Statistics show that teenagers are more likely than any other age group to be in an automobile accident. In several tragic incidents, the use of a cell phone was involved.
Extreme winter weather has been a major issue throughout much of the U.S. in recent years and can result in high insurance claims accounting for millions in losses—the majority of which were due to ice dams and frozen pipes. An analysis of the winter-weather loss claims yielded four common factors and valuable insights that can help you be more proactive about preventing these risks.
The economy is relatively healthy, but history has taught us that growth cycles don’t last forever. It’s not if there will be an economic downturn—it’s when. Knowing that there’s a cyclical pattern to many markets, savvy owners and executives figure out how to take advantage of business cycles to create a continuing growth trajectory and boost profitability. From that strategic planning point, five action items are critical to middle-market companies for maximizing growth, profitability, and value—in any economy.
Strategy is a crucial area of focus, but one area that’s often overlooked is planning for an unforeseen event. For example, what would happen to your business—and your family—in the event of your premature death or disability? How can you ensure a successful ownership transition and protect your family in the event of such an occurrence? One way is to have a buy-sell agreement in place.
Rising interest rates late in 2016 took a toll on bond prices, and were the catalyst for one of the worst quarters for bonds in recent decades. Current expectations are for interest rates to move gradually higher in 2017. While rising rates can be a headwind to bond performance in the near term, they don’t impact the coupon rate or cash flow associated with most bonds over time. Over the long-term, higher yields are actually a positive for investors.
Runaway data growth is probably one of the greatest risk factors facing organizations today. With many organizations struggling to deal with the rapid explosion of data, coupled with increasingly aggressive regulatory enforcement, how should they drive change in information governance to achieve operational efficiencies and guard against data breaches? The key is to address the source of the problem and focus on three important areas to stem or flatten the information growth curve and proactively mitigate risk.
The start of the year is always a good time to focus on personal improvements with resolutions. Sharing in the same spirit with an investment outlook in mind, there are ten temptations to resist in 2017, including resisting the macro and political developments, investing while looking through the rearview mirror, and sticking with a strategy designed to work only in a falling rate environment.
Given the expectation for the U.S. economy to grow at a modest pace for the eighth year in a row, the risk of the U.S. economy or inflation becoming “overheated” in 2017 remains low. The Fed will likely move the federal funds rate higher twice in 2017, once in the first half and again late in the year. There are still important headwinds to consider, like a stronger dollar that will hamper trade for large multinational companies and continued geopolitical risk.
The disruptive political events and social unrest of 2016 may pose significant operational and strategic risk for businesses. With events at the ballot box and on the streets exposing flaws in the systems of liberalism and globalization, business leaders must think differently about priorities and risk management practices.
Lawsuit awards can be incredibly high, and individuals known to have substantial assets are particularly vulnerable. In some cases, the high-stake lawsuits can cause devastating reputational damage. Given the risks and exposure, the need for holistic liability protection is an important issue. Learn the different types of liability insurance available and how to address some of the most common sources of risk, including board membership and social media and online activity.