Search Results

Today's emphases on fiduciary responsibility, risk management and increased transparency require better due diligence when selecting managers. Especially in today's turbulent markets, advisors who spend more time and resources to do due diligence well can find themselves at a distinct competitive advantage. While these tips won't necessarily help y...

Private market investing offers financial opportunities but requires consistency and patience. CTC Consulting's guide to private market portfolio management explains the cash-flow characteristics of private market funds, discusses why maintaining a target allocation is an ongoing, long-term process, and demonstrates the importance of committing cap...

Greece may have been ahead of the pack with its debt crisis, but other nations, including the UK and the US, are on the same path, according to analysis by CTC Consulting. This paper provides an overview of sovereign debt and its impact on major nations, considers historical results of debt and inflation, and explores six possible scenarios for cou...

From 2008 to 2009, the Center for Creative Leadership surveyed 128 senior executives who participated in CCL's Leadership at the Peak program. The executives served at teh senior most levels of their organizations, with more than 15 years of management experience and resonsibility for at least 500 people. This survey focuses on pressing trends ...

Most institutional investors plan to increase their allocations to alternative investments over the next three years, increasing their influence over the sector, while the funds' managers and administrators view regulation and governance as the industry's most important challenges during the same period. These are just two of the key findings of a ...

More than 90 percent of respondents to a survey on private equity mergers and acquisitions expect financial due diligence to directly influence the terms and conditions of M&A transactions during the next 12 months. This survey report from mergermarket and Houlihan Lokey considers the impact of increased due diligence and examines other factors tha...

Portfolio volatility needs to be considered in making asset allocations at a given level of risk, and that volatility can take on extreme values that depend on the volatility of volatility, or vovo. This paper from the National Association of Active Investment Managers explores vovo-related concepts and offers insights on tactical asset allocation.

The search for investments that are not highly correlated to search for options to more traditional alternatives, such as private equity. Many of these investments can be volatile and highly speculative. This white paper from Appellate Funding explores the funding of legal appeals as a low-risk, high-return alternative.

Disasters bring out the urge to help, but would-be donors often are not sure about where to donate. Schwab Charitable Fund looks at the hierarchy of disaster relief, considers the importance of general disaster expertise vs. local expertise for a charity, and discusses how to encourage accountability. A targeted list of recommendations for donors i...

The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, signed by President Obama, includes a number of provisions that will have a significant impact on domestic and non-U.S. fund managers and investment advisers.

This white paper describes what CLOs are and how they fit into the broader basket of financial structured products. Keeping in mind that the arena of structured credit has changed much over the past couple of years, this paper refers to a 2006 CLO structure to describe the essentials of CLO structures. Bank loans are briefly described, follow...

Due to new money market regulations and other structural changes in the cash markets, institutional and retail investors are reviewing their short-term investment options and liquidity needs. This paper provides an overview of money market funds, the recent changes in 2a-7 money market regulations, and our view of the impact on money markets.

Intra-family loans can provide a low-risk way to achieve estate planning objectives in a volatile economy, but these loans can result in unexpected taxable income or gift taxes. In addition, some debt attributes can pose valuation challenges. Stout Risius Ross discusses valuation concepts and other important attributes to consider in structuring in...

A paper from The Madison Group says the ability of family members to meet, discuss and make decisions about issues is a critical component of long-term harmony in the family. Discussion begins with the individual members learning the skills to "show up" in a positive way and is carried through in a process that can be trusted and honored.

The budgetary crises of state and local governments have started to receive more attention, leading some to declare that the municipal market may be ground zero for the next financial crisis. Gresham Partners examines the root causes of these concerns and attempts to determine the likelihood that continuing credit pressures will cascade into the ne...