like this (yours may look different than the middle-aged sketch here).

Said another way, of the total life you have - or may have - some of that has already been lived. Take a moment to ponder that. Any thoughts or feelings come up as you think about your experience in this world?

What remains is the rest of your life, assuming everything goes well.

Now, take a moment to think about that. Any thoughts or feelings come up as you think about the life you have left? What future aspirations do you have?

More often than not, the goals I hear sound something like, “I want to pay for my kids’ education, retire a bit early, do whatever I want after that, and not have to worry about money.”

Of course, this is a gross oversimplification because we can't actually know how much time is left. You don't know how many more moments you'll have with yourself or with others.

Everyone has a different lifeline

Speaking of others, here's another fact that you already know, but may spend a lot of energy to avoid thinking about. Not only do you have a lifeline, but everyone you love also has a lifeline.

And they cover different spans of time!

For example, your lifeline and your spouse's or partner's lifeline might look something like this when compared to each other.

If your parents are still with us, yours and theirs might look something like this.

If you have kids, they have their own lifelines too.

Everyone has a different lifeline, even your dog (or cat, if you prefer)! That makes it important to think about your relationships and the experiences you wish to have with your loved ones.

Considering 'healthlines'

If we just thought about lifelines and how to best use the time we have life in connection with the time our loved ones have left, that would be a good start.

Yet time alone isn't the whole story. We might consider thinking about the health we have left along with the life we have left.

And not all years are created equal.

Over time, our physical abilities and our cognitive abilities decline. In other words, one year when I'm 55 is not the same as one year when I'm 85 (if I get to live to 85).

Thus, in addition to our own lifeline, we now add a 'healthline'. And just like with the lifeline, everyone's healthline is different. For example, working with many top lawyers, business owners and management consultants I often see them sacrifice health and family time through a short but high-earning wealth accumulation window by grinding out many hours to gain financial independence before realising there is more to life than financial security.

Consider time and quality

Considering both your lifeline and healthline, along with others' healthline and lifeline, can help you live more meaningfully by allowing you to invest your time, energy, and even money in experiences with the people most important to you.

Consider you and your spouse or partner, if you have one. There will come a time when one of you dies before the other. There'll also be a time when your partner can't do all the things they used to do and vice versa.

Considering time left is important.

Mike and Emily, who wanted to take a long trip together to wine country, never got a chance to because they ran out of time.

Chris and Jessica, who wanted to take a long motorcycle journey together, missed out on the opportunity because the quality of their health declined.

It's not just romantic partners. How much time do you have left with your parents? How much ability do they have to enjoy time with you? I covered time with loved ones in a LinkedIn carousel.

It goes the other way, too. How much time will your kids have with you while you are mentally and physically healthy?

How much time do you have left with your dog or cat?

Thinking about your life this way gives you the opportunity to think about how you want to spend your time, energy, and money while you and your loved ones are healthy enough to experience life together.

When it comes to wealth, your goal likely shouldn’t be just 'to make more money'. Unfortunately, this is one of the most common answers we hear when talking to people about their wealth. ‘More‘ is not definable. It’s also unachievable, as there will always be ’more'.

You’ll end up spending your life as a slave to your money when in reality, your money should be working for YOU.

‘Enough’ is a better place to start.

As American educator and professor Randy Pausch said,

"We don't beat the reaper by living longer, we beat the reaper by living well and living fully."

Thank you to Meaningful Money for the great drawings.

The truth about dividends that only mature investors understand

samuel.instone@aesinternational.com (Sam Instone) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:33:49 GMT

One of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of investing is what it really means to be a stock market investor.

Many imagine a casino, where some are lucky enough to win, but most end up on the wrong side of the “house”.

Here's what mature investors know to be true...

When you invest in the great companies of the world (the stock market), you're not just buying an invisible item – you're becoming a part-owner in:

real companies, that sell
real products and services...
to real people.

The long-term financial rewards of being an investor in stocks are twofold.

The first is the hope of one day selling your shares for more than you bought them. This becomes a real possibility when the company improves its profits over time, either by selling more goods and services or passing on inflationary input prices to consumers.

The second is the hope that the company’s management will distribute a portion of annual profits to equity owners as a cash dividend.

