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In this podcast, two industry experts discuss how boards’ oversight of data governance within their organizations is changing to meet the opportunities and risk in the rapidly evolving digital space in which organizations are conducting their business. The key takeaways:

Protect your organization against cybersecurity. Be cyber smart and learn more about combatting ransomware in the time of COVID-19, how cybersecurity continues to be a top issue for retirement plans, and how to assess the gaps in your cyber coverage and reduce your exposure.

Recognize that a cyber attack will occur at some point during a business lifecycle. Whether it is through web attacks, email phishing, exploit kits, point of sale, keystroke logging, or ransomware, the bad actors have figured out how to defeat your latest defense against a cyber attack. They know what will make you click on the link that will give them the beachhead into your computer system.

Investment in collectible assets is growing worldwide as wealthy individuals in emerging markets such as China, India, and Latin America join the ranks of collectors. While most collectors invest primarily for their own pleasure, collectibles can be a good investment, too. If you collect items that you’re passionate about—whether they are cars or wine or jewelry or even autographed baseballs—it’s important to consider the financial side of your avocation and how to maximize the investment value of your collection.

It is an unfortunate fact of life that, as we age, our cognitive powers often decline. To assist people as they reach this stage in their lives, states provide a mechanism by which a person’s friends and family may petition a court to declare him or her incapacitated, and for the court to appoint a guardian to manage his or her affairs. While the guardianship process is meant to assist people in cognitive decline, it also exposes them to considerable risk. However, there are steps that you and your family can take to minimize those risks, including designating a preneed guardian.

Cloud-based applications, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), offer significant benefits. They are highly affordable, require minimal IT involvement, have no hardware requirements, and offer great flexibility. Yet there can be significant risks to a firm if it does not review vendors carefully. Unfortunately, security controls vary significantly from one SaaS provider to the next. Knowing what to look for when selecting SaaS vendors and implementing sound security measures will help protect your firm against a data breach and the significant repercussions that come with it.

Commercial agreements come in a variety of types, but most have certain common provisions that should be carefully reviewed in the context of the underlying transaction covered by the agreement. When entering or reviewing one of these agreements, it is important to address the five key provisions that sometimes go unnoticed or are not given proper attention in the review process: (1) Confidentiality Provisions; (2) Indemnity Provisions; (3) Consequential and Special Damages; (4) Product Warranties; and (5) Audit Rights.

A significant step in the acquisition process is determining the structure of the deal. The two most common deal structures are: (1) the purchase of the ownership interests of the target (such as a stock deal), and (2) the purchase of substantially all of the target’s assets (or an asset deal). In an asset deal, the implication is that the target’s liabilities that are not expressly assumed by the acquirer remain liabilities of the target, and the acquirer will not have exposure to them. As a general rule, this is correct.

News reports show large-scale data breaches are on the rise and affecting large retailers and even consumer credit organizations. There are numerous categories of cyber crime, but the ones that affect the most victims include identity theft, credit card fraud, and social networking scams. However, there are actions you can take to better protect yourself, your family, and your lifestyle from cyber crime and its long-lasting effects.

Estate-planning advisors should be aware that there are many creative planning opportunities for the use of Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI) with trusts. PPLI is essentially a flexible premium variable universal life insurance transactions that occurs within a private placement offering. Previously, PPLI hadn’t been as appealing due to lack of Internal Revenue Service guidelines; limited investment alternatives; and wide-ranging expense charges.