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For a number of philanthropists, philanthropy is a family affair: a means of passing on key values to the next generation as well as giving back or doing good. How are millennials in family foundations, with the weight of legacy on their shoulders, approaching philanthropy? This fascinating generational shift is explored in more detail in this new ...

Wealth amassed by affluent individuals is being channeled into family foundations, increasingly led by millennials. They sit at the crossroads between the forces driving the millennial generation and the weight of their families’ legacies. They want their financial resources to achieve the greatest possible impact. They question why all their inves...

The Trump administration has released its tax reform outline: the “2017 Tax Reform for Economic Growth and American Jobs.” Although it doesn’t include specific proposals like the border adjustment tax, it does call for a “territorial tax system to level the playing field for American businesses,” as well as significant...

Families of significant wealth often own a diverse mix of assets, including multiple residences, less liquid alternative or private equity investments, and valuable collectibles, all of which requires more sophisticated planning. They also have somewhat different emotions about their wealth that can include, among others, fear that wealth can have ...

While wealthy families prefer to pass nearly two-thirds of their wealth to their children, grandchildren and other heirs, they grapple with a fundamental question: Can their wealth benefit their generation and be passed on to future generations while also having a positive impact on those future generations? Experience shows that sustaining fa...

When the only tie that binds a family together is sharing business ownership, chances are the Family Enterprise will struggle to remain family-owned and intact for successive generations. However, when the family and the Family Enterprise are mutually supportive, the opportunity for sustainability is greatly enhanced. By taking a family-centric app...

If a premarital agreement is a prerequisite to getting married, doing all you can to ensure that your agreement will be upheld against a future challenge should be your guiding priority. Accordingly, there are some helpful tips—the do’s and don’ts—to consider with respect to a premarital agreement. When thoughtfully negotiat...

In light of the high conflict nature of many divorces, and the cost and time associated with divorce litigation, many couples attempt to pre-plan for the possibility of a later divorce by executing a pre-marital agreement. The past, present and future of pre-nups and post-nups highlight a process that attempts to minimize a couple's stress duri...

A much anticipated and, perhaps, over-hyped news conference rolling out the Trump Administration’s tax reform plan generated very little “new news.” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Director Gary Cohn presented an outline of a plan that is very similar to the talking points the President promoted on the camp...

As data continues to accumulate that reinforces the growing consensus of the superiority of passive indexing strategies over active management, the defenders of the old guard are fighting back. They are cutting fees, shuttering underperforming strategies, and merging businesses in order to reduce costs. The pressure is severe: according to Mornings...

The stock market abounds with colorful sayings that reflect the collective wisdom of decades of investment experience. For professional investors, these time-worn adages are reminders of sometimes-painful past market episodes and the unending challenge of getting the future right. But at the end of the day, can these slogans actually be useful in m...

Nearly all investment professionals rely upon portfolio optimization techniques grounded in Modern Portfolio Theory to structure investment portfolios for individual investors. Using statistical techniques and computer-assisted modeling, investment advisers are able to combine different types of assets such as stocks, bonds, cash, real estate, and ...

Ask a wealth management colleague to define “the cloud” and you are likely to get a vague response. Even among information technology experts, the term “cloud” may refer to different technologies that are only connected in a general sense. And despite the fact that cloud computing has quickly become the IT norm, the question...

The start of 2017 was a stark but welcomed contrast to the prior year. In January 2016, U.S. markets experienced one of their worst starts in history―hampered by concerns of slowing global growth, bottoming oil prices, and an impending election season. This January, these worries seemed far from investors’ minds. Domestic and international ma...