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Time is our most precious, finite, and versatile resource. Family office industry stakeholders are reevaluating their relationship with time—making meaningful behavioral changes to maximize their “return on invested time.” Powerful and practical tools—some borrowed from the field of investment management—can help maximize return on this scarce and ...

Owners who are looking to transition their businesses face the question of whether it is better to sell now or wait until later, particularly in light of the current tax situation. In making this consideration, they should consider the pros and cons of various options: status quo, management buyout, ESOP, sale to a financial buyer, or sale to a str...

Research shows that we are not good at predicting what makes us happy as individuals and that having considerable wealth does not make us happier. However, having control over our lives does. A financial plan that starts by discovering the key goals and issues that motivate an individual can lead to greater personal happiness.

Given the uncertainty about how long low interest rates will last, now may be a good time to review personal debt as part of overall finances and identify potential refinancing opportunities. In evaluating your borrowing strategy, consider your asset/liability mix, the cost and tax implications of borrowing, and your capacity for debt.

Recently the IRS released proposed regulations under Chapter 14 of the Internal Revenue Code that would severely limit—if not eliminate—the application of valuation discounts, including lack of marketability and minority discounts, to interests in closely held family entities for gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax purpos...

For years, owners of family-controlled companies have taken advantage of applicable valuation discounts to advance their objectives in transferring wealth and company ownership to future generations in a tax efficient manner. On August 2, the Treasury Department issued proposed regulations under Internal Revenue Code Section 2704 to curb the use of...

Avoiding the issue of succession planning is much easier than starting a conversation about handing over the reins to other family members. But avoidance does not defer the inevitable, and it puts family harmony and wealth at risk. As patriarchs and matriarchs of wealth families confront the issue of succession planning, there are seven questions f...

At the start of a family enterprise journey, there is often a patriarch (or matriarch) who was both an entrepreneur and a leader who overcame uncertainty or adversity to create something very special with the potential to last for many generations. For the families seeking to sustain their legacies, there will come a time for the patriarchs to move...

The planning landscape is likely to change even more as families seek to provide a sustainable pool of wealth not only for succeeding generations but also for the current generation. Nease, Lagana, Eden & Culley Inc. highlights the most significant of these changes and some of the advantages they present for planners and clients who are prepared to...

Analysis by Spring Mountain Capital shows that increased spending will profoundly jeopardize the long-term health of endowments. This paper proposes a framework for analyzing spending decisions that can be of use to endowments and other types of investors who need to balance long-term growth objectives with short-term spending needs.

Experiencing an investment loss is bad enough, but that situation is even worse when those losses cannot be used to reduce tax liability. Rothstein Kass explores the recent Garnett decision by the U.S. Tax Court, which broadened the rules used to determine whether participation in a business activity can be considered passive activity. This designa...

The unified managed household, the most recent extension of overlay portfolio management, extends overlay management services to households with multiple accounts, multiple individuals and multiple custodians. This paper from Natixis explains the evolution of overlay management and describes the benefits of the unified managed household, particular...

Britain's new reduction of capital procedure provides a flexible and inexpensive way for family-owned businesses to restructure or return value to shareholders. This report from Withers provides practical examples of how the procedure can be used in paying dividends, demergers, share buy-backs as well as paying up unpaid amounts on shares and disso...

Why, when and how legal and financial advisors counsel their clients around their charitable giving options has important implications for the donor, for the gift planner, for charitable organizations and for society. The author makes a series of recommendations on how the advisor-client relationship can best be structured in the interests of both.

The article argues that special needs planning on behalf of a disabled child means assembling a team of professionals with complementary competences: estate planning attorney, a financial advisor, and an accountant, as well as the parents, siblings, social workers/case manager and, if feasible, the child in question. Personal, financial, and legal ...