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The challenging market environment and the fear of several interest rate increases by the U.S. Federal Reserve in 2022 has led to a sell-off in global equities. Concurrently, the U.S. is facing inflation rates not seen in more than 40 years, adding to investor concerns. The Dollar's resilience continues to negatively impact Non-Dollar investment returns for U.S. investors.

Many of the challenges the fixed income market has experienced are part of the natural long-term economic cycle. While volatility is likely to remain in 2022, diversified fixed income portfolios can benefit from the rise in interest rates and wider credit spreads.

Decades of globalization have led to the developed world relying more on foreign nations, sometimes with competing interests. The pandemic and recent geopolitical events have shifted attention to the challenges inherent to an increasingly connected world. As nations—and companies—reconsider their cross-border relationships, how does this impact investors?

Philanthropy is embedded in the fabric of wealth management. Whether it's the Silent Generation or Generation Z, each generation wants to make an impact through charitable giving. With each generation having its own set of beliefs and perspectives, it's important to bridge that gap and ensure that, as wealth passes through generations, the family values and legacies are not left behind.

It's essential to understand the role that the right custodian can play in helping ultra-high net worth families build, maintain, and protect their wealth. By choosing a master global custody model, family offices can gain operational efficiencies, increased security, economies of scale, and a streamlined administration process.

As families consider their family legacy and ESG strategy beyond philanthropy, they are moving toward long-term stability and practices that benefit people, the planet, and the needs of future generations. It’s an enterprise mindset that understands the importance of establishing a robust governance framework and providing family members with tools for positive communication, collective decision-making, and processes to implement their strategies.

With increasing interest rates, the Treasury Department's recent publication of long-awaited proposed regulations will change the life-expectancy factors used in life expectancy-based estate planning. While the changes may not seem drastic, they should be considered by individuals contemplating its use. For most types of planning, when increased interest rates are favorable to the taxpayer, increased life expectancy is unfavorable to the taxpayer.

During the Great Resignation, retaining talent has become a big challenge for many employers who know that losing talent can be costly and high-performing employees are difficult to replace. While employees may leave if they are underpaid relative to the market, it is rarely the sole reason for leaving an employer. As companies think about retaining talent, a holistic review of the employee value proposition that looks beyond compensation can be helpful.

The tailwinds that greeted commodities in 2021 have moderated, but they are not gone. Faced with strong economic growth and high inflation, the market expects the Fed to run down its balance sheet and begin hiking interest rates. In addition, a shift in consumer habits has left most commodity markets priced for a deficit, which may require an extended period of high prices and could lead to continued strength from the asset class.

In this Tax Outlook Survey, 150 tax executives were polled on questions ranging from their tax planning strategies to their views on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. The findings indicate that the recently enacted and proposed tax policy changes continue to pose challenges to tax executives and their teams as they strive to guide their organizations through a dynamic world.