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Goals-based wealth allocation sets forth the premise that upward mobility is unlikely without the assumption of idiosyncratic risk. And wealth mobility, as defined by keeping up with one's wealth segment, requires structuring a portfolio within three dimensions of risk: personal, market and aspirational.

The commercial real estate market in New York, San Francisco and Washington may have become overbought in the past year, but wealthy investors can still find attractive opportunities for capital appreciation via direct investment in second-tier markets such as Seattle, Austin and Dallas.

This research report explains what private equity has to offer, answers many of the questions being asked by investors today and explains why now may be an opportune time to make a commitment to a private equity fund of funds, particularly for first-time investors.

Producing alpha over long periods of time requires keen investment insight, leadership in exploring untapped opportunities and inefficiencies, and integrating a robust risk management process that addresses concentration, illiquidity, and transparency. This paper addresses how each of these inefficiencies may be exploited to help generate alpha.

Several mega-trends point to significant growth in the energy sector. These include the development of unconventional reservoirs; the increasing service intensity of finding, developing and producing oil and gas; the exploration and development of ultra-deep water and other frontier areas; and the monetization of stranded gas resources worldwide.

Senior investment professionals look beyond the near term and develop five-year forecasts for economic activity and financial market instruments, including fixed income, equities, real assets and alternatives. Their work can serve as a guide to risks and thematic developments that bear watching by investors.

As the balance of growth shifts from developed to developing nations, the world clamors for natural resources. Land capable of satisfying that demand can help investors reduce portfolio volatility and protect principal while providing steady income or appreciation as well as a hedge against inflation.

While high yield spreads are likely to remain volatile until Europe's problems are resolved, the purge of high leveraged credits during 2008 and 2009, coupled with a lack of aggressive re-leveraging of balance sheets thereafter, should limit the severity of the next default wave absent a severe recession or systemic bank failure in Europe.

While things may very well turn out well for risky assets in the coming months, the possibility of a messy European outcome or for further political and economic turmoil in the U.S. is significant and cannot be ignored. Emerging economies, while not immune to the travails of Europe, Japan and the U.S., remain resilient and their stock markets offer...

The lack of emphasis on jobs has caused unemployment to remain high and become increasingly structural. Structural unemployment typically lasts longer and, as workers lose basic skills, becomes less susceptible to monetary and fiscal measures. That, unfortunately, is where the nation finds itself.

Recent moves by the Fed are more symptomatic of the economic malaise and not the cause. As a result, their effect on the markets is fairly unimportant. The equity markets are weak not because of low rates but because of the characterization by the Fed and many market prognosticators that the economy is so much weaker than expected.

Managed futures are one of the oldest and most established alternative investments, yet many investors are unfamiliar with the strategy's performance traits. A fresh look at the strategy's past performance reveals its tendency toward controlled downside risk, with an asymmetric tendency toward upside performance.

Private equity investing is not without its challenges. However, long-term returns argue for exposure to this asset class for sophisticated investors. The most important considerations are structure of the investment program, access to top-tier performers, and knowledge about emerging private equity firms.

The state of corporate profits, balance sheets and valuations make the author confident that 2011 is a much healthier environment for U.S. equities than 2008. Despite the emotional trauma investors experience in these types of markets, the silver lining is that the capital markets are forcing policymakers to confront the core issues.

Researchers examine 50 years of historical S&P 500 Index data and compare the actual tail risk frequency and magnitude to the expectations of a typical investor operating under modern portfolio theory. The difference between the two is surprising, and it suggests that investors have significantly underestimated tail risk frequency and severity.