As outlined in the 2022 Capital Markets Assumptions, long-term return expectations for traditional assets remain muted. Alternative investment solutions may offer an opportunity to increase portfolio returns by taking advantage of the remarkable post-pandemic economic evolution in a targeted way through public and private markets.
The sustainable and impact investing industry continues to scale, affording investors an increased level of influence on public and private markets. The most pronounced investor opportunity is expected to be in climate change and the future of work, two areas with significant implications for investment portfolios and for society. The industry is l...
U.S. inflation reached an annualized rate of 7.0% in December 2021, its fastest pace in nearly four decades. Even the core price index, which excludes the volatile categories of food and energy, climbed to 5.5%. The question is whether inflation will peak in the coming months, as balance sheets are drained and supply chain pressures abate, or wheth...
As families grow their investment function, the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) must provide insight and flexibility to serve varied and changing investment platforms. While much of the CIO’s role is focused on investments and the investment decision-making process, many CIO responsibilities aren’t investment-centric and will impact the long-term su...
The trend of private equity (PE) firms seeking high returns in health care has been in full bloom for more than a decade. But whereas previously PE was focused on a top-down approach of buying hospitals and health systems, that focus has begun to shift toward less-costly smaller specialty groups and physician practices. With increased segmentation ...
For charitably minded individuals, cryptocurrency investments—such as Bitcoin and Ethereum—held more than one year may provide a unique opportunity to leverage highly appreciated assets to achieve maximum impact with charitable giving. By donating cryptocurrency to charity, it can also unlock additional funds in two tax-smart ways. For more insi...
Digital assets have the potential to start (or perhaps already are) significantly altering the global financial landscape. Find out how and get insights on the why from guest Geron Morgan at BKD. Here's what's covered: Who is Geron Morgan? @00:17Trends in digital assets @01:27Audit considerations @04:05Internal controls and digital ass...
The latest escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran, caused by an alleged Iranian attack on an oil tanker in the volatile Strait of Hormuz, adds to a growing list of geopolitical hotspots around the world. With an unpredictable U.S. president that hasn’t confronted a direct military threat and one might conclude it has the makings of ...
After a decade-long economic expansion and bull market in US stocks, investors are understandably nervous about downside risk. Global economic policy uncertainty rose sharply in 2018, fueled by the threat of a trade war among the world’s largest economies. With the stock market crash of 2008-’09 a distant but still painful memory, many ...
The Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service has issued initial proposed regulations and instructions for investments in qualified opportunity funds (“QOF”), a program designed to incentive the reallocation of capital to designated low-income census tracts. This long-anticipated guidance is expected to allow investors, busine...
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 created new incentives for investment into certain communities throughout the United States that have been designated as Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs) by the U.S. Treasury Department. Investors can take advantage of the statute’s unique opportunity for deferral and exclusion of capital gains taxes by inv...
The world economy is evolving and investors will need to adapt. We look at how the investment landscape is likely to evolve, against a background of continued economic growth but sustained uncertainty around China, Europe, and elsewhere. It makes sense to stay invested, but hedge, with market volatility creating opportunities as well as risks. Over...
Investors may be feeling a bit skittish as talk has shifted to rising rates, slowing economic growth, and growing geopolitical risks. A neutral allocation to equities still seems appropriate for 2019, but the risks are rising. A key question going forward is whether the recent volatility marks an intermission of the nearly decade-long bull market o...
The year 2018 ended on a far different note than it started, with the economy stronger and markets weaker than most had projected at the outset. More perplexingly, underlying economic fundamentals remain quite strong with declining gas prices and interests, and steady jobs and wage growth. In keeping the focus much more “in the sunlight&rdquo...
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 created a new tax incentive, the Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF), designed to encourage long-term investment in low income communities. The QOF has stirred substantial investor excitement, but the lack of guidance before the issuance of the Proposed Regulations has frustrated the investment bankers ...