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This issue of Eton's Investment Outlook explores the concept of confidence level, using the familiar example of airline travel to illustrate our need for higher confidence levels in certain activities than in others. An investor’s level of confidence, both desired and actual, is a key driver in the Goals-Based Investing framework. This article describe how confidence levels are a function of our priorities, our time horizon, and the amount of portfolio risk we assume when investing.

History shows a number of scenarios could lead to significant losses for bond investors. Based on an examination of fixed-income markets since 1919, researchers found that even the most gradual rate increase scenario models an annualized return expectation of 0 percent for almost six years.

While family businesses are playing an important role in the economy and studies have regularly shown that in the long-term they outperform other businesses, there is the continual challenge of succession to the next generation. An estate is built up over the generations and the family grows larger. This source of diversity is not without its challenges: how do you forge a common identity to which everyone can relate? How do you learn to take decisions together while maintaining family harmony?

SmartLife Funding dynamically manages life insurance by aligning the funding strategy with the insureds health profile to target the optimum period of coverage.

The “Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance & Job Creation Act of 2010” (TRA 2010) reunified the gift and estate tax systems and increased the amount a person can transfer to children and future generations during lifetime or at death to $5,000,000. As of the beginning of 2012, indexing puts that number at $5,120,000. The window on this opportunity to fully fund a generational legacy of over $10 million per couple will close on December 31, 2012. Beginning January 1, 2013, the amount passing free of gift and estate tax is back to an indexed $1,000,000.

Emerging markets have been recognized for quite a while as a place where investors can earn greater returns than in developed economies due to higher economic growth, strong balance sheets and more attractive demographics. Although investing in emerging markets remains an area of opportunity for investors, navigating an emerging market economy is challenging.

This paper examines several factors impacting investors' commodities exposure and the current sentiment on downside risks.

This paper identifies four channels through which the shock of a Greek default could spread across the Eurozone and the global economy.

Market turmoil has brought the topic of Minimum Variance Portfolios (MVP) to the forefront. But examined within a broad U.S. universe alongside the closely related Low Volatility Portfolio (LVP) counterpart are investors who employ an MVP strategy appropriately compensated for the relative risk they assume?

The national economy is showing signs of life, state and local tax receipts are on the rise, local budgets are returning to balance. Nevertheless, Moody’s and S&P are downgrading more tax-supported credits than they are upgrading. On the surface such rating actions may seem incongruous with the economic conditions. But, in fact, they are all too predictable for those familiar with the municipal market. Ratings assigned by the major public ratings companies are a backward-looking indicator of an issuer’s credit worthiness.