Investors now have more than $3 trillion invested in hedge funds, up from $1 trillion in 2005. This steep increase in assets under management means the hedge fund industry confronts a more scrupulous regulatory environment, heightened investor demands for transparency and tighter standards for all aspects of fund governance, like performance reporting and offshore fund structuring.
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Women have become financial powerhouses and have taken on an increasing role in managing wealth to the tune of $11.2 trillion. Some estimate that by 2030, women will control as much as two-thirds of the nation’s wealth. This change makes one thing clear—whether women are wealth creators, inheritors, or owners through marriage, they need to take responsibility for preserving, enhancing, and ultimately, transferring their assets.
Thank goodness the U.S. election is over so we can all stop slinging arrows at each other and get on with our lives for at least the next 18 months. America is divided, where roughly half the voters wanted him and the other half wanted her. America got him. So what does that mean if you are a private markets investor, especially if you are an impact/cleantech investor?
As high-net-worth investors discuss plans for charitable giving and investing with their financial advisors, it is absolutely crucial for them to be on the same page in terms of the outcomes desired, both financially and philanthropically. For this reason, advisors and their clients need a set vocabulary of terms going into the first meeting. Only then can they discuss goals (and ways of achieving them) without stumbling over communication roadblocks.
An at-a-glance summary of the 2017 Global Entrepreneur Report that draws upon the views of 2,650 successful business owners across 21 countries and explores their characteristics, actions and ambitions. In addition, the Report examines the differing approaches of five business owner profiles: the Millennipreneurs, the Women Entrepreneurs, the Ultrapreneurs, the Serial Entrepreneurs and the Boomerpreneurs.
The U.S. president-elect’s victory and the Italian’s declination of reform in the waning months of 2016 was a final crescendo for a central theme of 2016, populism. Additionally, stresses in regions like the Middle East and East Asia were accompanied by growing inequality and unrest, while concerns over the refugee crisis and a snowballing income gap were key drivers in the result of the Brexit. Despite news headlines on these topics injecting volatility into the markets this year, the U.S. equity markets have remained surprisingly resilient.
By enacting progressive trust laws building on the uniform trust code, Tennessee is attracting a growing number of family offices that are seeking flexibility to adapt to changes in family circumstances and the world around them. One such change was adding the "common sense" provision that expanded the definition of "family member" or family client who may be served by a private family trust company.
Governments and individuals now have to deliver on the promises that they have made. In other words, the rhetoric of last year has to be translated into policy and investment reality. Investors may also have to get used to a world characterized not only by divergence, but also by a continued threat of disruption. We are living in a complex world but investors should not assume that events are so unpredictable as to be impossible to prepare for. Looking at the economic and political landscape, 10 key investment themes emerge for 2017.
Looking in the rear view mirror on the global markets—including the resurgence of populism, the Fed’s annual rate migration, and portfolio positioning—another up year is in the books for U.S. equities, with 2016 marking the eighth consecutive calendar year to have a positive total return on the S&P 500 Index. This time around the U.S. large capitalization index posted a resilient 11.95 percent total return with 2.41 percent coming from dividends and 9.5 percent from price appreciation.
Significant tax reform is likely on the horizon. Given the proposals from President-elect Trump and the Republicans in Congress, we may see legislation repealing the current estate tax passed in 2017, and potentially changes to the gift and generation skipping transfer (GST) tax rules. There is a global precedent for the removal of an estate tax, and Canada serves as one example of what the proposed tax reform may look like in the U.S., which could mean the implementation of a new capital gains tax at death. The uncertainty regarding the future of tax law in the U.S.