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For most of the period from the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 through the end of the COVID pandemic in 2022, the Federal Reserve held interest rates near zero. As post-pandemic inflation surged in early 2022, the Federal Reserve began a rapid rate-hike cycle that ended in July 2023 with the Federal Funds Rate at 5.25% - 5.50%. As noted in this Investment Report, the yields above 5% attracted investors to money market funds as total assets grew approximately 20% in 2023 to more than $6 trillion.

Creating portfolios that are customized to a family’s unique investment goals and risk tolerance requires ingenuity and flexible thinking. However, the execution of risk management should be more systematic. Ultimately, the effective investors employ a risk management framework that accounts for potential risk at every stage of the investment process—one that considers four crucial components: strategic risk, implementation risk, portfolio monitoring, and communication.

After the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapse marked another bank failure, it triggered questions regarding the various considerations and options for holding short-term funds. With this reference chart, see the comparisons that show the characteristics of demand deposits with government securities and various money market funds as cash management alternatives.