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Fixed income is a cornerstone of traditionally balanced investment portfolios, offering stable income, varying liquidity, and a relatively low-risk profile. Given the prevalence and diversity of fixed income investment opportunities, families who wish to create or expand an impact investment portfolio may find fixed income to be a good place to start. Families can align their investments with their values (or philanthropic mission) by incorporating social and environmental factors into their fixed income investment decisions.

For decades, asset owners have worked to align their public equity investments with their values. Today, many investors in public equity consider social and environmental issues in their investment selection processes. Given the diversity and demonstrable track records of these strategies, families may find public equity to be an accessible asset class as they develop impact investment portfolios. Families can make public equity impact investment in several ways to achieve their overall impact and financial objectives.

Amidst headwinds such as economic weakness in China and emerging markets, financial and stock market volatility, falling oil prices and a stronger dollar, the U.S. economy weakened to end 2015. Despite these impediments to growth, several economic indicators were encouraging. During the 4th Quarter 2015, leading indices showed that consumer confidence increased, the labor market strengthened, and the unemployment rate ended at a year low at 5.0 percent.

Before executing a commercial property lease or sales contract, the parties may prepare a letter of intent or an agreement in principle. The letter of intent or a similar document (the “LOIs”) generally signals that the parties have agreed on the outline of a deal, but not on all of its provisions or details.

Most market updates are preoccupied with shorter-term phenomena and near-term concerns. However, today’s realities are best assessed through a longer-term lens—one based on the goal of generating attractive, or at least sufficient, compounded returns over decades rather than months, quarters, or even years. Great investment opportunities are rare, and an investor’s job is to recognize them when they occur and to avoid putting capital in harm’s way.

In a recent venture market survey, entrepreneurs said they have lowered their valuation expectations and venture capitalists reported having slowed their investment pace. One of the most interesting questions in the survey was also most likely one of the hardest to answer: Which two metrics are most important when evaluating new investments today?

Investing in an organization or fund with the aim of generating social or environmental impact alongside a financial return is a concept that has been gaining wider appeal and attention in wealth management. Often known as impact investing, the concept has become an industry. The Global Impact Investing Network estimates impact investments totaled $60 billion in invested capital in 2015.

The first quarter may be an accurate forecast of the performance of risk assets for the entire year, which is likely to be one of a flat average and a wide range of individual monthly returns. After the initial five-week decline in risk asset prices, global stocks reversed their initial losses, high-yield bonds spreads tightened, and the CRB Commodities Index finished higher by the end of the quarter than at the beginning of the quarter. The latest pattern in risk assets is unstable, similar to previous market tumbles and rebounds.

Philanthropists from Europe, the United States, Asia, and the Middle East are approaching philanthropy in an innovative way and actively promote their causes. Interviews illustrate how they are trying to make a lasting change in terms of impact on the ground as well as the longevity of their charitable organizations. For many philanthropists, achieving a sustainable outcome is the second motivation, after the cause itself. And impact investing and collaborative philanthropy are considered as the top trends in achieving sustainable outcome.

Millennials, in general, are avoiding the financial markets and instead keeping more of their money in bank accounts despite historically low interest rates. Just 26 percent of people under 30 invest in stocks, according to a 2015 survey by Bankrate.com. The key reasons can be attributed to the shift in generational behavior: distrust, flexibility, and lack of experience with inflation. While this shift in behavior is understandable, it leads to a deeply flawed approach to wealth building.