Understanding dividends reinforces a crucial point: As shareholder in the great companies of the world, you're participating in the financial success of actual businesses.

Let’s explore this more...

Should you spend or reinvest your dividends?

As a dividend-receiving investor, you face a key decision: what to do with these payments?

The first option is to receive the dividends as cash.

This can provide a regular income stream, which might be attractive if you're looking to supplement your current lifestyle or invest in other opportunities.

It's an immediate win – cash in hand that you can use as you see fit.

The second option is to purchase additional shares of the same stock.

This approach continuously increases your ownership stake.

While receiving cash dividends offers immediate gratification, reinvesting sets the stage for potential long-term growth.

By reinvesting, you're buying more of an investment strategy you already believe in, without investing additional money from your pocket.

The compounding effect

The decision to reinvest dividends can profoundly impact your long-term financial outcomes, thanks to the power of compound growth.

When you reinvest dividends, you're not just earning returns on your initial investment – you're earning returns on your returns.

Let's look at some numbers to illustrate this point.

Historically, reinvesting dividends has accounted for a significant portion of the stock market's total return.

For example, $100 invested in the MSCI World Index in 1999 grew to $310 by the middle of 2024.

However, with dividends reinvested, your investment would be worth $557.

It's important to understand that the share prices or index levels, as reported in the financial media, often exclude dividends.

If you reinvest dividends, your actual returns could be substantially higher than these numbers suggest.

This "hidden" growth through dividend reinvestment can dramatically accelerate your journey to a flourishing future.

It's a powerful force that, over time, can turn even modest investments into significant wealth.

How to harness the power of dividends

Understanding and appreciating the true nature of being an investor in the great companies of the world, is the foundation of long-term investing success.

Implementing the appropriate strategy for you will make it easy to put your dividend strategy on autopilot.

As financial life managers, we’re here to help navigate these decisions and implement an investment strategy that aligns with your long-term financial goals.

Helping you make informed decisions that align with your unique goals and circumstances.

The inevitable outcome for those harnessing this power of compound growth is financial independence and a dignified retirement.

Business exit planning for internationally mobile founders

samuel.instone@aesinternational.com (Sam Instone) — Wed, 13 May 2026 12:39:41 GMT

I've watched entrepreneurs build extraordinary companies. Decades of discipline and sacrifice, taking a business that began as just another competitor and turning it into the leader of the industry they'd spent their whole working lives in.

As the business grew, the rewards compounded. Rising income, fat dividends, a growing pile of on-paper wealth.

And then, when it comes to the single event that will define their family's financial future for generations, they wing the part that matters most.

The exit.

It's strange, when you think about it.

The same founder who spent years refining operations, negotiating supplier contracts, and stress-testing every hire will approach selling a business – a multimillion-dollar liquidity event – with a rough number in their head and a vague plan to "figure it out after."

I've seen too many occasions in which they don't figure it out after.

They're all smart individuals: their business success is testament.

But just like a prisoner in Plato's famous parable, who makes his way up the slope to the mouth of the cave, he's blinded by the never-before-seen daylight.

He's in completely new territory, and none of his old environment (or industry acumen) offer a steer on where to turn.

And with eight figures on the line, the sense of scramble to act can produce outcomes that are measurably, sometimes catastrophically, worse than preparation.

Done properly, business exit planning is the difference between a transaction and an inheritance.

What is business exit planning?

Business exit planning is the coordinated process of preparing a company – and its owners – for the eventual sale, transfer or succession of the business.

Done properly, it covers the deal itself, the tax and legal structures around it, the family conversations that should happen before the transaction, and the wealth strategy that takes over once the proceeds land.

For internationally mobile founders, particularly those based in the UAE or wider Middle East, exit planning is rarely something that can be left to the last twelve months.

The decisions that matter most tend to need years to put in place.

Business exit planning: The gap between sale price and actual wealth

There's a number that catches the eye in any business exit.

The business valuation.

The price everyone congratulates you for.

And then there's the cluster of numbers and realities that actually matter personally: what you keep, what it earns, what it costs you in tax, what it does for your family over the next thirty years, and whether you can sleep at night.

These two numbers are often strikingly different.

I've seen founders lose 20 to 40 per cent of their headline proceeds to avoidable tax exposure, poor deal structuring, currency missteps, and post-sale - weak investment decisions made under pressure after the wire hit. On a serious exit, that's tens of millions. Money the family was never going to see twice.

