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Identifying potential hazards and doing advance planning can reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life from an earthquake. For example, repairing deep plaster cracks in ceilings and foundations, anchoring overhead lighting fixtures to the ceiling, and following local seismic building standards can help reduce the impact of these disasters.

Any business in an area hit by hurricanes or high winds should have a hurricane emergency response plan and a business continuity plan but also place the safety of employees and their families first. Everyone should have a personal evacuation plan and a disaster supplies kit, and know what to do when a hurricane watch or warning is issued.

While some people are crying out that the U.S. economy is dead or dying, the economy itself seems to be protesting otherwise. Look for continued slow but steady growth in the United States and globally, with commodity prices stabilizing and Japanese supply chain worries easing. But policy and market action are needed to restore investors' confidence.

The congressional compromise is one small step toward U.S. fiscal solvency. Investors can preserve purchasing power by favoring countries with strong finances, such as Brazil, Canada, Germany, and Mexico; investing in developing nations with strong growth prospects; purchasing commodity-based real assets; and not believing lawmakers who promise change.

Increased use of modern networking technologies, including social media, is creating new forms of participation, shifting power from producer to citizen and building customer sovereignty. For corporations and organizations, entry into the digital society rests on new economic principles, rules of play, and collaborative business models.

The hedge fund industry is reinventing business models and best practices to address regulatory changes and investor demands for enhanced fund transparency, liquidity, and efficiency. Investors, fund managers, and regulators are looking to third-party administrators to provide objective risk assessment and reporting.

When domestic safe-haven markets no longer seem to provide comfort, investors may want to consider diversifying by adopting a global approach to fixed income and currencies. Desirable countries to consider are those with better credit quality where higher official rates are already priced in and the currency has the potential to rally.

A sustained level of volatility may actually benefit long-term commodity investors. Tightening supply/demand conditions may lead to potentially higher long-term returns and investors can capitalize on the shape of the futures curve by taking advantage of short-term supply stocks to generate alpha.

Because of the uncertainty as to what the new congressional bipartisan joint committee will do, it is important that individuals who want to take advantage of existing estate planning techniques talk with their advisors now to find out whether such planning is appropriate based on their circumstances.

Changes in tax laws have made the long-term, or dynasty, trust a particularly attractive means to transfer wealth to multiple generations free of estate taxes. However, the expiration of certain exemptions in 2013 means individuals need to act soon to realize the maximum benefit of these trusts.