Originating in English common law, trusts have been used for centuries to manage holdings of the wealthy. Even though trusts are quite common, many people may find them hard to understand. Having an introduction to the trust basics is a good place to begin and learn how trusts are used in wealth management plans to help provide financial support fo...
Historically, beneficiaries learned of wealth transfer plans only after the death of the grantor. However, this approach often leads to unanswered questions and, potentially, feelings of betrayal when expectations for future gifts are left unmet. There are several planning tools, including a Statement of Wealth Transfer (SOWTI), that can facilitate...
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...
Seasoned investors know that you cannot predict the future of the markets. But smart private wealth managers know that the key to preserving and growing wealth is to anticipate critical trends that are likely to have a lasting impact. Where trends are concerned, 2024 has a lot brewing around the geopolitical conflicts, the explosion of artificial i...
Investors are processing more data more rapidly than ever. For family offices, sticking to their principles and investing within a risk-adjusted framework has never been more important. With a greater number of opportunities, success will require families to reflect upon what has and has not worked, clarify the sectors or strategies where they have...
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...
The family enterprise provides a strategic framework for families to stay together and accomplish the shared goals of growing wealth and managing risks through the generations. Within the enterprise, the Private Trust Company (the PTC) provides a beneficial mechanism to support the enterprise and the family’s growth and development. In addition to ...
After the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapse marked another bank failure, it triggered questions regarding the various considerations and options for holding short-term funds. With this reference chart, see the comparisons that show the characteristics of demand deposits with government securities and various money market funds as cash managem...
As traditional oil and gas companies face a range of challenges, including the emergence of alternative and renewable technologies, investors must find new ways to navigate the energy transition. For large-scale investors like endowments and foundations, investing in energy is both a challenge and an opportunity that demands a whole new approach.