Most of it would have been recoverable through proper tax planning – but only if the work had started years before the deal.

But the pattern repeats.

The transaction consumed all their attention.

Nobody was coordinating the personal wealth strategy alongside the deal.

And by the time the cheque cleared, options that would have been available six months earlier were gone.

Why business exit planning has to start years before the sale

Preparation compounds. Neglect compounds too.

Life after selling a business can certainly flourish.

But the best exits I've observed share a common trait: business exit planning that started years before the deal.

Not because the founder knew exactly when they'd sell.

Because they understood that business readiness and personal financial readiness are two separate disciplines, and both need time.

On the business side, that means building an operation that doesn't depend entirely on the founder.

Buyers pay a premium for businesses with strong governance, documented processes, and a leadership team that can run things without the owner in the room.

Businesses where the founder is the operating system tend to sell at a discount, sometimes a steep one.

On the personal side, it means understanding your own numbers.

What annual income do you need to maintain your lifestyle?
What structures should hold your wealth after the sale?
Where will an internationally mobile family like yours be tax resident when the proceeds land?
What happens to your estate if something goes wrong between signing and closing?

These questions have specific, technical answers.

They vary by jurisdiction.

They interact with each other in ways that aren't obvious until you map them out. Proper business exit planning takes time to implement.

Starting early gives you options. Starting late often forces compromises.

Tax planning before selling a business

Of all the disciplines that fall under business exit planning, tax planning is the one where preparation pays back most visibly – and where neglect costs most.

The UAE for example, has long been a favourable jurisdiction for founders building wealth.

But the picture changes the moment proceeds from a sale begin moving across borders.

Residency status, citizenship, where the business is owned, where the buyer is based, where the proceeds are received, and where you plan to live next – each of these can shift the final outcome by amounts that dwarf any saving on fees.

A few principles worth holding in mind:

Residency is rarely binary. Where you are tax resident in the year of sale, the year before, and the year after can all matter. Some jurisdictions assess sales based on residency at the time of disposal. Others look further back. Planning ahead means having years – not months – of consistent positioning.

Citizenship and former residency matter more than people expect. British nationals, for example, can carry UK tax exposure for years after relocating to the UAE – temporary non-residence rules and inheritance tax reach can extend well beyond the date of departure. Several European jurisdictions go further, applying exit taxes or extended tax tails that follow former residents long after they've left. Each of these needs to be designed around with financial experts, well before a sale process begins.

The structure of ownership shapes the bill. How shares are held – personally, through a holding company, through a trust – determines what's taxable, where, and at what rate. Restructuring late in the day rarely works; tax authorities tend to look through arrangements made shortly before a sale.

Timing matters too. Sometimes selling six months earlier or later changes the outcome significantly, particularly if a change in residency, regulation, or tax treaty is on the horizon.

The common thread: tax planning before selling a business isn't a single conversation. It's a multi-year strategy that needs to be built alongside the business itself, not bolted on at the end. By the time a buyer is in the room, most of the high-impact options have closed.

Why succession planning starts with family conversations

Your family isn't a footnote, and a business exit isn't a solo event, even if it feels like one.

If your spouse or partner has been part of this with you, the sale will change their life as much as yours.

Think about where you both started. Probably somewhere ordinary - a regular salary, a regular mortgage, a future neither of you had mapped out in numbers this big. Then the business grew, and life scaled up with it.

You may have gradually 'upgraded' your life, but you likely stayed grounded, given your background or family ethics. Still, the sudden wealth event can bring with it a certain tumult – not least because the years of grind, the weight of building (and sometimes re-grouping) are suddenly lifted.

The cave dweller is free, but his eyes struggle to adjust to the unimaginable space and choices.

Then there are your children.

Depending on their age, their formative experience was probably similar to your own. You've been running a successful business, but kept them grounded.

When the extraordinary proceeds land (if a 100% company sale is what happened), the impact on them can't be assumed.

But it can be managed.

Older children may have been shareholders in the company in question.

This brings its own set of challenges. Simple to say, but they're not regular shareholders!

I've seen deals delayed, sometimes destroyed, by family dynamics that nobody addressed until it was too late.

