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Women have become financial powerhouses and have taken on an increasing role in managing wealth to the tune of $11.2 trillion. Some estimate that by 2030, women will control as much as two-thirds of the nation’s wealth. This change makes one thing clear—whether women are wealth creators, inheritors, or owners through marriage, they need...

History has typically played out such that the president and at least one of the houses of Congress are of different political parties. President-elect Trump, however, will benefit from a “unified government,” which has been an important driver of overall post-election market reactions. With a clean political party sweep, much of what T...

Thank goodness the U.S. election is over so we can all stop slinging arrows at each other and get on with our lives for at least the next 18 months. America is divided, where roughly half the voters wanted him and the other half wanted her. America got him. So what does that mean if you are a private markets investor, especially if you are an impac...

As high-net-worth investors discuss plans for charitable giving and investing with their financial advisors, it is absolutely crucial for them to be on the same page in terms of the outcomes desired, both financially and philanthropically. For this reason, advisors and their clients need a set vocabulary of terms going into the first meeting. Only ...

The U.S. president-elect’s victory and the Italian’s declination of reform in the waning months of 2016 was a final crescendo for a central theme of 2016, populism. Additionally, stresses in regions like the Middle East and East Asia were accompanied by growing inequality and unrest, while concerns over the refugee crisis and a snowball...

Heading into 2017, the top five investment themes center around prolonged expansion, inflation rising, a new upward interest rate bias, going from global to local, and stock pickers being back in style. With all the dire headlines, it’s easy to forget that we are in the midst of the fourth longest expansion on record. Looming risks exist, nam...

Governments and individuals now have to deliver on the promises that they have made. In other words, the rhetoric of last year has to be translated into policy and investment reality. Investors may also have to get used to a world characterized not only by divergence, but also by a continued threat of disruption. We are living in a complex world bu...

Looking in the rear view mirror on the global markets—including the resurgence of populism, the Fed’s annual rate migration, and portfolio positioning—another up year is in the books for U.S. equities, with 2016 marking the eighth consecutive calendar year to have a positive total return on the S&P 500 Index. This time around ...

President Trump was inaugurated into office last week amid rallies and protests lining the streets that continued into the weekend. In his first few days in office, Trump has already put forth executive orders to freeze new agency regulations, withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Thes...

After a sharp stock market rally that ensued immediately after Trump’s come-from behind victory, financial markets have moderated as the realities of governing in the real world have begun to sink in. Investors were initially enthused by Trump’s plans to cut corporate and personal income taxes, reduce business regulations, implement a $...

Drive anywhere outside of a major metropolitan area, and you will find roads and bridges in need of serious repair. Talk to business owners, and they will tell you how the difficulty of moving goods from where they are produced to where they are sold hurts their margins. It is time to improve the aging infrastructure of the United States. Regardles...

At the beginning of 2016 many growth markets were experiencing a drop in economic performance and weaker growth predictions, which led to several commentators and investors questioning the future role of these markets as leaders of global growth. In their view, the growth markets’ era was over. However, growth is now projected to return to ce...

The combination of improving economic data, stronger corporate earnings, and, particularly, potential policies from the Trump administration has created a heady brew for domestic equity markets. Even stocks abroad are posting robust returns. While President Trump’s plans for infrastructure spending, tax cuts, deregulation, and generally growt...

Although markets got off to a calmer start in 2017 than it did in 2016, this year may still be one of the most difficult years for long-term investors in recent memory. There is little basis on which to anticipate the policy actions of the new administration and there is substantial potential for large scale change. There will be opportunities to m...

Enterprising families are showing an increased interest in participating in direct investments around the globe. Some families have turned to private equity out of frustration with the volatility in the public markets and the unexpected correlations between asset classes that occurred during the 2008-2010 timeframe. The factors that impact their pr...