Resource Search

Contrary to what some investors think, embedded capital losses in stock mutual funds may not be tax advantageous, according to Hammond Associates. If capital gains rates remain at current levels, those capital loss carry-forwards add value for shareholders, albeit modest. If capital gains tax rates increase after 2010, loss carry-forwards may impose additional costs on shareholders who invest before 2011.

Portfolios can evaporate by being too concentrated, overly leveraged or simply having inferior investment management that does not focus on the long term or loses it on poorly timed speculation. A brief paper from The Beringer Group recommends that great wealth be invested utilizing a solid set of investment principles designed to preserve and grow assets over multiple market cycles.

This report from Credit Suisse examines historical trends for philanthropy during economic downturns and explores the effects of the current recession on funders and non-profits. It also provides a series of recommendations for philanthropists and their advisors on grantmaking during the downturn. While based on U.S. data, many of these recommendations are relevant to individuals and organizations globally.

Critical to the future success of wealth advisors is a solid understanding of how, and to what degree, the meltdown in financial markets affected investor attitudes, behaviors and needs. Rothstein Kass' Business Consulting Group assesses changes and their implications for other planning disciplines, such as philanthropy, wealth transfer and tax management.

The role of commodities in a strategic portfolio has not changed much during the past 40 years and, indeed, not in the 22 years of the Tangible Asset Program portfolio. In this paper, Gresham Investment Management explains why it believes commodities will continue to provide diversification benefits to a portfolio regardless of the roll yield regime.

New philanthropists – ultra-wealthy individuals interested in being informed, strategic givers – have been growing in profile, and donations have been increasing. This paper from New Philanthropy Capital explores the opportunities for new philanthropists and established foundations to collaborate, the benefits of such collaborations, and the ways in which they might work.

Believing the asset management industry is undergoing a major transition that will amplify the complexity of market dynamics for the foreseeable future, Tuttle Asset Management espouses a dynamically adaptive system that increases the probability of success by identifying the market's inflection points within the context of a long-term technical view.

Many early-stage companies are offering substantial reductions in their valuations to attract investors and their capital. This offers an opportunity for angel investors who are willing to make these potentially high-risk, high-reward investments. Landmark Angels notes the need for investors to select companies that can demonstrate a clear path to a substantial exit by investors and offers suggestions for sourcing and evaluating deals.

Whether investing in a hedge fund, buying out a company or hiring a key employee, it is more important than ever for individuals to perform the proper due diligence. A new paper from First Advantage points out the need to verify credentials, search court records, read the news, review corporate and regulatory records and conduct interviews.

Investors can better navigate markets in crisis if they have a thorough understanding of volatility, investor behavior, currency market implications, optimized portfolio construction and the unique structural implications of markets. Researchers for State Street Global Advisors examine these dominant themes of the financial crisis and the implications for investors.