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Collecting art can be a gratifying experience that can take you into an exclusive world of auction houses, galleries and artists’ studios. There’s a lot to learn in the early days of collecting, and most collectors start small. But if you want to elevate your art buying to collecting, it’s necessary to make a mental shift, including seeing how art should fit into your investment portfolio. Being guided by your heart (and your eye) is important, but making the best financial decisions requires you to also think with your head.

For American companies who do business in Europe or who process the personal data of EU residents, the world of data privacy and security is about to get much more complicated. While U.S. privacy law is unsettled, with rapidly proliferating state and federal laws and regulations and uncertainty as to how strictly they will be enforced, the rules in the European Union are tough and about to get much tougher.

The U.S. Department of State estimates that more than 8,000 Americans die in a foreign country each year. While some of those are permanent residents and long-time expatriates, thousands more are tourists or individuals traveling for business. For families and their enterprises receiving that unexpected news, the first inclination may be panic. Having a journey management plan that addresses specific protocols to be followed in the event of death while traveling abroad can help alleviate the stress that is compounded by barriers of foreign language, law and culture.

Vulnerability assessments and penetration testing may uncover areas where hackers can break in, but what if they are already there?

Lending or transporting your artwork is one of the most vulnerable times when you are susceptible to losses. When it comes to protecting your artwork against those losses, this checklist will help you understand the benefits of working with vendors that have the right level of experience and reputation to help you make an informed decision.

In the last few years, hackers and cyber criminals have become much more sophisticated in how they steal private information, which has led to massive data breaches. These data breaches not only cost an organization hundreds of thousands of dollars in fixes and possible fines, they can ruin a long-established reputation in a matter of hours. Putting in place a robust IT security program will help protect the personal information you maintain from being stolen and misused.

So, you need to hire someone to work at your home—a housekeeper, a chef, or a personal assistant. You have decided not to contract these services to a local company, and your family office does not hire staff for you. It is up to you to fill this position. Before letting a stranger into your home, it is important to understand the domestic employment process from hiring through terminating, so you don’t open your family to exposure financially, legally, and socially.

When it comes to placing a value on your fine art collection, it is important to understand and debunk the appraisal myths. It begins with correcting the myth that an appraisal is not needed when in fact it is crucial to establish and protect your valuable collection. Know the facts and guard yourself against the myths that could place your fine art in a vulnerable position and make you susceptible to losses.

More than ever before, families and individuals are creating trusts and limited liability companies and transferring legal ownership of one or more of their properties to these entities. Very often these arrangements are an important component of a family’s overall financial and wealth management strategy. But without an insurance program that properly reflects the structure of these arrangements, they can create unintended risk exposures.

Anyone who has participated in the acquisition or sale of a company will recognize the typical path of a deal: from flirting to tough questions to hard bargaining to—finally—handshake. Inevitably, however, the road detours from the exhilaration of accord to the anxiety of suspicion. The buyer wants assurance that all the seller's promises are true and that there are not going to be any surprises once the acquisition is consummated.