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Investors are well advised to take into account the interest rate environment when considering wealth transfer options. Interest rates are important when establishing trusts, reviewing existing estate plans, and lending money to family members. With interest rates declining, the current rates used to value wealth transfers are now near historic lows.

Undivided fractional interests in real estate held as tenants-in-common (TIC) may be exchanged for likekind property under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. The availability of Section 1031 taxdeferred treatment for transfer of TIC ownership interests presents today's investors with expanded investment opportunities but comes with new types of risks.

Indications are that only a fraction of kidnappings that are threatened, attempted or successful are reported. FBI investigations number 350–400 domestic kidnappings per year, with one-third resulting in the payment of ransom (average ransom $2,000,000). Globally, the statistics are far more disturbing. Britain's Foreign Policy Center estimates that kidnappers earn more than $500 million annually with 2004 statistics indicating 8,000–10,000 investigations worldwide.

Wealth management firms and banks must transform their client reporting systems to satisfy investment and web-savvy clients. That's according to a report on next-generation wealth management from Actuate Corp. and IBM Corp. The report examines the growth of the market and outlines some of the challenges confronting wealth managers.

Exchange-traded funds have grown in number from 80 in 2000 to nearly 700 today with holdings of about $600 billion. But as new funds have entered the market, so has the number of increasingly specialized ETFs that carry higher risk. This article from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business examines the issues related to indexed ETFs versus managed ETFs.

Socially responsible investing lets investors use their investment capital for advocacy – to advance a social cause or a values-driven position. In this paper, the Threshold Group defines SRI, shows how it fits into wealth management and provides points for families to consider in exploring whether to consider this approach for their investment portfolios.

While banks need strong online security systems, Internet users need to help in making sure online banking is secure by using anti-virus software, according to a report by Deutsche Bank. The researchers found that more than 30 percent of Internet users in Germany do not bank online because of security concerns.

Private trust companies can protect and enhance a family's wealth, but the ownership options need to be weighed carefully. In this article, Michael Stanford-Tuck of Bermuda-based Appleby Global discusses such choices as the non-charitable purpose trust, the Cayman Islands' STAR trust and the British Virgin Islands' VISTA trust.

Many clients have heard about family meetings — meetings that go beyond regular, quarterly reviews of planning items or investment results — either from their advisors or from other families of wealth. Some experiences have been wonderful while others have been less successful. Although most clients have some idea as to what family meetings are about, those perceptions are often fragmentary and based on limited personal experience. So at some point, most families ask, should we have a family meeting?

A health and education exclusion trust may offer a way to preserve assets for younger family members and avoid harsh generation-skipping taxes, while still contributing to charity. In this article, Mela Garber of Anchin, Block and Anchin explains how a HEET can be a useful and effective estate planning tool that benefits family and a designated charity while shielding wealth from GST and gift taxes.