All investments have impact—positive, neutral or negative. Despite—or perhaps because of—the challenges Brazil faces, leading Brazilian families are putting capital to work to build the impact investing ecosystem, promote social and environmental good, establish a culture of sustainable, transparent business and demonstrate the possibility of financial return alongside impact. The diverse set of social and environmental challenges in Brazil means there are opportunities across sectors, geographies, return-profiles and impact strategies for families to get involved.
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The role of the trustees has evolved rapidly, and there has been a transition in the investment standards guiding trustees from being a “prudent man” using legal lists to being a “prudent investor” employing modern portfolio theory. In addition, trustees are now required to understand concepts of foreign taxation and foreign property law regimes and remain compliant with strict federal Know Your Customer laws put in place to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
Cryptocurrencies, or digital currencies, have captured the imagination and interest of investors around the world. Three main factors have driven this interest: the role of cryptocurrencies as bold new upstarts in the world of electronic payments; their meteoric rise in value since they were created less than a decade ago; and the perennial search for long-term stores of value in the face of geopolitical uncertainty.
For investors who can withstand the risk, investments made to support climate change and generate competitive returns can be found in the private equity markets—it’s one of the top five ways to adapt your portfolios to climate change and support the Paris Climate Agreement. Another way is to integrate your values with your investments by using environmental, social and governance (ESG) data.
Sometimes, unfortunately, a trip to the hospital is unforeseen and unplanned. Often, however, procedures and elective surgery are scheduled in advance. If this is the case for you or a loved one, planning ahead for a hospital stay and taking a few simple steps can ensure greater comfort and a faster recovery. This is important for everyone, but especially for those who are older.
What does the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act mean for high-net-worth taxpayers? Comparing the Act to current law, we outline the provisions and focus on the proposals most relevant to high income and high-net-worth taxpayers and businesses.
Signs point to the U.S. economy being near or in a late (or pre-recession) stage, yet stock market valuations are elevated and inflation is inexplicably soft. We share its outlook for the U.S. and global economies and—in light of stretched valuations, low bond yields, and expected higher volatility—where qualified investors can look for investment opportunities.
At more than one thousand pages, the new tax reform package has plenty of both carrots and sticks for U.S. taxpayers. Both the short- and long-term effects of the new legislation on economic growth in the U.S. are uncertain at this point, but changes in the tax code will undoubtedly confer both benefits and penalties on certain segments of the U.S. economy. Until the tax accountants ferret out every new wrinkle, let’s examine the most likely impacts that the new law will have on the investment landscape in the coming years.
The broadest index of global stock market performance (MSCI ACWI) has gone more than 400 days without a pullback of 5% or more, the longest such streak in 30 years. It is no surprise, then, that experienced investors are riding the rally with one foot on the gas and a hand on the parking brake. The only thing that can be said with certainty is this streak will end, but the question is when. The key to surviving the next downturn is proper mental preparation.
An IRS advisory published in late December could prevent individuals from deducting property tax prepayments in 2017. According to the advisory, taxpayers can deduct a property tax prepayment in 2017 depending on whether the tax was both assessed and paid before January 1, 2018. Prepayments of anticipated real property taxes that have not been assessed before January 1, 2018 are not deductible in 2017. Whether a tax has been assessed is a question of state or local law, and states vary widely in when and how they assess property tax.