Families who employ private staff are wise to conduct periodic audits and adjustments of their hiring processes, says a new paper from Mahler Private Staffing. A close examination of hiring protocols may reveal gaps that should be closed to protect employers and employees as well as to optimize the search process.
While oil prices are likely to be range-bound across the next few years, natural gas prices are establishing new, higher support levels after experiencing multi-year lows. Natural gas prices are likely to get a boost from politics as well as the weather and speculation.
A Private Family Trust Company (PFTC) is typically a family owned LLC (i.e. pass through entity or corporation), authorized by a state’s Division of Banking to be a PFTC and serve as the trustee for the family’s trusts. This article outlines key considerations in establishing a PFTC and two alternatives: a Directed Trust and a Directed Trust combined with a Special Purpose LLC.
The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, signed by President Obama, includes a number of provisions that will have a significant impact on domestic and non-U.S. fund managers and investment advisers.
Nearly all states have “delegated” trust statutes, but only a few states, such as South Dakota, have “directed” trust statutes, which provide families with maximum flexibility and control regarding a trust’s asset allocation, diversification, investment management and distributions.
BlackRock's latest quarterly guide includes the price tickers, index tickers, annual total expense ratios, dividend policy, fund structure, assets under management and websites for index providers and exchanges around the globe, enabling investors to compare the various exchange-traded funds available.
While the merits of investing in convertible securities have been exhibited over time, the market is particularly compelling today. Convertibles offer much better risk/reward characteristics than equities, with stronger appreciation over the intermediate and long term but at meaningfully lower levels of risk and volatility.
After 17 years of declining or fairly constant tax rates, investors face a changing environment of much higher tax rates on investment income starting in 2013. This brief from BNY Mellon Wealth Management details the coming changes in taxation and offers strategies for greater tax efficiency for business owners, investors and corporate executives.
Disasters bring out the urge to help, but would-be donors often are not sure about where to donate. Schwab Charitable Fund looks at the hierarchy of disaster relief, considers the importance of general disaster expertise vs. local expertise for a charity, and discusses how to encourage accountability. A targeted list of recommendations for donors is included.
The budgetary crises of state and local governments have started to receive more attention, leading some to declare that the municipal market may be ground zero for the next financial crisis. Gresham Partners examines the root causes of these concerns and attempts to determine the likelihood that continuing credit pressures will cascade into the next broad financial crisis.