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In May 2014, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), changing the way revenue is recognized. As of January 25, 2017, the FASB has issued ASUs to revise and clarify the guidance on the original Topic 606. In accordance with the core principle of Topic 606, there are five key steps to ...

Since the issuance of the original ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, there has been several changes to that guidance, and additional limited changes are in process. The degree to which a particular entity’s revenue will be affected depends on its own facts and circumstances. The new guidance will require the entities in the ...

Owner-managed and family-owned businesses are often faced with the quandary of how to effectively motivate their teams to build and maintain value for the enterprise. Incentivizing employees for the long haul can be confusing territory, and owners should know that options are available in the gray area between cash bonuses and equity ownership...

When Desa Van Laarhoven and Geoff Kinder founded Round the Bend Farm: A Center for Restorative Community in Dartmouth, they were moving on a mission that went beyond running the farm. The goal? To create a truly sustainable property that is self-contained, serves the regional population, and educates the population on the future of farming through ...

On January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as America’s 45th president. Wasting no time, President Trump has already signed some executive orders, one of which freezes federal regulations pending further review (what this means for various tax regulations, including the proposed valuation discount that the IRS issued in August 2016, is...

After a year of major political shocks, it remains important to take a long-term view of global economic prospects that looks beyond the short-term ups and downs of the economic and political cycle. In taking the long view perspective, the approach is based on a rigorous modelling method that focuses on the fundamental drivers of growth: demographi...

The pattern of growth in the world is shifting, and every CEO knows that the forces propelling globalized, technology-driven business are accelerating. At the same time there is resistance to deeper global economic integration building, and concerns over global policy risks like protectionism are rising. How to plot a course for growth in this envi...

While U.S. business leaders are keeping an eye on the global economy, they also have another perspective. They see a Main Street unbowed by world economics. They may not see it as business as usual, but they very much still see it as business. As U.S. CEOs move forward, what’s on their to-do lists in 2017? For starters: Creating a future-read...

At the beginning of 2016 many growth markets were experiencing a drop in economic performance and weaker growth predictions, which led to several commentators and investors questioning the future role of these markets as leaders of global growth. In their view, the growth markets’ era was over. However, growth is now projected to return to ce...

The combination of improving economic data, stronger corporate earnings, and, particularly, potential policies from the Trump administration has created a heady brew for domestic equity markets. Even stocks abroad are posting robust returns. While President Trump’s plans for infrastructure spending, tax cuts, deregulation, and generally growt...

We are all inspired by successful entrepreneurs, whether they be technological innovators, social problem solvers like Blake Mycoskie, or even entertainers like YoYo Ma, who redefined the world’s perception of a classical musician. Entrepreneurs are celebrated for universally admired qualities: ingenuity, passion, resilience, and grit. Entrep...

Although markets got off to a calmer start in 2017 than it did in 2016, this year may still be one of the most difficult years for long-term investors in recent memory. There is little basis on which to anticipate the policy actions of the new administration and there is substantial potential for large scale change. There will be opportunities to m...

For many families of wealth, creating a long-lasting legacy is a fundamental goal, one that shapes both personal and financial decisions. And many of these families want that legacy to reach beyond the boundaries of family, making a positive impact on their communities and the world. For the Anderson family, they made a purposeful decision to appro...

Enterprising families are showing an increased interest in participating in direct investments around the globe. Some families have turned to private equity out of frustration with the volatility in the public markets and the unexpected correlations between asset classes that occurred during the 2008-2010 timeframe. The factors that impact their pr...

U.S. equity markets surged following the election of Donald J. Trump as the forty-fifth President of the United States, with the S&P 500 rising 5 percent in the last seven weeks of the year. The Russell 2000 index of small cap stocks added more than 13 percent during the same period. Meanwhile, interest rates rose suddenly and dramatically post...