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Geopolitics aside, economic data outside the United States displayed modest improvement based on ‘flash’ purchasing manager surveys for Europe and Japan, which pointed to stronger activity, Quantitative easing (QE) by the European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of Japan (BoJ) have supported both economies, although recent signs of soft inflation may indicate both central banks should inject additional stimulus. This latest global economic commentary discusses a number of updates in equity, commodity and fixed income markets worldwide.

It is a common understanding that when investing in international assets, there are two sources of risk, first, the volatility that comes from the underlying asset itself (typically equities or bonds) and second, the volatility of the currency in which the international asset is denominated versus the base currency of the portfolio.

As we enter the ninth year since the Federal Reserve Bank slashed interest rates in response to the Great Recession, many Wealthy Families are looking for ways to deploy cash into the fixed income markets. This comes at a time when most market pundits are predicting that the Federal Reserve Bank will finally begin to raise interest rates at the scheduled December 2015 meeting. This long awaited rise in rates poses many challenges for wealthy families, in particular those with fixed income portfolios. Some of those are as follows:

Something significant occurs when people are in a dispute, especially an angry one – they stop communicating. Or they communicate primarily in an aggressive or passive aggressive manner. Effective long-term dispute resolution practices require the parties in a dispute, or potentially in a dispute, to learn how to listen actively, show understanding and speak assertively. Assertive speech is the subject of Strategy Sheet #3. This Strategy Sheet discusses “active listening” and “evident understanding” techniques.

The process of effective dispute resolution requires the participants to be able to identify four types of communication and conduct: passive, aggressive, passive aggressive and assertive. A goal of dispute resolution is to encourage assertiveness in communication and conduct.

In March 2014, the Chinese Government announced the launch of its National New Urbanization Plan. The plan will transform China and will present opportunities in almost every sector—health care, entertainment, construction, energy, urban planning and many others. The New Urbanization Plan is a key part of the Government’s economic strategy, which seeks to rebalance the economy away from reliance on investment and exports and toward growth led by consumer spending.

In addition to passing on knowledge, there are various ways to pass on wealth, and that is where smart estate planning and planned gifts come into play. This guide seeks to give you a quick reference to how families can manage wealth, considering taxes, additions of new family members, managing risk, and charitable objectives. It addresses issues common to high-net-worth families, and it should help identify issues most relevant to families and their wealth advisors.

Industrial robots have been in use for more than 50 years. Today, a convergence of technological advancements, with economic and demographic trends, is leading to the adoption of robotics far beyond automotive assembly to include a wide variety of industries. Many governments have made Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) a strategic initiative for economic growth.

Families can face a deluge of competing challenges when managing their wealth which is why successful families rely on an ‘expert generalist’ to safeguard their interests. Ultra-high net worth (UHNW) families often, despite their good fortune and abundance of resources, struggle with a myriad of challenges associated with wealth management. This article outlines why the role of a family office "quarterback" is vital to families, what to look for in an ideal candidate, and where to look.

On September 15, 2015, the SEC issued a new Risk Alert on cybersecurity that registered Broker-dealers and Investment Advisors need to review closely. This latest alert by the SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) follows an announcement in April 2014 that it would examine the securities industry to identify cybersecurity risks and assess preparedness of Advisors and Broker-dealers. The initial findings from these exams were published in February 2015.