Disagreements about valuation, about the use of proceeds, about future roles, about inheritance.

These aren't problems you can solve in a boardroom during due diligence.

They need honest conversations, ideally facilitated by someone neutral, well before the transaction begins.

Family governance isn't a legal document. It's a shared understanding.

Who gets what, why, and when – the substance of real succession planning, particularly for families in the UAE, where local succession law interacts with the rules of other jurisdictions.

How decisions are made. What values you want the wealth to serve.

Getting this right doesn't just protect the deal. It protects the relationships that matter more than the deal.

Exit strategy options every business owner should understand

Most founders default to one exit strategy: sell the whole thing to a buyer for cash. That's one option. It's not the only one, and it's not always the best one.

Strategic sale to an industry buyer

A strategic sale to an industry buyer can deliver strong value, particularly if the acquirer sees synergies that justify a premium.

But it requires careful buyer selection and often involves earn-out arrangements that keep you tied to the business for years after closing. Those earn-outs sound reasonable on paper. In practice, they're one of the most common sources of post-deal conflict.

You're operating inside a business you no longer own, with limited control over the decisions that determine your payout.

Private equity partnership

A private equity partnership brings capital and operational expertise while letting you retain a stake. The trade-off is shared control and a partner whose timeline and incentives may not perfectly match yours.

Family succession

Family succession preserves legacy and continuity. It also demands something most families underestimate: succession planning that identifies a successor who is genuinely capable and willing, a governance structure that prevents future conflict, and a realistic valuation that doesn't create resentment among family members who aren't involved.

Management buyout

Management buyouts can reward the team that built the business alongside you. They require careful financing and clear agreements about how the transition works in practice.

Each path has implications for tax, timing, legacy and lifestyle. The right exit strategy depends on what you're optimising for, and that's a question only you can answer. Ideally, before anyone sits across a negotiating table.

The advisory team behind every successful business exit plan

Complex exits involve at least five distinct professional disciplines:

Tax structuring
Legal protection
Transaction management
Wealth planning, and
Investment strategy.

No single adviser covers all of them.

And if someone claims they do, that's a red flag, not a reassurance.

The most effective advisory teams for business exit planning are assembled well before the exit timeline begins. Twelve to eighteen months before a sale is the minimum for serious coordination.

For larger or cross-border transactions, three to five years is more realistic.

The role at the centre of this team matters more than most founders realise.

You need someone who understands the whole picture across your life, family and finances, and who keeps the legal, tax and investment work moving in the same direction rather than in parallel silos.

In our world, that's the financial life manager. The person whose job is to make sure every decision connects to your actual life goals, not just the transaction.

As the Middle East's only fee-only certified fiduciary, we take that coordination role seriously.

Every recommendation we make is legally required to serve your interest, not ours. No hidden commissions. No product pushing. Just an evidence-based strategy, independently audited.

The first year after selling a business

The day the deal closes, everything changes.

The rhythm of daily business disappears.

A large, unfamiliar sum appears in your accounts.

And every private bank, fund manager, and "old friend with an opportunity" materialises within the week.

This is the moment where discipline matters most.

And it's the moment where most founders are least equipped to exercise it.

They're exhausted from the transaction, emotionally processing what just happened, and newly vulnerable to decisions driven by excitement, anxiety, or the simple desire to feel productive again.

The evidence is clear on what works in wealth preservation.

Take a breath. Don't deploy capital quickly.

Build a structured framework before making a single investment decision.

A sensible approach divides post-exit capital into three categories.

A safety reserve: six months to two years of living expenses in low-risk, easily accessible assets.
A core investment portfolio: diversified globally in the great companies of the world, built for steady long-term growth and tax efficiency rather than swings driven by market noise.
A legacy allocation: trusts, estate structures, and succession planning that grows in importance as your priorities evolve.

This isn't complicated. It's just the opposite of what adrenaline tells you to do.

The emotional side of selling a business most founders aren't prepared for

There's a question that surfaces in almost every conversation I have with founders after a sale, which doesn't come up in deal documents or financial projections.

"What do I do now?"

For decades, your identity was fused with the business. The title. The routine. The sense of purpose that comes from building something and being needed.

When that goes away, it leaves a gap that money doesn't fill.

