The U.S. Department of State estimates that more than 8,000 Americans die in a foreign country each year. While some of those are permanent residents and long-time expatriates, thousands more are tourists or individuals traveling for business. For families and their enterprises receiving that unexpected news, the first inclination may be panic. Having a journey management plan that addresses specific protocols to be followed in the event of death while traveling abroad can help alleviate the stress that is compounded by barriers of foreign language, law and culture.
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Vulnerability assessments and penetration testing may uncover areas where hackers can break in, but what if they are already there?
Lending or transporting your artwork is one of the most vulnerable times when you are susceptible to losses. When it comes to protecting your artwork against those losses, this checklist will help you understand the benefits of working with vendors that have the right level of experience and reputation to help you make an informed decision.
In the last few years, hackers and cyber criminals have become much more sophisticated in how they steal private information, which has led to massive data breaches. These data breaches not only cost an organization hundreds of thousands of dollars in fixes and possible fines, they can ruin a long-established reputation in a matter of hours. Putting in place a robust IT security program will help protect the personal information you maintain from being stolen and misused.
So, you need to hire someone to work at your home—a housekeeper, a chef, or a personal assistant. You have decided not to contract these services to a local company, and your family office does not hire staff for you. It is up to you to fill this position. Before letting a stranger into your home, it is important to understand the domestic employment process from hiring through terminating, so you don’t open your family to exposure financially, legally, and socially.
When it comes to placing a value on your fine art collection, it is important to understand and debunk the appraisal myths. It begins with correcting the myth that an appraisal is not needed when in fact it is crucial to establish and protect your valuable collection. Know the facts and guard yourself against the myths that could place your fine art in a vulnerable position and make you susceptible to losses.
More than ever before, families and individuals are creating trusts and limited liability companies and transferring legal ownership of one or more of their properties to these entities. Very often these arrangements are an important component of a family’s overall financial and wealth management strategy. But without an insurance program that properly reflects the structure of these arrangements, they can create unintended risk exposures.
Anyone who has participated in the acquisition or sale of a company will recognize the typical path of a deal: from flirting to tough questions to hard bargaining to—finally—handshake. Inevitably, however, the road detours from the exhilaration of accord to the anxiety of suspicion. The buyer wants assurance that all the seller's promises are true and that there are not going to be any surprises once the acquisition is consummated.
On September 7, Equifax, one of the three major credit agencies, announced that it had suffered a major data breach.
When families and family offices become involved in direct investments, whether as lead or coinvestors, they take significant additional risks that need to be appropriately managed. Such risks include regulatory exposure and potential lawsuits from coinvestors, employees and other stakeholders in the investee companies, and sellers and potential buyers of investee companies. Effective strategies for managing and insuring against such risks will be discussed in detail.