When a family needs to add to their domestic staff, they often call upon their family office for assistance in overseeing the process. This paper from Mahler Private Staffing provides an overview of the steps involved in hiring domestic staff, as well as questions to ask when assessing search firms.
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Coaching can be a transformational process, helping individuals overcome obstacles, solve problems, make significant changes and accomplish lofty goals. Conscious Connection provides an overview of coaching, discussing the work of a professional coach and offering tips to ensure selection of the right coach.
With the IRS intensifying its focus on taxpayer non-compliance, ultra-wealthy individuals are wise to take steps now to reduce the likelihood of an audit and ensure they are fully prepared if one should occur in the future. A new white paper from HUB International offers some guidance for proactive taxpayers.
Investors should focus on identifying valuation opportunities. We currently see value opportunities in U.S. quality growth stocks, which have the added benefit of providing long-term equity performance combined with insulation from overall market volatility.
A simple, periodic verification of the credit-worthiness of an insurance company and the adequacy of the policy funding is not sufficient to fulfill the requirements of the Uniform Prudent Investor Act. A paper from J.R. Katz recommends that reviews of policy suitability include financial strength and claims paying ability, cost competitiveness, pricing stability, cash value liquidity and historical performance of invested assets underlying policy cash values.
We believe the reason many bond investors are maintaining high balances in low-yielding money markets right now is because they've been scared into thinking the value of their investment will decline sharply if interest rates rise. They may well be right. They may be wrong. We do not know with certainty. However, we do know with certainty that approach has been dead wrong over the last 12-18 months and it may continue to be the wrong strategy for another 12-18 months.
With the announcement of a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, the uncertainty as to who will govern the UK is over. However, what does this mean for taxpayers? Withers Worldwide looks at the likely changes under the new administration and the implications for taxpayers.
At its best, family philanthropy provides families with an opportunity to reinvigorate their grantmaking, inviting the contribution of fresh and original ideas and approaches from younger generations, and bringing families together in pursuit of a mission inspired by common values. Research conducted for Credit Suisse shows the diversity of experience of family philanthropists around the globe.
When implemented responsibly, a successful foreign exchange hedging strategy can go beyond mitigating foreign exchange risk to actually improving the bottom line of a global business, according to a paper from SVB Capital. The author addresses the impact of currency exchange rates as well as best practices for implementing a hedging strategy.
We believe the proliferation of alternative investments is a real and worrisome phenomenon. While the competitive pressures have abated somewhat, they will be back in short order. The key will be to drive alternative portfolios away from the crowd and to deliberately opt for strategies and managers that are structurally risk averse and low beta.