The founders who navigate this well tend to treat the transition with the same intentionality they brought to building their companies. They pause before committing to the next thing.

They explore board seats, advisory roles, philanthropic projects, and mentoring. They permit themselves not to know the answer immediately.

Building something is addictive.

The ones who thrive after selling find new outlets for that energy, on their own terms, without the pressure of having to prove anything to anyone.

But they do so within structures, stability and a few trusted relationships to maintain an even keel in the background.

When to start business exit planning (and why it's almost always now)

If you're reading this and thinking your exit is still years away, you're in the best possible position.

You have time to get the structures right, the family aligned, the business ready, and the advisory team assembled.

If you're reading this and the exit is already in motion, you can still improve the outcome significantly.

But the window for certain strategies, particularly around tax structuring and estate planning, narrows as the deal progresses.

Either way, the principle is the same.

The exit isn't the end of wealth creation. It's the start of a different discipline entirely - one that rewards patience as much as the building years rewarded drive.

The quality of that beginning determines whether the wealth lasts one generation or three.

And that quality comes from one thing: preparation.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I start business exit planning as an internationally mobile founder?

The honest answer is: earlier than you think. Twelve to eighteen months before a sale is the minimum for serious coordination across tax planning, legal structuring and investment strategy. For internationally mobile founders – with residence, family and assets spanning multiple jurisdictions – three to five years is more realistic. Starting late doesn't make an exit impossible. It just narrows the options that would have been available with time.

How does selling a business in the Middle East differ from selling one elsewhere?

Three things in particular. First, residency status matters more than it does in single-jurisdiction deals – where you're tax resident when proceeds land can materially change your take-home outcome. Second, the interaction between UAE rules and your home country's tax rules is rarely intuitive, which is why coordinated tax planning needs to start long before the sale process. Third, family wealth structures need to work across borders, not just locally, especially where children, spouses or future inheritors live in different countries.

What's the difference between an exit strategy and succession planning?

An exit strategy is about how the business changes hands – trade sale, private equity, management buyout, family handover, or some combination. Succession planning is about who carries what forward, and on what terms. They overlap most clearly in family-led handovers, but even a clean third-party sale involves succession decisions: who in the family receives what, when, through which structures, and with what governance around it. Treating the two as one conversation rather than two tends to produce better outcomes.

How is business valuation usually approached for owner-managed companies?

Several methods exist – multiples of earnings, discounted cash flow, asset-based, and various hybrids – and serious buyers will run more than one. The number that matters in practice is the one a credible buyer will defend in front of their own investment committee. For owner-managed businesses, the gap between an aspirational valuation and a defensible one usually comes down to how dependent the business is on the founder, the quality of its financial records, and the strength of the leadership team. Each of those is improvable, but not in the final quarter before a sale.

What tax planning matters most before selling a business as a UAE resident or someone planning to relocate?

It depends entirely on your circumstances – where you've been tax resident in the years before sale, where you'll be tax resident when proceeds are received, what citizenship implications apply (British nationals and several European nationalities carry obligations that follow them after relocation), and how the business is owned. Tax planning isn't a single action. It's a series of structural decisions made over a period of years, ideally before any sale process formally begins. By the time a buyer is at the table, most of the high-impact options have closed.

Can my lawyer or accountant handle business exit planning on their own?

They handle critical parts of it, but no single discipline covers the whole. A complete exit involves tax structuring, legal protection, transaction management, wealth planning and post-sale investment strategy. Lawyers protect the deal. Accountants address the numbers. Neither role is typically built to coordinate the personal and family wealth strategy that runs alongside the transaction. That coordinating role – making sure every decision connects to your actual life – sits with the wealth adviser.

What happens to family relationships if exit strategy and succession planning aren't addressed early?

They often suffer in ways that are hard to repair. Most family disputes around a sale don't appear during due diligence – they were present years earlier, just unvoiced. Disagreements about valuation, the use of proceeds, future roles, and inheritance: these need honest conversations, ideally facilitated by someone neutral, well before any transaction begins. Done well, succession planning protects relationships first and assets second.

How much of my exit proceeds should I keep liquid after selling a business?

