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The topic of wealth transfer to the next generation has been well documented. Accenture estimated that $30 trillion of financial and nonfinancial assets are ready to shift from baby boomers to their children in North America alone. At the same time, there is a large and growing appetite for using wealth to solve social challenges and help those in ...

Travis Roy’s story is well known—in 1995, the rising college hockey star suffered an on-ice injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down after only 11 seconds of his first Boston University game. That tragic accident ended Travis’ hockey career, but it marked the beginning of his decades-long commitment to helping others thro...

The proverb “Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” is pervasive across many cultures. Why is this the case and how can your family be exceptional in your quest to sustain your wealth? Observations from decades of working with families on this challenge provide seven insights on how families fail to sustain their wealth from...

News reports show large-scale data breaches are on the rise and affecting large retailers and even consumer credit organizations. There are numerous categories of cyber crime, but the ones that affect the most victims include identity theft, credit card fraud, and social networking scams. However, there are actions you can take to better protect yo...

For decades, families seeking advice on how to invest their hard-earned capital were forced to endure “beauty contests” where potential advisors attempted to demonstrate their supposedly-unique skills and/or access to information. More often than not, it seemed families would choose an advisor only to inevitably experience disappointmen...

The revolution of the “information age” has created tremendous advantages and helped accelerate innovation, but it has also brought with it new risks—namely cyber attacks. While the corporate attacks get most of the media attention, do not forget that individuals—especially the high net worth—need to be vigilant about cyber security. The good news ...

As has been the case for several years, the actions of central banks dominate the investment landscape. In the years following the financial crisis, extraordinary monetary policies from central banks around the world, including our own Federal Reserve (Fed), have had an outsized impact on most asset classes. And now, as we say farewell to another s...

The United States presidential election season has certainly been emotionally charged and, in many ways, unlike any we’ve seen in recent history. For many, Hillary Clinton represents the continuation of Democratic policies currently in place under the Obama administration. Donald Trump, on the other hand, represents the potential for a shift ...

As an employer, you may receive a notice from a health insurance Exchange that an employee has applied for coverage and is eligible for a premium assistance tax credit. These Exchange notices—and its relationship to the assessment of employer shared responsibility tax penalties under the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”)—have gene...

A significant step in the acquisition process is determining the structure of the deal. The two most common deal structures are: (1) the purchase of the ownership interests of the target (such as a stock deal), and (2) the purchase of substantially all of the target’s assets (or an asset deal). In an asset deal, the implication is that the ta...

Commercial agreements come in a variety of types, but most have certain common provisions that should be carefully reviewed in the context of the underlying transaction covered by the agreement. When entering or reviewing one of these agreements, it is important to address the five key provisions that sometimes go unnoticed or are not given proper ...

Cloud-based applications, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), offer significant benefits. They are highly affordable, require minimal IT involvement, have no hardware requirements, and offer great flexibility. Yet there can be significant risks to a firm if it does not review vendors carefully. Unfortunately, security controls vary signific...

Performance results over the past ten years make a strong case for higher allocations to private investments. Investors concerned with earning a return on their portfolios that will support their spending needs should look closely at the results and investment policies of this group and consider crossing the “15% frontier” in their own ...

Families pursue impact investing for a variety of reasons, including as a way to engage younger family members in the broader philanthropic and investment activities of a family to foster continuity in the stewardship of assets across generations. Before incorporating impact investments into their portfolios, families should define the overall cont...

Now that school is back in session, it’s important for students to take stock of what they know as they embrace a new year of learning. It’s also a good time for investors to assess the events of the summer and make sure they are well-positioned for the future. In Jeff Mortimer’s latest Investment Update he reviews the events of t...