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Allocations to listed infrastructure have been on the rise in recent years amid growing demand for real assets offering relatively predictable cash flows and the potential for attractive real returns. A case for this asset class is made through an examination of its historical investment characteristics and the secular themes driving significant capital formation in infrastructure globally.

The new year brings new tax-savings opportunities, including larger tax exemptions and exclusions. Here are some strategies and tips to consider in your tax planning this year, as well as the Federal Estate and Gift Tax Exemption/Exclusion Levels for Individuals and 2019 Federal Income Tax Brackets charts.

Preferred securities play a unique role in capital markets and have unique investment attributes. They are fixed-income investments, but with certain equity characteristics such as deeper subordination in the capital structure. Investors are compensated with notably high rates of income. Despite preferreds’ long stated lives, abundant fixed-to-floating-rate preferred instruments can significantly diminish interest-rate risk in diversified portfolios. Since many preferred pay legal dividends, preferreds can also offer significant tax advantages.

One of the familiar adages to describe the price action in the stock market is “it takes the stairs up and the elevator down.” The dramatic decline in stock prices since mid-September 2018 certainly fits this pattern. Investment sentiment has turned decidedly negative: the American Association of Individual Investors’ latest reading showing bullish sentiment at just 20.9%, a 17-percentage point drop since the last reading. Is this a typical market “correction” or the start of something much more serious?

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.