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Impact investing has taken many forms over the years. In its earliest form, religious pension plans used negative screening to avoid sin stocks. Later, environmental and political activists would use shareholder proposals to demand that companies reduce pollution or otherwise improve their operations. Today, Wall Street and investors of all types are embracing impact investing. This report takes a look at the total assets under management in the U.S. and what it means to private equity investors for the first quarter of 2015.

An approach to investing called RSI—“responsible, sustainable and impact investing”—seeks to create both financial return as well as positive social or environmental impacts that are actively measured. This white paper explains how families can connect philanthropic vision with investing strategy through RSI.

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 reduced the top marginal estate and gift tax rate to 40 percent. In addition, the Act provides for a $5,000,000 per individual lifetime estate/gift tax exemption, adjusted for inflation, known as the “basic exclusion amount”. The 2015 basic exclusion amount is $5,430,000. This article explains changes to the current estate and gift tax law and provides insight into various tax strategies.

Today even very young companies are often international — many entrepreneurial ventures are “born global” in terms of their supply chain or customer base. However, there comes a time when an entrepreneur will decide to make the push into an overseas market in a more formal way, working to establish a presence in that jurisdiction. In fact, a study in April 2015 revealed that 84 percent of companies are expected to focus on their M&A strategy for overseas expansion in the next 12 months.

Americans are very charitable people; private philanthropy is growing at approximately 29 percent each year. Millions of dollars are given for human and environmental needs, medical research and facilities, as well as scholarships and endowments for education. The private family foundation is an excellent way for a family to take part in the “giving back” of the fortune they are privileged to enjoy.

According to a Norwegian linguist, the Sami people living in northern Russia and Scandinavia have 180 words for snow and ice. It seems that there are nearly as many terms for investment strategies designed specifically for societal impact. A few of the terms being used today include: “socially responsible investing,” “ESG investing,” and “mission‐related investing,” etc. Unlike the Sami’s 180 terms, each of which has a very specific meaning, there are no widely accepted definitions for impact investing and no dictionary to guide us.

Would your client benefit from a Private Foundation?Annually, 98% of families with a net worth in excess of $5 million give to charity; philanthropy can be a key element in tax management and estate planning, in addition to instilling a sense of responsibility to younger family members.

Today’s philanthropists want to channel their desire to “do something” into purposeful and strategic action. Donors frequently want to create or invest in the people and programs that can make a measurable difference. However, for many of us, it may be difficult to know where to begin. Philanthropic endeavors are often rooted in the passions of an individual.