Incentives, credits, and deductions within the U.S. tax system are currently in the spotlight, and most advisors are aware that unprecedented exemptions for gift and estate taxes are set to expire on December 31, 2012. Less clear, however, is how families can manage their assets to capitalize on the credits before the window closes. This article looks at some of the reasons families have not taken advantage of expiring gifting opportunities.
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Advisors should protect their clients who own fine art and other collectibles from financial loss with properly executed tax and estate planning. This article highlights two recent examples of how oversights, such as defective title, create marketability challenges that may result in substantial financial consequences for collectors.
This issue of Eton's Investment Outlook explores the concept of confidence level, using the familiar example of airline travel to illustrate our need for higher confidence levels in certain activities than in others. An investor’s level of confidence, both desired and actual, is a key driver in the Goals-Based Investing framework. This article describe how confidence levels are a function of our priorities, our time horizon, and the amount of portfolio risk we assume when investing.
History shows a number of scenarios could lead to significant losses for bond investors. Based on an examination of fixed-income markets since 1919, researchers found that even the most gradual rate increase scenario models an annualized return expectation of 0 percent for almost six years.
While family businesses are playing an important role in the economy and studies have regularly shown that in the long-term they outperform other businesses, there is the continual challenge of succession to the next generation. An estate is built up over the generations and the family grows larger. This source of diversity is not without its challenges: how do you forge a common identity to which everyone can relate? How do you learn to take decisions together while maintaining family harmony?
Current U.S. fiscal policy, if not modified before year-end, is on track to deliver a $600 billion economic headwind in 2013 (the equivalent of 4 percent of U.S. GDP), while the 2012 presidential and congressional elections add another layer of uncertainty to an already complex and politically challenged situation.
The upcoming election is as much about how we address fiscal issues as it is about the pace of the remedy; at the center is the debate over taxes and the size of government.
Each investor—whatever his or her background, experience or training—should employ a systematic protocol in the pursuit of growth and stability. An investment process should embody an investment philosophy. Grounded by best practices, this philosophy should stem from a set of beliefs that prescribe how to generate superior risk-adjusted returns in varying market environments and cycles.
Home networks, social media and mobile devices have enriched our lives in many ways, but they have also multiplied the opportunities for security breaches. Families, especially those of substantial means, need to carefully evaluate the precautionary measures and protocols that protect their cyber environments.
Current law provides that on January 1, 2013, income tax rules revert to significantly higher pre-2001 levels. In addition, it appears that the new Medicare Hospital Insurance taxes for high-income individuals will go into effect in 2013 following the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the majority of the Obama health care law. Congress is unlikely to agree on significant tax law changes prior to November as we await the outcome of elections, the results of which could impact future tax legislation. This white paper looks at what you need to know to make informed decisions.