The fixed income environment is changing, and as a result we believe opportunistic fixed income strategies with the flexibility to go anywhere are better suited to today’s market realities than traditional, duration-heavy core holdings. But because these strategies come in different shapes and sizes, we think it is important for investors to drill down into what they’re actually investing in and understand both the what, and the how of investing in this new fixed income landscape.
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The tightening of regulations around the world is prompting banks to offload a variety of financial assets onto the capital markets. Investors are aware of this opportunity. However, we think that many hold misconceptions about it because of the opaque nature of the disintermediation process, and the unfamiliar and heterogeneous nature of the assets involved. In particular, we believe that investors incorrectly assume the opportunity has been missed and offer evidence that this is not the case.
Many business managers include arbitration provisions in their companies’ contracts. The prevailing philosophy being that arbitration is preferable to traditional litigation via the court system because it’s private, speedier and less expensive. Under certain circumstances, however, a party may prefer to litigate a particular dispute in court even though it previously included an arbitration provision in the relevant contract. Smart Business spoke with Liebman about choosing traditional litigation despite the existence of an arbitration provision.
“Internet message boards and review sites provide a venue where users- customers and pretenders alike- can offer anonymous evaluations and judgments about restaurants, hotels, medical and legal professionals and businesses," says Mitchell L. Marinello, a partner with Novack and Macey LLP. "Unfortunately, sometimes these reviews cross the boundary between mere opinion and defamation." When they do, they can cause great damage, because they can linger on the Internet for years. But if a company is the victim of internet defamation, it has remedies.
If your organization still doesn't have a social media policy, it is time to create one. "Every organization should have a social media policy that enables it to optimize the opportunities that interactive social media sites present while minimizing the attendant risks," says Kristen Werries Collier, a partner with Novack and Macey ILP. Smart Business spoke with Collier about those risks and how to develop a workable policy to minimize your exposure.
"A surprising number of us who work with business organizations or professional service firms - in offices that are otherwise orderly - let emails just pile up in our inbox, sent folder and trash bin," says John F. Shonkwiler, a partner with Novack and Macey LLP. "Don't do this. It is not a smart business practice and, if your company becomes involved in litigation, it can cost an awful lot of money to sort through the mess.
While subdued inflation and low bond yields have been key common features across major economies in the current growth recovery, the divergence in labour market dynamics has been striking. Whereas the rise in Euro area unemployment has barely been dented, the fall in US or UK unemployment has been faster than anticipated.
When families feud, nobody wins. What causes reasonable human beings to defy the advice of trusted advisors and lose sight of the costs of family fighting, not only in terms of money but vital family relationships and peace of mind?
Our Convergence thought leadership focuses on transformative technologies in the early 21st century. Insights and data shared demonstrate the significant impact these integrated technologies will have on virtually all industries and people worldwide for years to come.
This case study, coauthored by Pitcairn and Oakbrook Solutions, discusses the value proposition of data architecture to the Pitcairn family office. With many family offices striving to provide better quality client reporting experiences, this study will provide lessons learned and some insight on the value of client data and its stewardship and governance.