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President Joe Biden’s executive order targeting U.S. investments in certain industries in China has raised questions about its impact on global markets and investment portfolios. In examining its potential effects, NEPC’s Senior Investment Director, Jennifer Appel, shares her insights on what the executive order means for investors. She also provid...

Rather than viewing trusts as a mechanism to protect beneficiaries from the dangers of wealth, what if trusts were viewed as vehicles to “ignite a fire” within the next generation? Imagine a trust structure that is designed to cultivate a spirit of entrepreneurialism by making beneficiaries active participants rather than passive recipients of thei...

While entrepreneurs are intently focused on building their businesses, they may have less time to spend on building, sustaining, and distributing their wealth. Given the importance of early wealth planning and its long-term impact, this guidebook provides insights and tools at each stage of the entrepreneur’s journey to help them move forward ...

Bank failures, tighter monetary policy, and rising fear of a “hard landing” have heightened economic uncertainty. Despite these challenges, inflation is subsiding, consumer spending is stable, and the labor market remains strong. In light of the market turbulence, investors are reacting to any news, positive or negative, in search of clarity about ...

FROM “POLYCRISIS” to “POLYOPPORTUNITIES”: In October 2022, in an article in the Financial Times 1, historian Adam Toze brought back into popular use the term “polycrisis” to describe the situation the world was in, with several crises building each other to create an intertwined web of complex disruptions. The developments in mid-March 2023 arou...

One of the most discussed topics is to what degree entrepreneurial and vital drive and “hunger” are determined by nature or by nurture. That is, can drive and hunger be taught and developed with the proper education, incentives, influences, or conditions? With a closer look and analysis based on existing literature on the topic and interviews with ...

Family office executives are always looking for ways to improve their financial reporting packages and their client relationships. This best practices document reflects the work of 20 members of the FOX Financial Executive Council™ who gathered to learn about how one’s learning style impacts the creation and delivery of financial information and to...

The private equity market is navigating through a period of volatility, driven by inflationary pressures, rising interest rates, and geopolitical uncertainties. While some regions, such as North America and Asia-Pacific, remain confident in the face of these challenges, others, particularly in Europe, are more cautious. Despite these regional diffe...

The expectations of an economic soft landing and favorable equity market in both 2023 and 2024 were possible due to the positive underpinnings of a healthy labor market, falling inflation, and a Fed pivot to rate cutting. In 2025, however, expectations are higher, policy shifts are underway, and several new factors that include tariffs, trade wars,...

Invoking emergency powers due to the stated “threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs,” President Trump implemented a 10% tariff on imports from China, a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico, and—perhaps most surprisingly—a 25% tariff on imports from Canada (except for Canadian energy imports that receive a 10% tariff). These tariffs are sending shock...

Conventional investing is all about diversification and maximizing returns. While both of these are still fundamental, some investors also want to use their economic influence to drive meaningful change. As these investors make financial decisions informed by both heart and mind, traditional barriers between making money and making a difference are...

2025 stands at a crossroads. In the prior year, nearly half of the world’s population across more than 70 countries participated in national elections, artificial intelligence gained considerable traction in the marketplace, and several banks initiated a synchronized interest rate-cutting cycle. Each of these developments alone creates a complex la...

Given the impact of the back-and-forth tariffs and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the risks of creating a bout of inflation or a bout of economic slowdown (or both) are very real. The uncertainty, market gyrations, and indications of a double-digit market correction at some point during 2025 are also creating tremendous angst....

By most measures, the start of the first quarter of 2025 painted a picture of positive economic momentum and optimism in the U.S. Growth remained solid. Unemployment hovered near 60-year lows. Real wages were rising. Corporate earnings were on track for double-digit growth. And then it turned from optimism to uncertainty to sheer panic with the Tru...

For most of the period from the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 through the end of the COVID pandemic in 2022, the Federal Reserve held interest rates near zero. As post-pandemic inflation surged in early 2022, the Federal Reserve began a rapid rate-hike cycle that ended in July 2023 with the Federal Funds Rate at 5.25% - 5.50%. As noted in this In...