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The concept is hardly new; John D.Rockefeller set up his family office in 1882. But the number has exploded this century. Somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 are based in America and Europe andin Asian hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong. Though their main task is to manage financial assets, the biggest offices, some with hundreds of staff,undertake all sorts of other chores, from tax and legal work to acting as high-powered butlers who book jets and pamper pets.

这个概念很早就有了。约翰·D·洛克菲勒于1882年成立了他的家族办公室。本世纪Family Office的数量暴涨。大概有5000-10000个在美国和欧洲，还有亚洲（新加坡和香港）。

虽然Family Office的首要目的是管理金融资产，但是那些有着几百号“高级管家”的大型家族办公室，员工需要处理大小适宜，工作范围从税务和法律，需要上能预订喷气式飞机，下能逗宠物开心。

(1) The concept is hardly new; John D. Rockefellerset up his family office in 1882.

Family office一百多年前就已经有了。

Family office, 简单来说，一些很富有的家族会成立family office, 找人专门管理旗下财产的运作。比如香港明星李嘉欣嫁的许家。创始人续爱周为了不让子孙后代把自己的财富败光，他参照国外的办法，成立了家族基金。

(2) But thenumber has exploded this century.

【Explode】

To increase suddenly, sharply, and without control

表示数字突如其来地快速增长

Eg:The Number of Cryptocurrency Exchanges Has Exploded

加密货币的交易额爆发式增长

(3) Somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 are based in America and Europe and in Asian hubs suchas Singapore and Hong Kong.

【Somewhere between A and B】

表示范围在A和B之间。

Eg: Amnesty's report says that somewhere between 5,000 and 13,000 people were tortured and executed at one military prison outside Damascus.( PBSNewsHour)

【hub】中心

You can describe a place as a hub of an activity when it is a very important center for that activity.

Eg: Together, we will assist the Afghan Security forces to destroy the terrorist hub, " Defense

Secretary James Mattis said.

(4) Though their main task is to manage financial assets, the biggest offices, some with hundreds of staff, undertake all sortsof other chores, from tax and legal work to acting as high-powered butlers who book jets and pamper pets.

尽管首要目的是管理资产，但是富豪们的财富管家做的事情远远不止如此。

【chore】

1 A routine or minor duty or task日常的零星事务

2 An unpleasant or burdensome task 苦差事

【Book jets and pamper pets】

Jets,pets 压尾韵。

high-powered butler：家族办公室的员工，大小事宜都能搞定

book jets and pamper pets：对应all sorts of other chores，也对应chore的第二层含义——苦差事。

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The costs of bringing such expertise in-mansion means that they generally make sense only for those worth over$100m, the top 0.001% of the global pile. Asian tycoons such as Jack Ma ofAlibaba have created their own fiefs. The largest Western family offices, suchas the one set up by George Soros, an investor and philanthropist, oversee tens of billions and are as muscular as Wall Street firms, competing with banks and private-equity groups to buy whole companies.

只有顶级富豪（资产超1亿美元，占全球0.001%）才能养得起这种顶级专家。亚洲大亨，如阿里巴巴的马云就有自己的家族办公室。西方最大的家族办公室，比如投资者和慈善家的乔治索罗斯所设立的办公室，它监管着数百亿美元，与华尔街的金融公司势均力敌，有钱到与银行和私募股权集团抗衡，争相收购公司。

（1）

The costs of bringing such expertise in-mansion means that they generally make sense only for those worth over $100m, the top 0.001% of the global pile. Asian tycoons such as Jack Ma of Alibaba have created their own fiefs.

养得起这种高级管家，必须是富豪中的富豪，顶级中的顶级，比如马云。

【tycoon】

a wealthy and powerful businessperson巨贾

【Fief 】中世纪欧洲的采邑制。

维基百科上说

A fief was the central element of feudalism.

feudalism： a land grant in exchange for service.

这里可以引申为马云是feudalism里的lord.他为这些高级管家提供fief, 可能是高薪资，股权或者其他。

关于fief想了解更多，可以参考《A brief introduction of western civilization》

（2）

The largest Western family offices, such as the one set up by George Soros, aninvestor and philanthropist, oversee tens of billions and are as muscular as Wall Street firms, competing with banks and private-equity groups to buy whole companies.

【Muscular】有肌肉的，这里形容财力雄厚，很形象，有财大气粗的既视感。