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Successful family offices combine financial, philanthropic, legal, and administrative operations and help ensure that family objectives are achieved from generation to generation. These responsibilities create a range of liability risks for the family office entity and its executive and professional staff. With these risks, it is important for family offices to be aware of management liability red flags and take protective measures to prepare for potential claims.

The term “passion investments” has gained currency within the wealth management arena to describe high-end collectibles and other luxury possessions that hold emotional as well as financial value for their owners. When considering that this new asset class has generated noticeable returns, it’s no surprise that owners want to protect their high-value assets. For any passion investment, it’s important to consider the insurance issues, specialized insurance policies, insurance coverage, and risk management best practices to protect these uncommon assets.

As we enter the ninth year since the Federal Reserve Bank slashed interest rates in response to the Great Recession, many Wealthy Families are looking for ways to deploy cash into the fixed income markets. This comes at a time when most market pundits are predicting that the Federal Reserve Bank will finally begin to raise interest rates at the scheduled December 2015 meeting. This long awaited rise in rates poses many challenges for wealthy families, in particular those with fixed income portfolios. Some of those are as follows:

On September 15, 2015, the SEC issued a new Risk Alert on cybersecurity that registered Broker-dealers and Investment Advisors need to review closely. This latest alert by the SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) follows an announcement in April 2014 that it would examine the securities industry to identify cybersecurity risks and assess preparedness of Advisors and Broker-dealers. The initial findings from these exams were published in February 2015.

Marriage, a new baby, a teen’s first car, a student going to college, retirement — many of life’s major events can affect not only your life insurance and estate plans but also your property and liability insurance. This article discusses several key life events and how those events impact insurance coverage.

Those in the public eye have both the blessing and burden of a complex lifestyle, and it’s imperative that they have the proper insurance program in place to protect what they’ve earned. This articles discusses the pros and cons of enhanced insurance coverage for a number of valuable assets, which includes yachts, art and even the identity of affluent individuals in the public eye.

Smart phones, tablets and wireless networks are risky tools for high net worth individuals who are often targets of identity theft and social media attacks. This paper highlights the unique threats to HNW individuals and outlines protective measures against such crimes.

In the wealth management world, basis points mean everything. Hedge funds may charge 100 to 200 basis points plus a performance fee. Fund of funds typically charge 50 to 100 basis points plus a performance fee. The model for wealth management firms could be 50 basis points for managing a $10 million portfolio.

Clients often hire domestic staff for help managing a large family and household. But for the affluent homeowner, there are significant risks associated with retaining employees such as babysitters, elder-caregivers, and housekeepers, to name just a few. When hiring domestic workers, it’s important to consider and address the risks involved, which are discussed in this article from Marsh Private Client Services.