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Pre-nuptial agreements and marriage agreements are not binding under English law, leaving the details of divorce settlements largely in the hands of judges. But decisions rendered in the past five years show that judges are now taking pre-nups more seriously. This article from Withers shows how an appeals court has interpreted the importance of a pre-nup in a particular case.

The purpose of this article is to support the argument that alternative investments belong in high net worth portfolios, analyze what the appropriate allocation is for them, and summarize some of the challenges associated with actually implementing more alternatives within portfolios of different sizes.

This article deals with the legal status of prenuptial agreements under English law.

Wealthy families struggle to find advice needed to launch a philanthropic foundation or to select charities to which to donate, according to a survey of wealthy individuals and family offices in Europe by U.K.-based New Philanthropy Capital. Other challenges include finding ways to network with other donors and measuring the success of donations.

China has become a prime source of malicious computer activity, according to Finjan, a California-based provider of Web security solutions. In its December monthly report, Finjan shows the network of connections between Chinese-based servers and how hackers use it to launch spyware attacks from legitimate, even government, Web sites in Western countries. The report also details how the attacks work – and what real-time action can be taken against them.

Online criminals are working through legitimate sites to place spyware or other malicious programs on the computers of ordinary users, according to Trends in Badware 2007, a report by StopBadware. Criminals can access users' private information through links and software placed on these sites. The report outlines current practices, lists compromised sites and offers security suggestions.

Absolute return funds deserve a place in anyone's investment portfolio, according to a research paper from Liberty Gateway Investment Management Co. Rather than trying to fit these and other alternative investments into a traditional portfolio, Liberty recommends looking at traditional and alternative investments simultaneously to create the best possible portfolio at a given level of risk.

A long-term investor seeking immediate, low-cost diversification may want to seriously consider exchange funds as a strategy, according to a paper from Atlantic Trust Private Wealth Management. The paper considers the risks and benefits of exchange funds and recommends paying careful attention to the fund's issuer and structure.

Two major changes have occurred in public company boards, both without regulatory impetus, according to SpencerStuart's 2007 Board Index. These are a more strategic, hands-on approach to identifying and screening new director candidates as well as revised director compensation packages.

Family businesses are most at risk for financial troubles based on a lack of formal succession planning and preparation, and on family business owners' personal financial issues, according to MassMutual Financial Group's 2007 American Family Business Survey. The survey also found that family businesses are growing in jobs and revenues, and often with women leading that growth.