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The global COVID-19 pandemic was certainly a black swan event that had both positive and negative impact when looking through the lens of traditional environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Of note was the outperformance of sustainable investing strategies compared to their non-sustainable counterparts, which is shaping how investors think about ESG going forward.

There is a renewed sense of urgency around racial equity investing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread protests after the deaths of George Floyd and others. By taking on three achievable actions and staying committed to them, investors can help address racial inequities in their investment practices and portfolios. If adopted widely, they have the great potential to reduce some of the imbalances that permeate throughout the asset management industry and society at large.

There has been an expectation that value stocks should provide greater protection in a market downturn as the market should theoretically place a greater emphasis on quality and stability, attributes typically found in value stocks. However, growth stocks have continued to outperform value stocks. Is the foundation of value investing broken? Or are there reasons to expect a reversal in performance in the next market cycle?

As the world turns the COVID-19 tide, the initial economic recovery from the pandemic will only be partial, with global output not returning to pre-crisis levels before 2022. Nonetheless, a number of factors will help drive equity markets higher and investment opportunities elsewhere too. In the long term, dangers around market timing mean that Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) remains the way to deliver sustainable portfolio returns.

While recent years brought concrete wealth planning changes with the latest tax legislation, 2020 sees families and their advisors preparing for the unknown. U.S. presidential and congressional elections will unfold against a backdrop of equally impactful societal changes—including rising healthcare costs, evolving technology, increasingly global citizenship, and mass wealth transfer. This year's outlook explores ways to optimize your wealth planning for changes on the near horizon.

COVID-19 has altered the higher education landscape. With so many variables and questions at play, students and parents are exploring new ways of adapting to this sea of change. Experts in the field share their insights on higher education planning—including investing, funding, and preservation strategies—to help ease the transition and anxiety.

In this episode, two executive search professionals talk about the state of the family office industry during a pandemic and best practices in family office human capital management. They share their insights on compensation structures and the challenges that come with long-term incentive options, career paths for executives in the family office space, and the importance of family education and governance in ensuring a viable succession plan in a post COVID-19 environment.

In an industry that relies on speed and innovation to close deals and drive returns for investors, the absence of face-to-face meetings amid the coronavirus pandemic is one reason the M&A activity in the private equity sector has had the most sudden drop-off since the Great Recession. Now private equity firms must transform quickly, and innovative practices are needed to drive more lucrative deals.

Effectively adapting to adjustments in economic culture and wealth is often difficult and requires families to balance past tradition with the need to move forward. Internationally-recognized family wealth psychologist Dr. James Grubman joins host Damien Martin to discuss the dilemmas, decisions, and challenges that come with wealth and share real-world stories for those both new to and coming from wealth. Here's what's covered:

When nearly 350 senior risk professionals were asked to identify their biggest concerns over the next 18 months for both the world and their business, they listed economic distress as their top concerns. Yet leaders must act now to address the knock-on effect of far-reaching environmental, societal, and technological risks. This report examines familiar risks that may be amplified by the pandemic and new ones that may emerge. It also sets out 20 challenges and questions that can be used as a starting point for framing discussions between businesses, governments, and societies worldwide.