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Ultra-short-duration bond funds seek to improve on the strategy underlying money market funds. By holding a variety of fixed income instruments with very short average durations in a fund structure, investors may be able to achieve higher yields from the current market environment than they typically could in a money market fund, albeit with little...

The US Treasury has now released the long-anticipated “Model 2” intergovernmental agreement (“IGA”) to facilitate the implementation of FATCA, which is expected to be the template for US agreements with Switzerland, Japan, and certain other countries where there might be domestic legal or administrative impediments to entering into a Model 1 IGA. T...

As shown by local bans in the US and Canada, national moratoriums in France and Bulgaria, and tighter regulation in Australia and the UK, the global anti-fracking movement has mounted an effective campaign against the extraction of unconventional gas through hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’). Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry has largely failed t...

This article, originally published in Worth magazine, looks at some do's and don'ts for increasing cash flow in today's low-interest rate environment.

To select a high quality advisor, families must do their due diligence to verify experience, credentials and weed out conflicts of interest. This article, originally published in Worth magazine, looks at what questions you should ask during the selction process.

Altair looks at the diversification and safety benefits of placing all assets with one advisor in this article originally published in Worth magazine.

Altair looks at why bank custody ensures greater safety of client assets in this Worth magazine article.

Altair's Jason Laurie details the dangers (and common practice) of chasing higher-yield investments in this Worth magazine article.

Portfolios do not exist in a vacuum. Investment decisions have tax implications, estate plans often have investment implications, and insurance may affect all aspects of your financial plan. With this level of interconnectedness, a lack of strong coordination among advisors leads to inefficiencies and, perhaps worse, missed opportunities.

For wealthy families, 529s may not be the optimal way to save and pay for education. Altair's Rebekah Kohmescher explains in this Worth magazine article.

In the past year, the IRS sharply increased the number of returns it audited, particularly those of high-income earners. According to a government official, this is an effort “to build public confidence in the tax system, encouraging voluntary compliance” and to make sure that both the low end and high end of the income scale are subjec...

One of the potential benefi ts of wealth planning is the opportunity for families to have meaningful conversations about their hopes, dreams, legacy wishes, and more. These types of planning discussions can help to create family intimacy, and help build relationship capital for the future. In this white paper, Fidelity advisor Dr. Timothy G. Habber...

How much capital does your family have? Is there enough to secure a stable and happy future for you and your children, or even for your children’s children? When the topic is one of financial capital, these are likely familiar questions to anyone dealing with wealth transfer concerns. But what many families often fail to see is the opportunity to b...

Just before midnight on January 1, 2013, the House of Representatives adopted the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. There were few surprises except, perhaps, the extent to which numerous deduction and credit provisions remain intact. While the Act is expected to raise approximately $650 billion over the next 10 years, Congress must now contend ...

Keeping in mind that permanence and certainty are relative terms when it comes to tax legislation, Congress has finally provided a platform that allows for longer-term planning than we have had in the past. Although the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was passed too late to provide the certainty that is so important for year-end tax planning, ...