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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 sch...

The process of effective dispute resolution requires the participants to be able to identify four types of communication and conduct: passive, aggressive, passive aggressive and assertive. A goal of dispute resolution is to encourage assertiveness in communication and conduct.Passive communication and conduct, such as silence, sulking and other for...

Something significant occurs when people are in a dispute, especially an angry one – they stop communicating. Or they communicate primarily in an aggressive or passive aggressive manner. Effective long-term dispute resolution practices require the parties in a dispute, or potentially in a dispute, to learn how to listen actively, show underst...

“Why can’t we all just get along?” If you say that often, perhaps it’s time to find the answer. People who work with successful families know that financial resources, social status, career or educational opportunities and even intact marriages do not guarantee family harmony. All families are subject to conflicts, pressures...

In March 2014, the Chinese Government announced the launch of its National New Urbanization Plan. The plan will transform China and will present opportunities in almost every sector—health care, entertainment, construction, energy, urban planning and many others. The New Urbanization Plan is a key part of the Government’s economic strat...

Industrial robots have been in use for more than 50 years. Today, a convergence of technological advancements, with economic and demographic trends, is leading to the adoption of robotics far beyond automotive assembly to include a wide variety of industries. Many governments have made Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) a strategic initiati...

In addition to passing on knowledge, there are various ways to pass on wealth, and that is where smart estate planning and planned gifts come into play. This guide seeks to give you a quick reference to how families can manage wealth, considering taxes, additions of new family members, managing risk, and charitable objectives. It addresses issues c...

Families can face a deluge of competing challenges when managing their wealth which is why successful families rely on an ‘expert generalist’ to safeguard their interests. Ultra-high net worth (UHNW) families often, despite their good fortune and abundance of resources, struggle with a myriad of challenges associated with wealth managem...

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 cyber...

The SEC has issued a new risk alert on cybersecurity that registered broker-dealers and investment advisors need to follow closely. The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations pointed to six broad categories in the alert, which was released on September 15.At a high level, the SEC is concerned with how firms handle governance ...

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing recently on eight proposed tax agreements: tax treaties with Chile, Hungary and Poland, and protocols amending US tax treaties with Luxembourg, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for International T...

Debt continues to grow. In U.S.-dollar terms the debt of states, corporates and private households has increased by roughly 50 percent since 2007. This rise has led to concerns about a renewed debt crisis. A closer look reveals that both the growth and composition of debt differs between regions. Also, countries vary in their ability to take on and...

With a significant number of private equity groups (PEGs) working to succeed in this market, it has become increasingly difficult to identify targets poised for significant growth based on financial analysis alone.Investment specialists have noticed that the leaders in this area are increasingly turning to niche analysis to single out businesses th...

Squeeze, Freeze, and Burn. It sounds like an odd phrase, but it is actually a term used to describe a highly effective estate planning technique. It’s so effective, in fact, that as early as this September the IRS is expected to change some of the rules governing the “Squeeze” aspect—but more on that later. First, you pro...

Looking back on a calendar year in which the S&P 500 outperformed the rest of the world by nearly 18% percent, many U.S. investors are perhaps wondering why they should venture outside of their home market. Add recent headlines from abroad, including talk of geopolitical instability, a Greek exit from the Eurozone, and a stock market bubble in ...