Impact investing, which seeks to generate social and/or environmental benefits while delivering a financial return, is expanding as a promising tool for both investors and philanthropists. This guide is part of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ Philanthropy Roadmap series and acts as an introduction to impact investing.
Developing an impact investing strategy and taking subsequent action steps can be organized into three stages: Prepare, Build, and Refine. In this guide, which builds from the introductory guide on impact investing, the three phases are explored further to explain how to take practical steps towards implementing your first impact investment.
Financial planning is a long-term process, so it’s important to begin by building a strong foundation upon which the rest of your plan can grow. The foundation of your plan is designed to provide financial stability and protection. With these features in place, now may be an excellent time to examine opportunities to grow your assets and ultimately optimize your plan based on changes in today’s economic environment.
Applying a broader parameter—one without a reference to age and with deference to each individual—the next generation philanthropists are people who see themselves as descendants rather than ancestors, who want to use their wealth to be of service to others. With the goal of inspiring next generation philanthropists to dream and consider new possibilities, this guide offers both thoughtful recommendations and a series of questions that every next generation donor should carefully consider on the philanthropic path.
No one foresaw the pandemic crisis that is currently testing the value proposition of the family office. The implications will change the way the future is shaped, one that will include a focus on the ability to function as a remote organization. The way forward is emphasizing the need to not just have a plan, but to examine, test, and refresh those plans regularly on a risk management and mitigation level. If you do, you’ll find holes along the way which gives the family office insights as to how to fix them and evolve into a stronger position.
Every year, life insurance carriers capture approximately $25 billion of economic value from policy owners and trust beneficiaries when the policies of older insureds are surrendered or allowed to lapse. Of that amount, high-net-worth families forfeit around $10 billion because they weren’t aware of how they could recapture the value of those policies through a transaction called a life settlement, which is the sale of a life insurance policy from the original owner to a third party.
News, advice, and responses are quickly evolving regarding the global Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak and the related global economic downturn. The impact of the dual crises creates anxiety but also inspires generosity and compassion even as the uncertainty of what happens next shakes our confidence. In this guide, Leadership in Difficult Times, it provides resources and inspiration from giving families, funders, and philanthropy organizations for short-term responses to the COVID-19 and economic crises.
Understanding premium municipal bonds can be difficult for even the most seasoned investors. Munis are underwritten with a laundry list of complexities such as yield, maturity, call date, duration, and credit. The myth that investors lose the premium at maturity isn’t only false, it may also lead to poor decision-making as focus shifts to avoiding premium municipal bonds altogether. Once investors can tell the difference between fact and fiction with regard to premium prices of municipal bonds, investors will be prepared to make decisions leading to better investment outcomes.
Markets have just witnessed the biggest decline in crude prices since the Gulf War. What does this mean for commodity investors in the U.S. and around the globe? A closer look at what might have caused the oil collapse reveals how it can impact investor expectations for the near term.
The passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, Economic, and Security (CARES) Act brings much needed tax relief to individuals, families, and businesses. While the CARES Act provides many potential sources of relief, the focus here is on the key personal and business tax provisions in the Act, and how such measures can provide support in the short term, as well as further down the road.