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The July, 2014 Global Economic Update from Asset Consulting Group includes the following:Year-to-date asset class returns for global equities, global fixed income and global real assetsA US and non-US economic overview and forecastReview of current issues and questions that clients are askingReview of current investment opportunities and investment...

Significant noise has surrounded the dissolution of California Redevelopment Agencies for the past three years. Numerous headlines trumpeted debt service disruptions, lawsuits, cleanup legislation and potential hiccups related to the flow of funds for California Redevelopment debt.Over time, it has become clearer that the potential for credit impro...

The confluence of favorable market dynamics, including high corporate cash balances, low interest rates and cooperative capital markets, has created an environment in which corporate management teams and boards of directors can take action to increase value for equity owners.Engagement by shareholders, both private and public, is on the rise and ha...

When approaching estate planning and, more specifically, setting up a long-term, irrevocable trust, many high net worth families both think and act locally. They provide -- often with minimal analysis or advice – for a trust that is governed by the laws of their home state and subject to taxation there, without considering alternatives that m...

Family business owners begin their adventures balancing two priorities: keeping the business as an integral part of an ever-expanding family and creating a profitable, sustainable organization. In the end, family is the guiding force behind the company’s success; maximizing value for the next generation is sometimes more important than maximi...

The Worldwide Family Business Tax Guide brings together detailed information on family businesses from 41 countries worldwide. The Guide is a detailed source of information for practitioners, family business owners, tax advisors, tax legislators and tax academics. In trying to distil leading practices and help promote sound tax policy for family bu...

The US Supreme Court, in a unanimous opinion issued June 19, 2014, implemented a new standard for courts to employ in determining if a taxpayer may challenge whether the Internal Revenue Service has issued a summons in good faith. In light of the Service’s new procedures for administering Information Document Requests, including the potential...

Despite extraordinary measures by global central banks to re-inflate economies, inflation has remained tame. The reasons for subdued inflation have been deleveraging, excess capacity and high unemployment levels.The author believes that:These factors are unlikely to provide the same anti-inflationary pressures going forward and the Federal Reserve ...

The process of developing long-term strategies to manage family wealth requires careful thought and well-coordinated tactics focused on achieving far-reaching wealth planning objectives.All too often, plans are established that are focused primarily on minimizing the tax burden. Individuals and families need to be careful that the tax “tail&r...

For family members working in the business, the area of compensation overlaps with contentious considerations of fairness, equality, performance-management and long term engagement. This artcle itemises how families have approached this issue, and advocates some pathways to avoid disharmony.

It is not uncommon for wealth transfer planning to focus solely on the amount of money to be transferred and potential strategies for minimizing taxes. However, one of the most lasting gifts that a grantor can provide family members is an understanding of their long-term goals for the family and how this is shaped by shared history and values.This ...

As couples enter into matrimony, they confront challenging questions and must make difficult decisions often associated with complex, emotionally charged issues.

Throughout our history, investors have utilized a combination of both “active” and “passive” investment solutions to solve for client needs. This paper provides a perspective on the ongoing debate over the advantages and shortcomings of these vehicles and details the importance for each client to have the right mix in order to position them to achi...

Periods of economic boom and bust have been a fixture in academia. Many credit Arthur Burns and Wesley Mitchell for formulizing our present day construct of the business cycle in their 1946 book, Measuring Business Cycles. In most teachings, the economy is neatly categorized into trough and peak, expansion and contraction. The dates of such periods...

The phenomenal success of Yale's endowment has been an inspiration to many investors. However, if Yale’s endowment had to pay the same taxes as individual investors, its portfolio would be constructed very differently. This paper presents a simple model for incorporating tax considerations into a pretax asset allo...