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Eighty-nine percent of private equity executives expect a correction within 1-2 years, according to BDO's 2019 Private Equity Perspective Survey. Yet private equity funds have a lot of dry powder to deploy. How are expectations for a correction affecting deal composition and timing?

Direct investments for wealthy individuals and family offices can be challenging when competing with the experience, intellectual capital, and the deep network of relationships forged by a private equity firm. The good news is that the thoughtful structuring and the focused implementation of direct investment programs can help in setting private clients up for success.

The role of the tax function is changing. Digitization is shrinking the globe and making everything more connected. Tax regulation and legislative changes are requiring companies to have processes and systems in place in order to comply. Today’s tax professional is charged with advising senior management on the tax implications of strategic business decisions while simultaneously leading initiatives to directly support the organization’s financial objectives and help facilitate growth. Demands on tax professionals have never been higher.

A portfolio’s asset allocation reflects an investor’s goals and temperament—the need for return and ability to withstand the financial markets’ inevitable turbulence. Over time, as the returns of higher- and lower-risk assets diverge, a portfolio can take on exposures that are inconsistent with the investor’s risk and return objectives. Rebalancing from one asset class to another can put the portfolio back on track. A deeper analysis suggests three best practices when setting expectations for and executing a rebalancing strategy.

National Center for Family Philanthropy recently spoke with Bill Leighty about how he’s helped keep the Leighty Foundation’s memories alive by recording its history. While many foundations use external production companies, Bill created his family’s legacy videos himself—using his own technological know-how, video equipment, and dedication.

Many early-retirement Boomers feel comfortable that their estate plan is in order, having put their estate plan in place when they had younger children. With adult children, and the increase in the estate and gift tax exemption amounts, many feel that there is little planning to be done. However, upon review, there are plans that may need adjusting due to the recent changes in tax laws. Specifically, those plans with the AB Trust/Bypass trust structure.

Over the past decade, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have become popular among investors in building investment portfolios. Although sometimes portrayed as unique instruments, ETFs are overwhelmingly similar to mutual funds, from both a regulatory and a structural standpoint. They also possess important features stemming from the method by which investors transact in fund shares, namely to create low-cost, broadly diversified investment portfolios, especially when implementing index-based strategies.

The demand for executive level talent is extremely acute in the technology sector. Consequently, we expect to see larger year-over-year increases that will outpace other industry sectors. The median TDC (total direct compensation) levels will likely become more aligned with the recent excellent economic performance the sector has experienced. To stay ahead of these issues, technology companies and boards need to consider strategic compensation structure, including total rewards package, employment agreements, performance-based equity grants, and succession planning.

True disruption—the kind that marks lasting paradigm shifts in the predominant way things are done—is more than a technology story. It’s a virtuous circle in which technology spawns changes in market and competitive dynamics, and vice versa. To stay on the right side of disruption, businesses need to anticipate the signals and adapt and reinvent themselves before disruption upends them. For the middle market, that means establishing a digital strategy that balances the long-term vision with realistic short-term goals.

Digital transformation: innovation’s holy grail. For some organizations, digital transformation is in their DNA. The adaption to—and adoption of—emerging technologies to further business goals comes instinctively to them. For the majority of middle market companies, however, digital transformation requires a lot more foresight, consideration, and planning. Companies that begin their journey today are much more equipped to continue evolving tomorrow. The challenges will be great—but the rewards, greater.