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The close of each economic cycle and the start of the next carry a unique set of circumstances and challenges. From the vantage point of the depths of the decline, the conditions needed to produce a new expansion can appear daunting. Yet, a signal feature of the U.S. economy, one that has persisted since World War II, has been its ability to shake ...

While entrepreneurs are intently focused on building their businesses, they may have less time to spend on building, sustaining, and distributing their wealth. Given the importance of early wealth planning and its long-term impact, this guidebook provides insights and tools at each stage of the entrepreneur’s journey to help them move forward ...

Families of wealth often want to help their relatives financially but are justifiably concerned about what those individuals will do with the money and how having access to significant sums might affect their values and behavior. While making family trust distributions is a way to provide discretionary income, it’s a framework that gives the truste...

The U.S. economy’s coming decade will be shaped by a tug-of-war between artificial intelligence (AI) and demographics-driven deficits. The victor—and its margin of victory—will determine whether economic growth exceeds its disappointing pace since the global financial crisis of 2007-2009. By focusing on four key variables and assigning probabilitie...

Entrepreneurs and business owners often put off wealth planning because they’re so busy with their businesses. Yet, wealth planning is a crucial part of protecting everything they’ve worked so hard for. That’s because their personal and business finances can be interconnected, but they aren’t always at the same stage of growth. This guide by BMO ou...

The 2024 U.S. Presidential election is set as a rematch between current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Each candidate’s fiscal priorities have already been on display in their first terms and give insight into second-term agendas. This brief outlook by Asset Consulting Group compares their track records and the market impact...

Looking at the economic outlook for the U.S. and across the rest of the globe, Doug McHoney and Alexis Crow at PwC discuss the recession outlook and economic activity of some significant economies, the impact of inflation, central bank policy, including interest rates, commercial real estate and financial stability, currencies and the future of the...

Since 1986, Byron R. Wein gave his views on a number of economic, financial, and political surprises for the coming year. By “surprise,” Byron defined it as an event that the average investor would only assign a one out of three chances of taking place but which he believed had a better than 50% likelihood of happening. Paying homage to Byron’s ann...

Retirement is supposed to be “our time”—when we’re no longer spending the better parts of our days building a career or raising kings (or both). But for a lot of women, that’s not how retirement plays out. Research reveals that women aren’t as confident about enjoying retirement as men. Part of that answer lies in financial education. With this ...

The uneven historic GDP growth, deflation, and low corporate productivity have made Japan a tough market for investors. But given the strong performance in 2023, the Japanese market is changing. Starting with Abenomics more than a decade ago and the more recent initiatives by Japanese stock exchanges, the tangible changes in Japan are attracting in...

The 2018 U.S. Trust Insights on Wealth and Worth® study asked nearly one thousand high-net-worth individuals about their approach to building wealth and the extent to which they are using it to achieve their goals and support the causes they care about most. The study found that while wealth provides the freedom to do more, it also brings increased...

Managing family wealth over the long-term requires careful thought and a well-structured estate plan. Before making specific decisions about what’s best for your wealth, it’s wise to spend time considering what it is you really want to see happen with it. There are steps you can take—including considering trust options—to help create a legacy plan ...

Estate planning is often part of a divorce settlement, and negotiation of these terms can be as integral to the divorce settlement as allocation of parental responsibilities, support issues, or division of marital estate. For example, even a relatively simple Marital Settlement Agreement may generally contain waivers of an ex-spouse’s right to make...

A large and growing cohort of next generation (next gen) investors in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) are preparing to take on the responsibility of managing their family’s wealth and take on an active role in maintaining sustainable generational success. While there is no standardized playbook for establishing family sustainability, next gen investors and...

Taking retirement account distributions prior to age 59-1/2 is often seen as an off-limits option for many account owners. However, using the IRC §72(t) payment exception can be a helpful tool in managing cash flow in early retirement years.