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Now that passive index investing has overtaken active management, learn why this might not be as scary for the industry as it may seem.

Successfully transitioning family assets from generation to generation is hard work. And for many families, talking about money or family wealth can be awkward and uncomfortable, or simply delayed, which hinders younger generations from absorbing the critical information and know-how that is necessary for a smooth transfer of wealth and responsibilities. Some families are reluctant to discuss wealth at all because they are afraid of ruining their children's ambition. However, there are ways to encourage open discussions while being respectful of that fear.

Both stocks and bonds enjoyed positive returns in the Third Quarter 2019, adding to already-impressive performance from the first half of the year. Declining interest rates again deserve much of the credit for these attractive investment returns. Pessimism regarding global economic growth along with central bank accommodation compressed interest rates to historically low levels.

There is a risk, in a time of prolonged economic uncertainty, that you become blinded to the pitfalls ahead. U.S./China trade tensions have now been ramping up for over a year, and other geopolitical tensions for even longer (Brexit for over three). But while we have suffered bouts of volatility, markets have not fallen into a more prolonged period of gloom.

Substantial inflows into passive funds over the last decade have led to speculatioon that a bubble is forming. Key concerns center around the lack of price discovery inherent with passive funds as well as liquidity during market dislocations. While conerns may be valid, empirical data does not seem to support the case for a bubble.

There is a yawning gender gap in Corporate America. Studies show that companies with disproportionately low numbers of women in leadership do not perform as well as those with a more balanced gender ratio. For years, boards have vowed to change that formula, yet still it remains. To help spur changes, the Women CEOs Speak project was initiated and 57 women CEOs were interviewed for it. The ultimate goal: 100 women CEOs of Fortune 500 companies by 2025.

Consumer confidence measures have been mixed amid heightened geopolitical noise. The global manufacturing slowdown has pulled that sub-set of the U.S. economy into contraction territory and threatens business investment. Key service-based readings have maintained resilient growth in the U.S. Currencies around the world have fallen versus the U.S. Dollar, with the "safe-haven" Japanese Yen being the notable exception. The U.S.-China relations induced periodic bouts of volatility, and the matter goes beyond unresolved trade/tariff issues.

More and more investors are considering an allocation to commodities, typically motivated by a desire to tap the inflation-fighting and diversifying properties of this asset class. While the most natural way to get commodity exposure is by investing in a portfolio of commodity futures, many investors (and consultants) believe owning a portfolio of natural resource stocks is an easier method.

Prices of commodities and the US dollar are strongly linked. But is this also true at the individual commodity level?

Passive doesn't mean indifferent. Often people lose sight of the fact that while passive, or index, investors have made a choice to diversify and trust the market to reward them for their investments in the long run, they still want positive performance. And influencing corporate behavior for the better is a key way for them to achieve that. As assets continue to flow from active management to index investing, passive shareholders will still hold companies to account.