While family businesses are playing an important role in the economy and studies have regularly shown that in the long-term they outperform other businesses, there is the continual challenge of succession to the next generation. An estate is built up over the generations and the family grows larger. This source of diversity is not without its chall...
For many philanthropic families, successfully engaging the "next generation" proves challenging. This can be especially true if the family supports a specific community or region in which the younger family members do not live. This paper looks at the benefit of allowing the next generation to pursue their interests in more global issues.
A study by Morningstar for the decade beginning in 2000 suggests that average investors underperformed the mutual funds they invested in by 1.5 percent per year due to investing near highs and exiting near lows. The fear of making a mistake is especially heightened in those who retire or sell a business. They are faced with investing the majority o...
Can you lose a charitable deduction for failing to obtain a correct acknowledgement? A recent Tax Court case says yes. As we approach year-end giving season, know the rules, whether you are giving $500 or $50 million.
How can art collectors protect themselves from fakes and forgeries? This article examines the differences between provenance and legal title, their bearing on claims of authenticity and what you should look for when making a purchase.
The advanced needs and challenges facing ultra-high-net-worth investors require investment consulting strategies that are equally advanced. A mass market approach to asset management is not likely to provide such strategies, nor is an enhanced, or “super-sized” retail or high-net-worth solution appropriate. Rather, institutional quality investors m...
The debate that began several decades ago over the merits and shortcomings of active versus passive investment management is ongoing. In this white paper, Abbot Downing examines the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.
As of March 31, new rules regarding what constitutes a single-family office went into effect under Dodd-Frank's Private Fund Investment Advisers Registration Act. Those who do not qualify for a family office exclusion are now considered subject to regulation as investment advisors. This whitepaper looks at who the new rules impact and who qualifies...
The ongoing euro currency crisis has led to substantial declines in European asset prices. Measured relative to operating cash flow, European corporate assets are now selling at a 30% discount to the average of the rest of the world. While some portion of this differential can be explained by a weaker macroeconomic outlook, most of it is attributab...
Generation Investment Management argues that there is no trade-off, philosophically or empirically, between profit maximization and fostering environmental sustainability; however, a number of structural impediments exist to mainstreaming 'Sustainable Capitalism.'
Investing on the basis of fundamentals has long been a cornerstone for prudent investors. However, the rash of extreme geopolitical events over the past several years has tried investors' patience, riled portfolios and turned sound expectations on their heads. In this white paper, Greycourt & Co., Inc. examines the factors that have contributed to ...
This whitepaper illustrates how companies with cultures in which employees are properly incentivized through autonomy, purpose, financial compensation and other means can lead to stronger results.
Ocean sustainability has emerged as a major concern for society and business in recent years due to awareness of detrimental factors that include ocean acidification and unsustainable fisheries. This whitepaper by Rockefeller Financial Equity Analyst Rolando Morillo, describes current and historical trends that present investment opportunities in...
This white paper collects research highlights from earlier papers by Generation Investment Management on five key subjects: Climate Change, Pandemics, Real Needs at the Base and Peak of the Economic Pyramid, Water, and Demographics.
Why are some families able to pass the legacy of philanthropy from generation to generation while others are not? This white paper by Claudia B. Sangster, director of Philanthropy Services with Harris myCFO, LLC, looks at how to encourage the next generation of givers.