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New tax legislation is most likely to happen if next year the Democratic Party controls the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the White House. Now is the time to develop a contingency plan that can be implemented depending on the outcome of the U.S. election. Planning strategies that can be customized to the needs of each family are available, including taxable gifts, pre-fund life insurance trusts, spousal access trusts, intra-family loan, dynasty trusts, and GRAT planning.

There are policy changes and new procedures that companies—including family offices—should consider when reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly given the increase in cases in many parts of the country. But companies cannot change policies in a vacuum. Instead, they must clearly and effectively communicate these changes to employees, customers, and the public. There are a few ways to make effective communication happen and ensure higher rates of compliance around new procedures.

As a clearer picture of each U.S. presidential candidate’s platforms emerges, many have yet to consider how a potential change in leadership may impact their current estate tax and income tax. This guides provides a thorough outline and comparison of both Biden’s and Trump’s tax platforms and includes possible impacts to high-income earners, high net worth individuals, and families. To help mitigate the tax impacts, several key strategies are brought into focus.

In recent years, global equities had slightly outpaced market forecasts for lower equity returns. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit the global economy, putting an end to the 10-year bull market. Equity markets have started to recover, but the pandemic introduced and exacerbated challenges that are expected to subdue financial market returns over the next five years. Looking ahead, six key themes have emerged. They also identify the trends we see affecting the markets and economy.

There is no avoiding the subject: COVID-19 has made it a tough period for many U.S. businesses. While a few sectors have benefitted from the pandemic, the vast majority are considering taking on additional debt or equity, selling off portions of the business, liquidating the business altogether, or declaring bankruptcy. This high-level overview provides business owners with some of the key topics and restructuring strategies they should be aware of.

On this podcast episode, a discussion with a top bankruptcy and restructuring lawyer provides insights on the ways COVID-19 causes financial distress to businesses, the parties involved, and why it may take some time before companies become distressed. It also addresses new rules that streamline the bankruptcy process for smaller businesses to help them survive, and insurance coverage issues arising in these distressed situations.

The U.S. stock market is proving to be a headscratcher this year. Since taking a nosedive in March, the S&P 500 Index has racked up impressive gains of 56.4%. What's more, this successful run comes not only amid a pandemic, but also on the back of the sharpest contraction in the U.S. economy since the 1940s. This rally, led by technology stocks, is causing some to question the soundness of markets while point to a potential dislocation between economic data and equity values.

As organizations move to a more remote workforce, automating the on-boarding and off-boarding process to a zero-touch deployment is more important than ever. New policies and procedures need to be established as interaction between organizations and their employees change in a post-COVID world. In this webcast, the BPM team discusses considerations and information your organization needs to know to ensure an efficient employee management process.

Staying informed on the latest legal case filing developments involving COVID-19 can help businesses make better, strategic business decisions during these challenging times. Through an in-depth research and analysis of case trends—including tracking cases filed in 2,613 state and 148 federal courts from March 1, 2020 to August 16, 2020—the nature of the cases that substantively involve COVID-19 claims indicate that insurance and contract claims are at the top, with employment, civil rights, and tort claims following.