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In the healthcare industry, a multitude of factors have driven a transition from a fee-for-service model toward a fee-for-value approach, which emphasizes the quality and outcome of care delivered. This emerging trend could present interesting investment opportunities that is also in alignment with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development ...

In an illustrative, legal analysis on the ownership treatment of bitcoin under the U.S. State property law, the focus turns to California law for guidance on whether bitcoin ownership should be recognized as a property right. Although there are possible challenges to treating bitcoin as property, they do not undercut the legitimacy of such rights o...

Fund groups face disruptive developments, as advances in financial technology, often called fintech, continue at an ever more rapid pace. Even as new efficiencies and opportunities blossom, regulators have pushed financial firms to recognize the dangers of technological failures. To prepare for the changes ushered in by fintech, it is important for...

The Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s unexpected 2016 election victory have kicked off a wave of pro-nationalist sentiment across the globe. With several key Eurozone countries facing elections in 2017, leading economists and investors envision a possible reshuffling (and even a potential demise) of the European Union. Volatility typically accom...

The economy is relatively healthy, but history has taught us that growth cycles don’t last forever. It’s not if there will be an economic downturn—it’s when. Knowing that there’s a cyclical pattern to many markets, savvy owners and executives figure out how to take advantage of business cycles to create a continuing gr...

No matter how many times an entrepreneur has started a business, challenges abound. The marketplace is fickle in picking winners and losers, and any ego boost from other successes must be checked at the door of the new venture. But the challenges doesn’t stop many entrepreneurs from taking on multiple startup experiences. That’s increas...

The first quarter may be an accurate forecast of the performance of risk assets for the entire year, which is likely to be one of a flat average and a wide range of individual monthly returns. After the initial five-week decline in risk asset prices, global stocks reversed their initial losses, high-yield bonds spreads tightened, and the CRB Commod...

The idea that people generally prefer consuming goods and services today rather than at some point in the distant future is a basic tenet of economic theory. Based on this, savers usually require positive real interest rates to forsake current consumption and hand over their money. Of course, borrowers can only pay positive rates if their investmen...

Teaching children about personal finance, owning foreign assets, assessing the impact of tax extenders, and staying current on the Net Investment Income Tax are topics that many high net worth individuals must address in an on-going basis. Understanding the often highly complex issues and ever changing rules are challenging for even the most dilige...

Our January 2016 commentary suggested “…we are in a transition period between central bank-induced liquidity and eventual normalization of markets. This transition period has been and will continue to be a bit choppy…”“Choppy” was indeed an accurate description of financial markets in the First Quarter of 2016. The first half of the quarter saw a s...

Brought on by concerns about the strength of the global economy and extreme investor pessimism, the volatile start to 2016 drove many equity markets near or into bear market territory. A subsequent rally began mid-February from severely oversold conditions as it became clear that the U.S. was not headed for a recession. As is common during volatile...

Most market updates are preoccupied with shorter-term phenomena and near-term concerns. However, today’s realities are best assessed through a longer-term lens—one based on the goal of generating attractive, or at least sufficient, compounded returns over decades rather than months, quarters, or even years. Great investment opportunitie...

Amidst headwinds such as economic weakness in China and emerging markets, financial and stock market volatility, falling oil prices and a stronger dollar, the U.S. economy weakened to end 2015. Despite these impediments to growth, several economic indicators were encouraging. During the 4th Quarter 2015, leading indices showed that consumer confide...

Impact investing uses investment capital to solve social or environmental problems. Such investments often promote renewable energy, food, water, health, and economic development. While once of interest to a relative few, impact investing has gone mainstream and, according to US SIF, now accounts for more than one out of every six dollars under pro...

The spillover of recent market volatility from China into the rest of the world reflects poor communication by Chinese authorities and a lack of transparency of their ultimate goals. The backdrop of global volatility is also reflective of rising fears of geopolitical risks, especially a Middle Eastern conflict. Economic growth indicators have also ...