Private equity investing is not without its challenges. However, long-term returns argue for exposure to this asset class for sophisticated investors. The most important considerations are structure of the investment program, access to top-tier performers, and knowledge about emerging private equity firms.
The lifetime credit shelter trust offers a way to lock in the benefits of the increased lifetime gift exemption of $5 million per person, as provided in the Tax Relief Act of 2010, without giving that much away immediately. One spouse can set up the tax-sheltered trust for the other without paying any gift tax, or they each can set up a trust of as much as $5 million for each other.
Staying focused on a single family may seem like an easy and less risky option in the wake of Dodd-Frank. However, the competitive climate will make it increasingly difficult to bypass the efficiencies and economies of scale that come with managing more families.
The author makes the case for investment in transportation companies, citing increasing global trade, the outsourcing of increasingly complex supply chains to third parties, the rise of e-commerce, the fuel and environmental efficiency of railroads, and infrastructure upgrades of mass transit systems.
Families can find a well-qualified firm to meet their home technology needs by performing the proper due diligence. Before hiring an automation company, families should consider the reputation of the firm, determine its qualifications, conduct a targeted interview, and evaluate the firm's design experience.
While most investments are driven by economic supply and demand, the performance of managed futures is driven by market factors, such as price persistence, volatility, and price dislocation. This provides benefits for portfolio diversification in a world of unpredictable market events.
Tail risk can be reduced by improving a portfolio's overall risk-return characteristics. Often this approach will blend several distinct strategies: broader diversification, volatility-based risk management, and drawdown control, perhaps combined with active management strategies such as managed futures or low-beta equities.
Best-of-class medical care can be achieved only if all of a patient's caregivers work together across the continuum of care. It is important for patients to understand what should happen during the four key areas of care – case immersion, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-through – because research shows that mistakes occur most often when patients are entering or exiting these stages.
Socially responsible investing has focused largely on what investors don't do, such as choosing not to invest in tobacco, weapons manufacturers, or alcohol. Socially innovative investing takes the concept a step further by reviewing securities across a spectrum of criteria that weigh both social responsibility and financial fundamentals.
U.S. interest rates are unlikely to spike at the end of QE2 because the market has already priced in the completion of Fed purchases, but moves toward fiscal consolidation in Europe are likely to damp economic growth. Policymakers need to proceed cautiously with normalization as they have little ammunition left to battle renewed weakness in aggregate demand.