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According to the 2018 Global Risks Report, cybercrime is the top risk for business leaders in advanced economies, as well as the risk most likely to intensify. In fact, with the rising frequency of data breaches, cyber risk is now a common exposure for individuals, families, family offices, and their related enterprises. To help you assess your cyb...

One of the familiar adages to describe the price action in the stock market is “it takes the stairs up and the elevator down.” The dramatic decline in stock prices since mid-September 2018 certainly fits this pattern. Investment sentiment has turned decidedly negative: the American Association of Individual Investors’ latest readi...

The stock market’s dramatic recovery so far in 2019, after a dismal fourth quarter of 2018, has left many casual market observers wondering “What changed”? U.S. economic data continues to reflect a modest slowdown, Europe struggles with anemic growth and Brexit uncertainty, and China grapples with a slowing growth rate and enormou...

The headlines were hard to miss: wealthy parents and coaches indicted on federal charges in a college admissions bribery scheme. Over 50 people, parents and higher education professionals, were charged with “racketeering conspiracy”—cheating to get kids into elite universities. The case is a cautionary tale reminding us that there...

As an investor with assets primarily in the United States, you are probably weary of following the trials and tribulations of the Brexit drama in the United Kingdom. Since the British electorate voted back in June 2016 to withdraw from the European Union, negotiators for both sides have worked feverishly to address the will of the people without un...

Studies have shown that investors who engage in market timing must achieve a minimum of 70% accuracy in predicting market moves. Even the best “market gurus” who engage in market timing fell far below that level. So what does work for investors who want to avoid losing money during an equity market downturn?

Hedge funds have disappointed investors for almost a decade; even before accounting for fees and taxes, results have trailed a traditional 60 equity/40 bond balanced portfolio over the 10-year period ending in December 2018. A number of large institutions announced their intentions to move away from hedge funds, fed up with subpar results and high ...

Professional investors have long touted the benefits of investing globally in order to expand the opportunity set and diversify the portfolio beyond home country borders. However, investors have largely overlooked a more attractive subset of international equities: small capitalization stocks. Their returns have significantly outpaced large cap int...

The Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives, and the Republicans added to their majority in the Senate. The prospect of a divided Congress, especially in the current hyper-partisan era, is likely to mean very little new legislation enacted in the next two years. Legislative gridlock is generally considered a positive for markets,...

Despite ongoing discussions meant to defuse tensions and a 90-day “truce” between U.S. and China, the trade tariff issue has not gone away. Well-entrenched globalization trends are unlikely to be reversed, but protectionism could weigh on growth. Other global and non-U.S. economic overview includes share declines in oil and other commod...

There is not a lot of data to call upon to glean the performance of direct private investments; however, based on a large, robust study focused on institutional investors, family offices should know that the performance of this type of investing has been mixed at best. In this paper, the second in a three-part series, we examine the peformance of d...

After years of favorable treatment, will insurance carriers finally shift their appetite for this industry? We’ve been fortunate to have a large volume of carriers interested in obtaining asset management business in the past three years. This increased capacity has driven carriers to create enhanced terms and conditions as well as offer more...

While cyber liability losses and privacy claims continue to rise, a new exposure has arisen. Hackers have determined that due to the increased sophistication in computer security, it may be easier to manipulate an individual rather than a machine. With enough policies and procedures in place, Social Engineering Fraud (SEF) is preventable. However, ...

There is a lot to like in the Consumer Discretionary sector, particularly for investors in search of companies with significant growth opportunities and sustainable competitive advantages. With millennials currently representing over a quarter of the U.S. population, their tendencies will have a growing influence on equity markets and play an incre...

Private markets investments remain poised to play an increasingly important role in the portfolios of individual and family investors seeking the compelling long-term outperformance and diversification characteristics of the asset class. Understanding the basics of private markets investments and their construction is the first step toward the succ...