After a sharp stock market rally that ensued immediately after Trump’s come-from behind victory, financial markets have moderated as the realities of governing in the real world have begun to sink in. Investors were initially enthused by Trump’s plans to cut corporate and personal income taxes, reduce business regulations, implement a $1 trillion infrastructure program, and negotiate trade deals more favorable to the United States. While supportive of the ideas, Republicans are wondering how all of this will be paid for.
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Drive anywhere outside of a major metropolitan area, and you will find roads and bridges in need of serious repair. Talk to business owners, and they will tell you how the difficulty of moving goods from where they are produced to where they are sold hurts their margins. It is time to improve the aging infrastructure of the United States. Regardless of how policymakers decide to finance such a project, the multi-year infrastructure investment will boost economic growth, create jobs and provide a significant opportunity for middle market businesses.
The combination of improving economic data, stronger corporate earnings, and, particularly, potential policies from the Trump administration has created a heady brew for domestic equity markets. Even stocks abroad are posting robust returns. While President Trump’s plans for infrastructure spending, tax cuts, deregulation, and generally growth-focused policies are a key factor in the current U.S. stock rally, these policies are also a main source of uncertainty, and therefore risk, for investors.
It is often thought that financial success comes with a certain level of financial freedom: the freedom to pursue passions, to take risks, to give back, and to make an even bigger impact. In the 2018 U.S. Trust Insights on Wealth and Worth® survey, the results revealed that only half of high-net-worth individuals have a plan to optimize the opportunities their wealth provides.
1031 Exchange, commonly known as like-kind exchange, can be a smart tax strategy for business owners who also own or invest in real estate.
Wealth brings with it some important considerations, including the obligation to have an approach to managing it. For families of significant wealth, it primarily revolves around the requirement to develop an investment strategy that ensures the wealth is maintained for future generations. It creates a shift in focus—one that takes an intergenerational approach and goes beyond the protection of capital in the short term.
In one way or another, every enterprise—and every investment—is impacted by gender, whether it be through the gender of those in leadership and governance positions, how employees experience workplace policies and practices, or how women are treated throughout the supply chain.
Interest in various forms of impact investing has been growing, but the array of terms—ESG, SRI, Green Bonds, and Engagement—in this area has contributed to investor confusion. The decision on which form is right for the investor depends on a number of factors, including the investor’s goals, beliefs, resources, and preferences. Though one agreed-upon process to evaluate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing actions may never exist, any proposed process should be practical, helping investors make informed decisions with both their time and capital.
Political events in 2016 gave rise to increasing nationalism and populism globally. Combined with a global slowdown in economic and trade growth, international integration may already have plateaued and could begin to reverse over the coming decade. Multinational organizations should prepare for potentially significant implications by carefully considering the political threats in the countries in which they operate.
The potential economic and development gains from gender equality are vast and well-documented—and yet they are currently being bypassed. This joint report with the United Nations Foundation explores the market potential of advancing gender equality. By investing in companies offering products and services that promote gender equality, investors can earn the “return on equality,” seizing profitable, under-tapped market opportunities. In fact, narrowing the global gender gap could add U.S. $12 trillion in annual gross domestic product.