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The real estate private equity market has been an attractive asset class with record fundraising market performance and increasing investor allocations. Within real estate investments, the single family rentals (SFR) market has a strong outlook. The highly fragmented SFR market presents an opportunity for real estate funds to leverage its industry expertise and capitalize through institutionalization. Through effective buying, managing, and selling, SFR funds are able to create value and deliver satisfactory returns.

All investments have impact—positive, neutral or negative. Despite—or perhaps because of—the challenges Brazil faces, leading Brazilian families are putting capital to work to build the impact investing ecosystem, promote social and environmental good, establish a culture of sustainable, transparent business and demonstrate the possibility of financial return alongside impact. The diverse set of social and environmental challenges in Brazil means there are opportunities across sectors, geographies, return-profiles and impact strategies for families to get involved.

Cryptocurrencies, or digital currencies, have captured the imagination and interest of investors around the world. Three main factors have driven this interest: the role of cryptocurrencies as bold new upstarts in the world of electronic payments; their meteoric rise in value since they were created less than a decade ago; and the perennial search for long-term stores of value in the face of geopolitical uncertainty.

For investors who can withstand the risk, investments made to support climate change and generate competitive returns can be found in the private equity markets—it’s one of the top five ways to adapt your portfolios to climate change and support the Paris Climate Agreement. Another way is to integrate your values with your investments by using environmental, social and governance (ESG) data.

Signs point to the U.S. economy being near or in a late (or pre-recession) stage, yet stock market valuations are elevated and inflation is inexplicably soft. We share its outlook for the U.S. and global economies and—in light of stretched valuations, low bond yields, and expected higher volatility—where qualified investors can look for investment opportunities.

At more than one thousand pages, the new tax reform package has plenty of both carrots and sticks for U.S. taxpayers. Both the short- and long-term effects of the new legislation on economic growth in the U.S. are uncertain at this point, but changes in the tax code will undoubtedly confer both benefits and penalties on certain segments of the U.S. economy. Until the tax accountants ferret out every new wrinkle, let’s examine the most likely impacts that the new law will have on the investment landscape in the coming years.

The broadest index of global stock market performance (MSCI ACWI) has gone more than 400 days without a pullback of 5% or more, the longest such streak in 30 years. It is no surprise, then, that experienced investors are riding the rally with one foot on the gas and a hand on the parking brake. The only thing that can be said with certainty is this streak will end, but the question is when. The key to surviving the next downturn is proper mental preparation.

Moving into 2018 there is a need to prepare for a subtly changing investment environment. It is time for a comprehensive reality check, and the Ten Themes for 2018 can help you understand the opportunities and risks ahead. We think that we will see another year of positive, if generally rather lower, investment returns. Beginning with theme number 1—forewarned is forearmed—we believe that you should be prepared, at the very least, for higher levels of volatility.

Investors focus on the yield curve with good reason—an inverted curve has historically led to recession and eventual stock market losses. However, these stock market declines take time to materialize, suggesting that an inverted yield curve is less a “predictor” of stock market declines than a challenge to economic functioning. The Fed is cognizant of this history and, absent an upsurge in inflation that forces its hand, will seek to avoid significant yield curve flattening.

Low inflation, subdued global growth, and historically elevated stock valuations are the realities we believe your investment portfolios face over the next five years. Investors can position their portfolios for the long-term with these six key themes in mind: valuation superstructure, entrenched growth, stuckflation, monetary godot, populist catharsis, and regulation in limelight.