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When it comes to the family, dynamics are changing. There is no longer one dominant family form in the U.S., according to Pew research. Parents are waiting longer to have children, and many millennials are living at home or taking a less direct route to adulthood. These shifts will continue in 2019 and shape how affluent families tackle interpersonal issues. As wealthy families move forward, there are three trends they should keep a close eye on and discuss with their family office or other advisors.

With a seemingly infinite amount of performance data points and varying degrees of investor knowledge among stakeholders, it can be difficult to determine the reporting requirements for each group. In order to establish appropriate reporting criteria, it is important for managers to understand where stakeholders fall along the spectrum knowledge. Once this measurement has been established, managers can focus on the creation and optimization of individualized performance reports, which can be customized to cater towards each investor’s understanding.

The Internet has bought connection, communication, and efficiency to the business world, including family offices. However, conducting business online without proper security and knowledge of risks can endanger the family and its data. The right level of expertise, planning, and effort is required to safeguard sensitive information. It is an organizational effort, but employees and family members also benefit from using best practices to protect personal information online.

The reality today is many companies have relied too much on conducting just a cybersecurity compliance checklist assessment and framework. While compliance with government and industry documentation standards is good, it is not sufficient, nor does it ensure real information security. Organizations need to take appropriate action both before and after a cyber data breach to mitigate the potential negative impacts and optimize business performance results.

Real estate as an asset class has matured, and the market participants need to realize it and make the appropriate adjustments. This new era for real estate also demands new thinking. From that lens, this in-depth publication provides an outlook on real estate investment and development trends, real estate finance and capital markets, property sectors, metropolitan areas, and other real estate issues throughout the United States and Canada.

After looking at the potential pitfalls in Part 1 of this multipart series on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, we turn to Part 2: the Income Tax Opportunities. Regardless of your net worth, the temporary increase in the federal tax exemption has made possible certain strategies that could significantly reduce capital gains tax and allow for rebalancing portfolios on a tax-free basis.

Your organization’s people strategy should align with your business strategy, and every people-related initiative should result in something that your customers value. Knowing how to find the right people and get them to want to work for you and stay is the secret to competitive advantage. Leverage your human capital and take advantage of these tips to keep your employees engaged within your organization.

As higher interest rates, trade disputes, and slowing global growth cast a chill over markets, the US economy is completing a shift from a period of extended growth to the late stage of an economic cycle. While we do not know when exactly winter will arrive for the economy and markets, we are advising investors to brace for harsher climes. At the same time, we also encourage them to take advantage of an unseasonable mild stretch.

While the Treasury curve has continued to exhibit a flattening trend, taking it closer to an inversion, the municipal curve has marched to a different beat, even steepening slightly in 2018. The difference is apparent, especially when using a tax adjusted municipal curve to get a taxable equivalent. In fact, the relative slope between Treasuries and municipal debt is hovering around a record high, leading us to believe that municipal bonds are an attractive option for taxable investors relative to other fixed-income opportunities.

While the headline index reading continues to indicate middle market conditions are robust, the forward-looking Middle Market Business Index (MMBI) subindices imply that inflationary pressures and a tight labor market may in part account for reduced enthusiasm and uncertainty heading into 2019. Clouds are forming on the horizon related to declining fiscal outlays later in 2019, inflationary pressures, and an uncertain outlook for tariffs and trade policy. As operating margins become tighter, companies are evaluating their ability to pass through cost increases to their customers.