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Flash drives and laptops may pose a threat to company security as employees take confidential information outside the office, according to a survey from Tower Software. The U.K.-based company found that 55 percent of surveyed employees store work-related e-mails, files and documents in locations other than a secure, shared computer network.

Family offices have been increasing their allocations to private equity and this trend is likely to continue, according to a new study by the European Venture Capital and Private Equity Association and the IMD Business School of Lausanne. The average allocation to private equity by the offices interviewed was 12 per cent, with the highest commitment being close to 50 per cent. On the fund investment side, there is a strong preference for buy-out funds.

Taxing bodies in the UK and the United States are taking a closer look at debt-related strategies by hedge funds that are now tax exempt. And as investment strategies become more diverse, this interest by fiscal authorities can only be expected to increase. This paper from PricewaterhouseCoopers explores the potential ramifications for global hedge funds and their investors.

This issue of Global Giving Matters looks at the emerging field of social entrepreneurship and reports on the challenges social entrepreneurs face and the opportunities philanthropists have to move the field forward.

Investors can win bigger profits in commodity futures trading by keeping a close eye on inventory, according to a research paper available though Knowledge@Wharton. The research shows how to gauge inventory levels by looking at the relationship between prices of commodities on the futures market and in the cash market, where they are sold for immediate delivery.

Shifting to strategic philanthropy often comes out of personal experience and the desire to make a difference. But how do individuals go about setting up and running a change-targeted foundation? Springbanc Philanthropy offers advice for making the transition, gives suggestions for strategy and provides a tax filing calendar for foundations.

ADRs, or American depository receipts, have given U.S. investors access to the common stocks of multinationals, but is an ADR-only account the best way to invest internationally? Fortigent examines that question in this white paper, concluding that high net worth investors also should consider limited partnerships and mutual funds with competitive fees.

Many affluent families are willing to spend significant amounts on out of pocket medical expenditures but want to maintain good protection from catastrophic medical expenditures. All families today need to plan for adequate coverage, especially when serious illness is diagnosed or when individuals face transitions which affect their coverage like aging off a parent's plan, divorce, death of a spouse, or turning 65.

A consumer guide that provides basic training for navigating the healthcare system. To get the best care, consumers must be active partners in their care. The enormous growth and complexity of the healthcare system is one of the key drivers. Patients can no longer rely on their health providers to know every surgical or pharmacological solution.

The authors contend that there is a better approach than the Sharpe ratio or mean variance optimization (MVO) with respect to hedge fund portfolio analysis: the Omega equation. In their view the equation that adds to mean and variance, captures all of the higher moment information in the return distribution, incorporates sensitivity to return levels, and is intuitive and relatively easy to calculate.