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The Board of Directors plays a pivotal role in the effective governance of any organization, including the private family trust company. Board members fulfill their roles and responsibilities, in part, by holding regular meetings that utilize a comprehensive agenda. One vital tool for an effective Board meeting is the meeting agenda. Here, ten sugg...

A volunteer position with a nonprofit organization can be an incredibly rewarding experience—both for the volunteer and for the organization. But the path to key leadership roles with such organizations can be tricky to navigate. While the process inevitably will vary from organization to organization, there are a few things that can help with maki...

Although public companies are most often the targets of shareholder claims and class-action suits, not-for-profit and private entities are not immune from litigation. As a director, you could be named personally in claims of fraud or financial mismanagement from which the entity’s indemnification provisions and business structure cannot always prot...

Lawsuit awards can be incredibly high, and individuals known to have substantial assets are particularly vulnerable. In some cases, the high-stake lawsuits can cause devastating reputational damage. Given the risks and exposure, the need for holistic liability protection is an important issue. Learn the different types of liability i...

Contrary to conventional “wisdom,” decisions regarding manager selection can impact performance as much as or more than decisions regarding asset allocation. Success in this manner involves the ability to identify and access managers who are often not available in common formats, such as mutual funds and most open-architecture investment platforms.

A high-quality board of directors with a range of talents and experience can be a powerful resource for your company. Taking steps to ensure your board is well-designed, well-informed, and properly engaged will reap significant benefits for your company’s shareholders and management team.

No matter if a family enterprise is establishing an Advisory Board, Fiduciary Board, or Owners Board, considerations must include the roles that family members might play and how best to prepare them for service. As a fourth-generation Pitcairn family member and family governance leader within a pioneering multi-family office, Andrew Pitcairn share...

Manager selection is a critical component of success in any asset class, but particularly in private equity, where manager return dispersion is meaningfully wider than in public markets. Over time, the factors influencing private equity manager selection have become more complex. Investors should account for these changes but remain focused on key ...

Investment broker and manager fees are not always aligned with the value they provide. Given low prospective returns, fee awareness is more important than ever if investors are going to meet their investment objectives. Investors can use a simple, objective framework to determine if a manager’s fee is worth the value they add.

Creating portfolios that are customized to a family’s unique investment goals and risk tolerance requires ingenuity and flexible thinking. However, the execution of risk management should be more systematic. Ultimately, the effective investors employ a risk management framework that accounts for potential risk at every stage of the investment proce...

Independent directors can enhance a family business board in a variety of ways, including providing expertise in a range of subject matter areas, leadership development, and learning opportunities. They can also help owners expand diverse viewpoints, adapt to changing circumstances in the market, and help make decisions that are difficult for the f...

Dive into Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance with Grant Thornton’s concise video series that are designed for board members and senior executives. The four short videos summarize insights on the challenges and opportunities of AI board governance. From understanding the need for “AI circuit breakers” to tracking risks and accountability, and f...

The prominent role of passive strategies in the investment management industry raises the question of how to best utilize active and passive in portfolios. As the research shows in this paper, there are advantages with an investment strategy that combines both active and passive management in the portfolio construction process, while recognizing th...

In a time of turbulence in the marketplace, private companies eyeing an exit should concentrate on building internal efficiencies to get maximum valuations when the time is right. With a focus on the ‘long game’ approach and the value creation, corporate directors who have deep experience in M&A provide their thoughts on how board members can h...