A useful starting framework: six months to two years of living expenses in low-risk, easily accessible assets; a globally diversified core portfolio designed for long-term growth and tax efficiency; and a legacy allocation that grows in importance as your priorities evolve. The exact split depends on lifestyle costs, family commitments, philanthropic intent and how long you expect to draw on the proceeds. What matters more than the precise numbers is having the framework in place before the money lands, not after.

I've sold my business and recently moved to the UAE. What should I be doing now?

The first twelve months matter more than most people realise. Decisions made under post-sale adrenaline – where to park the proceeds, which bank to use, which manager to listen to – tend to be the ones founders most often regret. The right starting point is structural: confirming your residency position, mapping any lingering tax obligations in the country you've left, building a framework for the proceeds before deploying capital, and putting succession and estate structures in place that work across the jurisdictions your family touches. Most of this can be done in the first six months. None of it should be rushed.

HR guide: Supporting your employees during times of regional conflict

damien.walsh@aesinternational.com (Damien Walsh) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 09:22:40 GMT

A practical resource for UAE HR professionals covering crisis communications, mental health support, legal obligations, and how to get more from your group medical insurance.

The question being asked most this week: "What does our insurance actually cover for mental health?"

If you've been fielding this question from employees or leadership, you're not alone.

It’s the most common thing HR teams are asking us right now, and the honest answer is most plans cover more than people realise - but the information is rarely communicated in a way that’s easy to use.

Here’s what to check with your insurer or broker as a matter of urgency:

Whether outpatient mental health consultations (psychiatry and psychology) are covered, and with which in-network providers
How many sessions are covered per year - many plans include 5 to 15 outpatient sessions
Whether tele-psychology (online or phone consultations) is available - particularly important for employees who are hesitant to attend in person
Whether your plan includes an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) - many do, and most employees have no idea
Whether the EAP covers family members as well as the employee
How an employee can easily access these benefits - does it require a GP referral, or can they self-refer?
Whether counselling at clinics and wellness centres qualifies, not just hospital-based services

Once you have these answers, produce a short plain-language summary and get it to your employees this week.

Clinical benefit language — "outpatient psychiatric consultation, subject to deductible" — means nothing to someone struggling at 11pm.

What they need to know is: who can I call, how do I book, and what will it cost me.

Always close with a clear statement that using these benefits is completely confidential and won’t affect their employment. That reassurance is often the difference between someone reaching out and suffering in silence.

If you’re unsure what your plan covers or need help translating the details into something usable, get in touch with us at hello@aesinternational.com. This is exactly what we’re here for.

Understanding the impact on your workforce

The psychological toll of conflict - even from a distance

Research consistently shows that workers with family, cultural, or national ties to conflict zones experience significantly elevated levels of anxiety, sleep disruption, and difficulty concentrating at work.

But the impact extends beyond those with direct connections.

Constant exposure to conflict news, which UAE-based psychologists have described as among the most significant sources of stress in the current environment, creates what clinicians call "vicarious trauma" and "compassion fatigue" across entire teams.

Common signs your employees may be struggling include:

Increased absenteeism or arriving late and leaving early
Visible distress, tearfulness, or sudden emotional reactions
Withdrawal from colleagues or a drop in communication
Reduced concentration and more frequent errors
Interpersonal tension, especially between colleagues from different national backgrounds
Complaints of headaches, fatigue, or sleep problems

This sits on top of existing health risks

The UAE workforce already carries a high burden of stress-related and chronic conditions - heart disease risk, diabetes, musculoskeletal issues, and burnout are among the leading drivers of absence and insurance claims.

Crisis periods amplify all of these. A spike in anxiety today can accelerate the deterioration of a chronic condition that was manageable last month.

We work closely with HR teams across the UAE, and we see first-hand how crisis periods ripple through a workforce - often in ways that don’t show up as an obvious mental health claim, but as a spike in ER visits, GP appointments, and specialist referrals. Behind every one of those is a person who needed support earlier.

Getting ahead of it, with the right resources in place now, is better for your people, and it means your medical costs are less likely to spiral when renewal comes around.

Your legal obligations under UAE law

Federal Mental Health Law No. 10 of 2023

The UAE's Federal Mental Health Law came into force on 30 May 2024, replacing a framework that had been in place since 1981. For employers, it’s not optional guidance - it creates clear, enforceable obligations.

There are three pillars every HR leader must understand.

