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In 2009 the Bitcoin blockchain emerged as a form of a smart contract and has since evolved. From both a technological and legal perspective, smart contracts will continue to evolve and disrupt in digital asset sales and capital markets, supply chain management, smart government records and smart cities, real estate land registries, and self-sovereign identity systems.

The Board of Directors plays a pivotal role in the effective governance of any organization, including the private family trust company. Board members fulfill their roles and responsibilities, in part, by holding regular meetings that utilize a comprehensive agenda. One vital tool for an effective Board meeting is the meeting agenda. Here, ten suggestions are provided for developing and utilizing meeting agendas that will lead to more productive, efficient, and educational board meetings.

President Trump’s recently released proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2018, titled “A New Foundation for American Greatness,” has numerous points of interest for employers, including proposals to: cut the Department of Labor’s budget; slash the budget and workforce of the National Labor Relations Board; reduce the budget of the Office of Federal Contractor Compliance Program and merge it with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; implement mandatory E-Verify for all employers; and establish a federal paid family leave program.

OPEC recently met in Vienna to assess the impact of its production cut agreement over the last six months and agreed to extend the deal for nine months. The extension is an effort to reduce global oil supply and boost prices. Tariq Zahir, Managing Member of Tyche Capital Advisors discusses the OPEC decision and how it affects the markets, including an analysis of the big four—Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and Russia—and how Saudi Arabia is the main driver of complying with the already agreed quota, picking up slack of the other members.

Market watchers have noted the stunning growth of indexed vehicles over the last few years. Coupled with the ease of trading and transparency of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the low cost and tax efficiency of indexing have led to a boom in the growth of these vehicles to the detriment of actively-managed mutual funds. With indexing beating the majority of active managers in most asset classes, indexing has been an easy concept for investors to buy into.

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Shareholders of publicly-traded companies have a powerful voice in improving business practices and enhancing the financial performance of the companies in which they are invested. As the business case grows for sound social and environmental practices, investors are increasingly using a shareholder engagement to drive strategic and positive changes in corporations—and society at large. Further, wealth advisors and family offices are in a unique position to facilitate individual investor involvement in shareholder engagement initiatives by enabling and simplifying the process.

Philanthropy has long been characterized by the drive to make a difference. While the practice has evolved, the value of kindness and the legacy of giving it reinforces remains constant. Here we explore the donor-advised fund, a charitable giving vehicle that can be employed individually or as part of a larger plan, providing donors tremendous flexibility in reaching their philanthropic vision.