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Gross domestic product per capita, a proxy for living standards, has slowed dramatically over the last 15 years. For equity investors, slower economic growth translates into reduced opportunity for revenue growth and increased risk for transitory shocks and market volatility. The biggest risk to the economy is that political leaders will respond to...

Increasing data availability and shifting investor focus toward ESG integration has led to rapid innovations in the financial industry as demand grows for impact investing. Research suggests that ESG Tilt strategies can earn competitive returns, with particularly favorable results in emerging and European markets. Meanwhile, ESG Momentum strategies...

In recent years, investment professionals have identified a more nuanced category of diversification—specifically, gender diversification within workplace leadership. Data shows that leadership diversity tends to provide the same benefits as asset-class diversification: higher returns and lessened risk. Given this research, investors, particu...

Physical and cognitive changes are a natural part of the aging process, and in the case of Alzheimer’s disease—the sixth-leading cause of death in America—individuals and families face complex emotions and planning issues. Excerpted from a longer panel discussion, this Q&A format article provides insights on Alzheimer’s ...

Lower population growth and productivity growth will weigh on future GDP growth. These lower rates of growth, in turn, bring lower returns to many asset classes, including equities and fixed income. While this circumstance creates challenges for portfolios of any risk level, it is particularly challenging to build a low risk portfolio that generate...

Structuring and strategically managing an investment portfolio is not easy in any environment. Until recently, the task was made easier with expected average returns that were at levels that would normally meet expectations to fund pension benefits, endowment distributions and lifestyle needs. However, today’s environment is drastically diffe...

While hedge fund performance can be cyclical, as it is with equity and fixed income markets, an allocation to hedge funds can provide compelling attributes in an investment portfolio over the long run. At a closer look, hedge funds have been accretive to portfolios over the last 15 years, and in each of three 5 year segments. From a historical pers...

Asset ownership, insurance, irrevocable trust, limited liability entities, and asset protection trusts are key vehicles when it comes to protecting your assets. Having an overview of what is protected under these vehicles—including the costs, administrative considerations, income tax treatment, and the estate and gift treatment—provides...

Lifetime gift planning can include gift to spouse, annual exclusion gift, UTMA accounts, 2503(c) Trust, funded Crummey trust, 529 plans, payment of tuition and medical expenses, gift to irrevocable life insurance trust, and gifts to qualified personal residence trust (QPRT). When it comes to the basic estate and gift planning, it helps to have an a...

Strategic philanthropy is similar to intentional asset allocation in that it requires as much of the giver’s intellect as it does the bank account. A careful and disciplined approach to philanthropic giving combines purpose, practicality, and passion. In planning for charitable giving, families can review their choices with a planning matrix ...

On November 8, 2016, millions of Americans will cast their votes for the next U.S. President. In considering how the new political environment in 2017 will impact the investment landscape, it’s important to keep in mind the words of legendary investor Benjamin Graham: “In the short run the market is a voting machine, but in the long run...

Chief Investment Officer David Donabedian recaps the first half of 2016 and provides an outlook for economic activity and financial markets in the third quarter of the year. The issues that will have the most impact on the financial markets over the next 12 months are:U.S. economic growth mediocre, but outperforming most of the world;federal reserv...

For insights on integrated wealth planning, this issue of The Advisor presents a view from the top with Joe Kahn, The New York Times Managing Editor, the impact of globalization 2.0, and the U.S. presidential election 2016 and the candidates’ tax platforms. Also in this issue are the best practices in providing age-appropriate transparency wh...

Asset protection follows the continuum of life’s events, reflecting the changes that individuals, families, careers, businesses and wealth undergo. Within the wealth spectrum, a simple way of thinking about asset protection strategies is from lower risk and simpler tactics to higher risk and more complex and sophisticated tactics. This approa...

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is in full swing. Non-US financial institutions have completed reporting of US account holders for tax year 2014 and will soon begin compiling for their 2015 FATCA reports. Just as international families and their advisers are getting used to myriad requests for FATCA Form W-8 certification forms, more...