Non-discrimination. You can’t restrict duties, demote, or terminate an employee because of a mental health condition without a formal report from a specialised medical committee and full compliance with UAE Labour Law. Verbal performance concerns alone aren’t sufficient grounds.

Strict confidentiality. Any mental health information an employee shares - whether with you, a manager, or HR - must be treated as strictly confidential. It can’t be discussed beyond those who genuinely need to know and must not be used in performance or disciplinary proceedings without legal basis.

Supportive workplace duty. Employers are expected to actively ensure a working environment that respects and accommodates employees with mental health conditions. This includes reasonable adjustments to workload, hours, or environment where possible.

What does this mean in practice during a period of conflict?

When an employee discloses war-related anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD symptoms, or sleep problems linked to the conflict, your legal starting position is: support and accommodate. The law significantly limits disciplinary action and termination in these circumstances.

Practical steps to stay compliant:

Train line managers to document supportive conversations, not disciplinary ones, when mental health is raised
Ensure any reasonable adjustments - temporary workload reduction, flexible hours, brief check-in meetings - are recorded in writing
Never share an employee's mental health disclosure in team meetings, performance reviews, or with other employees
If performance genuinely deteriorates, consult HR and legal before taking any formal action - the law creates significant procedural requirements

UAE labour law intersections

The Mental Health Law works alongside Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 (UAE Labour Law).

Key points: employees may be entitled to sick leave for mental health conditions just as for physical illness; the prohibition on discrimination in employment applies to mental health status; and dismissal without following due process creates liability under both laws.

What to say to your employees

The communication principles that matter most

How leadership communicates during a conflict period has a measurable effect on employee well-being, trust, and team cohesion. The goal is to acknowledge without inflaming, to support without overstepping, and to point people toward help without implying weakness in seeking it.

Acknowledge. Name the situation. Employees know what is happening - silence from leadership reads as indifference, not neutrality.

Stay neutral. Focus on human impact, not political positions. Your workforce spans many nationalities and perspectives - maintain a safe space for all.

Point to help. Tell employees specifically what support is available, where to find it, and that using it’s encouraged and won’t affect their employment.

Repeat. Don’t make one announcement and consider the issue closed. Regular, brief check-ins signal that care is ongoing, not performative.

The most important thing a manager can do: pick up the phone

Beyond formal communications and policy, the single most impactful thing a line manager or business owner can do right now is reach out to their people directly and personally. A phone call - not an email, not a message - carries a weight that no company-wide communication can match.

It says: I’m thinking about you specifically.

Managers don’t need a script for this. They simply need to ask how someone is doing, listen without rushing to fix anything, and make clear that support is available and that the person won’t be judged for using it.

If that conversation surfaces real distress, the right move is to increase the frequency of contact - not to step back. Regular, brief check-ins from a trusted manager are one of the most effective forms of psychological support available, and they cost nothing.

How to handle check-in conversations well

The goal is to open the door, not to provide counselling. Managers should ask open questions about well-being, listen actively, and then direct the person toward professional support rather than trying to solve the problem themselves.

A few important things managers must not do: promise confidentiality beyond what policy allows; offer clinical advice or attempt to diagnose; minimise what the person is experiencing ("try not to think about it" or "we all have to keep going"); or share what was discussed with colleagues, including other managers, without the employee's knowledge.

If a manager is concerned about someone's immediate safety, they should contact HR straight away and, in serious situations, call 800-HOPE (800-4673) or emergency services.

A note for managers: you need support too

During a crisis, HR managers and team leaders are often the people least likely to seek help. They’re expected to hold the team together, stay calm, absorb distress from multiple directions, and present themselves as steady and capable - all while managing their own anxiety about the same situation.

This is genuinely hard.

The same resources available to your employees are available to you. The same medical cover, the same helplines, the same EAP if your organisation has one.

Using them is not a sign of weakness - it's what makes it possible to keep showing up well for your team. HR should make this clear when briefing team leaders: we’re asking a lot of you, and support is there for you too.

Setting boundaries on workplace conversations

Conflict-related discussions can escalate quickly, especially in diverse teams where colleagues hold different national identities and political views.

HR and managers need clear boundaries in place before tension arises.

Issue a brief reminder of your code of conduct and anti-harassment policy, with specific reference to conflict-related comments, stereotyping by nationality or religion, and zero tolerance for discrimination.

