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Donors often ask how they can maximize their giving dollars when seeking to fulfill their charitable giving missions. A tax effective way is to donate appreciated securities to a donor advised fund, rather than selling the securities and donating the cash proceeds. So how does it work?

While many families are expending effort on important concepts such as improving financial literacy, defining family shared values, and creating family mission statements, such efforts are likely to be lost if families do not first focus on one fundamental aspect of a successful family: Communication. Effective communication is an ongoing effort that requires continuous attention. Learning a few tips and tricks can go a long way to helping families connect their wealth and purpose.

The topic of wealth transfer to the next generation has been well documented. Accenture estimated that $30 trillion of financial and nonfinancial assets are ready to shift from baby boomers to their children in North America alone. At the same time, there is a large and growing appetite for using wealth to solve social challenges and help those in need. In 2015, 98.4% of high net worth families gave to charity, and foundations contributed $57.19 billion to nonprofit causes, a 6.5% increase over 2014.

As we shepherd your assets through life cycles, business transitions, and beyond, there are both obstacles and opportunities when taking a decade-long perspective. Three key themes emerge and are shaping the market landscape: (1) the near-term economic leadership of the United States that will later decelerate; (2) interest and dividends becoming larger part of total return; and (3) the reemerging world of emerging markets and the corporate transformation that has already begun to take place.

The revolution of the “information age” has created tremendous advantages and helped accelerate innovation, but it has also brought with it new risks—namely cyber attacks. While the corporate attacks get most of the media attention, do not forget that individuals—especially the high net worth—need to be vigilant about cyber security. The good news is that there are ways for individuals to protect against cyber risks. This paper touches on the key threats to the high net worth and provides advice to help reduce the associated risks.

The United States presidential election season has certainly been emotionally charged and, in many ways, unlike any we’ve seen in recent history. For many, Hillary Clinton represents the continuation of Democratic policies currently in place under the Obama administration. Donald Trump, on the other hand, represents the potential for a shift in policy. Both now turn their attention to a series of debates, where each candidate will provide voters with more detail about key elements of their plan.

As has been the case for several years, the actions of central banks dominate the investment landscape. In the years following the financial crisis, extraordinary monetary policies from central banks around the world, including our own Federal Reserve (Fed), have had an outsized impact on most asset classes. And now, as we say farewell to another summer, we see that the situation has not changed. There is increasing anxiety about prospective interest rate hikes and the possible impacts on equity and fixed income markets.

Performance results over the past ten years make a strong case for higher allocations to private investments. Investors concerned with earning a return on their portfolios that will support their spending needs should look closely at the results and investment policies of this group and consider crossing the “15% frontier” in their own portfolios. Families in particular, are well positioned to take advantage of private investments.

Families pursue impact investing for a variety of reasons, including as a way to engage younger family members in the broader philanthropic and investment activities of a family to foster continuity in the stewardship of assets across generations. Before incorporating impact investments into their portfolios, families should define the overall contextual framework for their impact investments that focus on purpose, priorities, and principles.

Now that school is back in session, it’s important for students to take stock of what they know as they embrace a new year of learning. It’s also a good time for investors to assess the events of the summer and make sure they are well-positioned for the future. In Jeff Mortimer’s latest Investment Update he reviews the events of the summer and discusses uncertainties related to Brexit, central bank policy actions and the upcoming U.S. presidential election in order to better prepare investors for what may lie ahead.