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Private foundations face risk scenarios such as breach of contract, fiduciary liability, mismanagement of assets, wrongful acts of trustees, employment practices liability, and even possible kidnapping or extortion of trustees. To protect themselves and the foundation, directors and trustees should insist on appropriate insurance coverage.

Any business in an area hit by hurricanes or high winds should have a hurricane emergency response plan and a business continuity plan but also place the safety of employees and their families first. Everyone should have a personal evacuation plan and a disaster supplies kit, and know what to do when a hurricane watch or warning is issued.

Identifying potential hazards and doing advance planning can reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life from an earthquake. For example, repairing deep plaster cracks in ceilings and foundations, anchoring overhead lighting fixtures to the ceiling, and following local seismic building standards can help reduce the impact of these disaster...

Many commercial real estate markets experienced a debt-financed investment boom, similar to housing, before the economic crisis. That trend is about to boomerang as numerous portfolios are up for refinancing. Sizeable refinancing risks loom, particularly in markets with sharp price corrections from 2005-2007, a poor economic outlook, or both.

Trading policies implemented after the flash crash of May 2010 have reduced the level of individual stock dislocations but have not eliminated market volatility, which has persisted and even increased. Investors should seek protection from economic and market risks but without blindly forfeiting long-term returns.

A sustained level of volatility may actually benefit long-term commodity investors. Tightening supply/demand conditions may lead to potentially higher long-term returns and investors can capitalize on the shape of the futures curve by taking advantage of short-term supply stocks to generate alpha.

Investors strive to act prudently and to generate good risk-adjusted returns. But what happens when these two objectives are in conflict? The author discusses the conditions under which these goals may be incompatible and offers suggestions for minimizing the opportunity costs that arise when prudence gets in the way of returns.

The Internal Revenue Service records more than 1 million tax-related cases of identity theft every year, and resolving these cases can be time-consuming. This newsletter identifies typical incidents and explains how to resolve them. It also discusses how intra-family loans can help to transfer wealth.

Politics still seem to trump economics in the United States and Europe, although a renewed U.S. downturn seems avoidable and Greece is likely to move ahead with an orderly default. Now may be the time to consider a modest increase in equity risk positions, particularly for information technology and financials.

Investment in collectible assets is growing worldwide as wealthy individuals in emerging markets such as China, India, and Latin America join the ranks of collectors. While most collectors invest primarily for their own pleasure, collectibles can be a good investment, too. If you collect items that you’re passionate about—whether they a...

Entrepreneurs are risk takers by nature, leveraging their insight, hard work, and capital to create successful companies. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs who become business owners don’t think about specific kinds of risk until they’ve experienced a threat first hand. Yet planning ahead is critical to mitigate many different kinds of ...

Recognize that a cyber attack will occur at some point during a business lifecycle. Whether it is through web attacks, email phishing, exploit kits, point of sale, keystroke logging, or ransomware, the bad actors have figured out how to defeat your latest defense against a cyber attack. They know what will make you click on the link that will give ...

Looking back over the first half of 2016, the FTSE 100 index increased by 6.7 percent when dividend payments are taken into account. However, this positive performance disguises the substantial equity market volatility seen in February, and again following the Brexit decision in June. The moves in the headline index are again misleading and market ...

After months of fierce debate and a policymaking hiatus, the United Kingdom (UK) electorate has voted in favour of leaving the European Union (EU). While the broad direction is set, companies will still face considerable uncertainty until the UK’s exit strategy is defined and trade negotiations (including the trans-border movement of people) ...

In a referendum held on June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom (UK) voted to leave the European Union (EU). For risk professionals, many of the key issues that affect them will be decided during the negotiations over the coming years that will determine the UK’s new relationship with the EU. However, firms need to begin assessing which areas of th...