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Single family offices (SFOs) have long been an established way for wealthy families to create accountability and structure around the myriad needs of family members. Yet decades of experience have revealed that families too often fail to recognize—or choose to ignore—early signs that an existing SFO structure is cost prohibitive or fail...

Discussions between the U.S. and China regarding trade and tariff issues remain fluid. Markets are increasingly optimistic that an agreement between the two countries can help restore globalization trends, but protectionism could still weigh on growth. In Europe, the economy continues to report signs of weakness. In the U.S., labor conditions remai...

Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ) offer taxable investors the potential for deferral of existing gains and tax-free growth. Though the basic provisions of the tax incentive are known, the rules remain unclear and regulatory risks persist. While the existence of a tax incentive can make a good investment even better, investment decisions should not ...

Families blessed with significant financial resources can make an amazing and long-lasting impact on the world. But that wealth can also lead to disagreements, grudges, and hurt feelings. Trying to hide from the conflict does not make it go away. The best thing a family can do is create a culture of open, honest conversation about the impact their ...

Generation Z and millennial entrepreneurs are known for being innovative, bold, quick-thinking game changers. But too often they ignore the more mundane (but incredibly important) aspects of their personal financial situations and decisions regarding the fate of their business. By investing some of the passion and energy they have for their busines...

Due to the evolving sophistication of criminals, security breaches continue to occur on a regular basis. Banks have already been responding to regulator concerns about cybersecurity risks and the potential liabilities and penalties that could result from failure to have an adequate cybersecurity program. If a cyber breach happens, banks will need t...

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker recently signed House Bill 4806, amending the state’s data breach notification law. In relevant part, the amendment expands the information that must be reported to Massachusetts regulators in connection with a data breach involving the personal information of Massachusetts residents, imposes new requireme...

On March 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) finally released its proposed rule to expand the overtime protections in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The rule would increase the salary an employee must receive before being deemed overtime-exempt to $679 per week – $35,308 per year (and $147,414 for highly compensated employees). ...

The cannabis industry is blooming. Market-watchers expect to see double digit sales growth every year through 2022, despite frequent changes in the regulations that govern this rapidly evolving industry. To protect their investments and keep making the bold moves needed to reap the rewards in this high growth industry, cannabis business operators a...

In a ransomware attack, a hacker penetrates an organization’s network and holds its data hostage until a specified ransom is paid. Hackers don’t discriminate based on business size or industry—any organization that stores its data on a network is at risk. You can protect your business with five best practices.

Over the past two decades, China’s success has benefited from both external and internal factors, being globalization and domestic market-oriented reforms. Recent years saw these factors gradually changing to affect China’s growth dynamics, and such impact will continue to exist in the medium to long term. Taking a closer look at China&...

REITs’ recent strong relative performance highlights the potential benefits of having defensive, lease-based revenues, and high dividend yields in an environment of heightened uncertainty. As investors look to protect their portfolios from what may be a more challenging and volatile environment, we believe a 10-15% allocation to REITs can be ...

Direct investments for wealthy individuals and family offices can be challenging when competing with the experience, intellectual capital, and the deep network of relationships forged by a private equity firm. The good news is that the thoughtful structuring and the focused implementation of direct investment programs can help in setting private cl...

Investors can diversify their portfolios through equity allocations to markets outside their home market. Despite this opportunity, investors on average have maintained allocations to their home country that have been significantly larger than the country's market-capitalization weight in a globally diversified equity index. This paper explores...

Many clients and their advisors are holding their breath waiting to see whether the November elections will provide greater clarity as to the future legislative environment for wealth-owning families. This 2012 Wealth Advisor Forum session examined the interrelationship of politics and economics, particularly effects on individual investors. By out...