The budgetary crises of state and local governments have started to receive more attention, leading some to declare that the municipal market may be ground zero for the next financial crisis. Gresham Partners examines the root causes of these concerns and attempts to determine the likelihood that continuing credit pressures will cascade into the next broad financial crisis.
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Disasters bring out the urge to help, but would-be donors often are not sure about where to donate. Schwab Charitable Fund looks at the hierarchy of disaster relief, considers the importance of general disaster expertise vs. local expertise for a charity, and discusses how to encourage accountability. A targeted list of recommendations for donors is included.
A paper from The Madison Group says the ability of family members to meet, discuss and make decisions about issues is a critical component of long-term harmony in the family. Discussion begins with the individual members learning the skills to "show up" in a positive way and is carried through in a process that can be trusted and honored.
In addition to having an external mission, many family foundations create an internal one specifying how the foundation will function in family-building, education and the transfer of family values from one generation to the next. Foundation Source offers concrete examples of how some families are using their foundations to make a difference within the family as well as in the external world.
Deutsche Bank researchers address four questions in this study of responsible investments: How are these investments different from more conventional forms of investment? What products are available? Do sustainable investments offer lower returns? How will the market for sustainable investments evolve?
More than 90 percent of respondents to a survey on private equity mergers and acquisitions expect financial due diligence to directly influence the terms and conditions of M&A transactions during the next 12 months. This survey report from mergermarket and Houlihan Lokey considers the impact of increased due diligence and examines other factors that are likely to influence M&A deal flow.
The search for investments that are not highly correlated to search for options to more traditional alternatives, such as private equity. Many of these investments can be volatile and highly speculative. This white paper from Appellate Funding explores the funding of legal appeals as a low-risk, high-return alternative.
Private market investing offers financial opportunities but requires consistency and patience. CTC Consulting's guide to private market portfolio management explains the cash-flow characteristics of private market funds, discusses why maintaining a target allocation is an ongoing, long-term process, and demonstrates the importance of committing capital consistently over time to build a well-diversified portfolio.
From 2008 to 2009, the Center for Creative Leadership surveyed 128 senior executives who participated in CCL's Leadership at the Peak program. The executives served at teh senior most levels of their organizations, with more than 15 years of management experience and resonsibility for at least 500 people. This survey focuses on pressing trends and challenges affecting their organizations, and the role of leadership in spanning vertical, horizontal, stakeholder, demographic, and geographic boundaries.
Greece may have been ahead of the pack with its debt crisis, but other nations, including the UK and the US, are on the same path, according to analysis by CTC Consulting. This paper provides an overview of sovereign debt and its impact on major nations, considers historical results of debt and inflation, and explores six possible scenarios for countries currently at risk.