A new paper from Withers examines a privy council decision upholding, in large part, a post-nuptial agreement made by a wealthy couple. Given the landmark decision in MacLeod v MacLeod, the authors say, some couples may want to clarify the financial arrangements between them by entering into a post-nuptial agreement.
An economic downturn can accentuate the drivers of fraud and misconduct within companies, according to KPMG's third national integrity survey. Researchers found that 75 percent of employees had observed or knew of wrongdoing within their organizations. Ethics and compliance programs seemed to make employees more willing to report the misconduct the...
Many officers of family offices serve on boards of directors for family-owned businesses or companies in which they have made equity investments. If these companies move into distressed status, litigation by investors and creditors may follow – and agents of family offices may appear to have the deepest pockets. This report from JD Ford & Company c...
The financial crisis has altered the investment landscape for investment managers as well as for investors. This paper from BNY Mellon looks at the results, such as increased regulatory oversight and demands for greater transparency.
Individuals and businesses can control rising insurance costs only by being proactive and aggressive. This article from Rothstein Kass offers guidance in assessing directors and officers insurance, professional and management liability; key property and liability insurance issues; workers compensation, employee health benefits; and disability and b...
A discussion of pre-nuptial, post-nuptial or cohabitation agreements.
A checklist of things to avoid when taking out life insurance.
A useful checklist for both advisors and wealth owners in preparing themselves for hurricanes
A checklist which serves as a useful diagnostic tool for clients to use in evaluating their current aviation insurance program. Also maps the relative pros and cons of owned, chartered or fractional share ownership.
Evolving legislation and stricter governance standards on corporations has resulted in increased personal liability risk for directors and officers who respectfully serve on boards. In the wake of the Enron and Worldcom debacles, liability exposures of corporate directors and officers have increased dramatically. Regardless of the company's size...
While a life insurance agent/broker may be a valuable resource and advisor, the very nature of today's products and compensation structure, coupled with the lack of transparency, create substantial conflicts of interest between what is best for the client and what is best for the agent. What are the conflicts, how meaningful are they and how can fa...
A global outbreak of influenza, such as that anticipated with this year's H1N1 virus, can have a major effect on all aspects of the world economy. Having a contingency plan can make a difference for businesses and individuals, says HUB International Personal Insurance, which offers suggestions for creating such a plan.
Family offices develop complex and highly individual business models that can make fraud prevention programs difficult to implement. At the same time, family offices are exposed to various types of risk that can hamper their ability to protect family assets. In these two papers, Rothstein Kass explains practical methods for preventing fraud and min...
Tough financial times demand strong risk management systems while limiting the resources available for those systems. In their sixth annual risk management survey, Marsh and the Risk and Insurance Management Society examine strategic risk management in practice and offer recommendations for building strong risk management programs.
Believing the asset management industry is undergoing a major transition that will amplify the complexity of market dynamics for the foreseeable future, Tuttle Asset Management espouses a dynamically adaptive system that increases the probability of success by identifying the market's inflection points within the context of a long-term technical vi...