Brief team leaders that political debates have no place in meetings, and that no commentary should attribute collective responsibility to individuals based on their nationality.

If tensions arise between colleagues, intervene early - offer mediation or separate parties before the situation escalates into a formal complaint. Document any incidents, no matter how minor they appear.

Free UAE mental health resources to signpost

HR doesn’t need to be the primary support mechanism - you simply need to know where to point people. The UAE has a growing number of free and low-cost mental health services that your employees can access without insurance or a referral.

Include these details in email footers, intranet pages, and any wellbeing communications.

800-8877 (then 2,2)	Emirates Health Services "Speak, We’re Listening"
800-1717	SEHA "Istijaba" (Abu Dhabi)
800-SAKINA (725462)	Abu Dhabi DoH/Sakina Helpline
800-HOPE (4673)	National Mental Health Support Line
999 – Police Emergency 998 – Ambulance Emergency	In case of emergencies

When to escalate beyond signposting

If an employee appears to be in crisis - expressing thoughts of self-harm, appearing severely dissociated, or in acute distress – don't leave them alone. Call 800-HOPE or, in emergencies, 998 (Ambulance) or 999 (Police).

Notify HR immediately and document the incident. Don’t attempt to provide clinical assessment or intervention yourself, and follow up the next day to ensure appropriate care has been put in place.

From guidance to action: 5 practical steps for HR

Step 1: Acknowledge the situation internally

Issue an all-staff note from HR or a senior leader within 24 to 48 hours of a major conflict escalation. Acknowledge what is happening, reaffirm that mental health support is available, and make clear using it will not affect employment. Post the same message on your intranet and internal communication channels. Employees notice when leadership is quiet during a crisis - and they remember it.

Step 2: Brief your managers and ask them to reach out personally

Schedule a 30-minute briefing for all line managers, either live or recorded. Cover what managers should do (reach out personally, check in, listen, signpost), what they must not do (provide therapy, share disclosures), and how to escalate if they’re concerned about someone. Provide managers with the hotline details and the plain-language benefits summary so they can share them in one-to-one conversations.

Then ask each manager to make direct, personal contact with every member of their team this week. Not a group message - individual calls or conversations. This is the most impactful thing you can do, and it can’t be replaced by any written communication.

Step 3: Activate and communicate your medical benefits

Confirm what your plan covers using the checklist at the top of this guide. Produce the plain-language benefits summary and circulate it alongside the all-staff message. Pin it on your HR portal or intranet so it remains visible beyond the initial communication.

Step 4: Set guardrails on workplace conversation

Re-issue your anti-discrimination and code-of-conduct policy with a brief note referencing conflict-related behaviour and your expectations. Ask managers to proactively redirect political debates or potentially divisive conversations in team settings. Create a low-barrier reporting mechanism - even just a named HR contact - for employees who witness or experience inappropriate behaviour.

Step 5: Keep close and check in regularly

The most important thing you can do over the coming weeks is maintain regular personal contact. For employees who showed signs of distress, increase the frequency of check-ins. For those who seemed fine, do not assume they still are - some people take time to process. A brief, genuine "how are you doing this week?" from a manager or HR contact carries enormous weight during a sustained period of uncertainty.

Resources to support your team

We’ll keep this section updated as new resources become available. If you’d like us to add something or have a resource to recommend, get in touch at hello@aesinternational.com

1) Watch: 'Navigating distressing & uncertain times: Regulating trauma responses during ongoing stress' - Lighthouse Arabia

2) Read: 'Staying calm in uncertain times: what UAE mental health professionals advise' - Gulf Business

3) Read: 'Crisis messaging stress in wartime: UAE psychologists explain the pressure to stay connected' - Gulf News

4) Read: 'War anxiety: how to cope' - Harvard Health

5) Read: 'Tips to look after your mental health during traumatic world events' - Mental Health Foundation

6) Resources: 'A collation of resources on building resilience during difficult times' - Lighthouse Arabia

How can we help you?

At AES Health, our role isn’t simply to advise on insurance policies.

We help you protect your people - and during a period of regional conflict, that means being here with practical, usable guidance, not just at renewal time.

If you want to talk through how to support your team during this period, our advisers are here. Get in touch.