Myths aren’t just the stuff of legends. They’re everywhere—even in the financial world. Myths can be damaging, but also instructive, especially when we examine the counter-story. Each quarter in The Advisor, we will address some of the common myths that surround a particular wealth management or investment topic. This quarter, our focus is on estate planning, health care proxies and...

Although we typically associate the term “estate” with the ultra-wealthy, estate planning is not just for the rich. Everyone, regardless of family dynamics or financial status, can benefit from having an estate plan—a collection of documents that specify how you want your assets distributed. Nevertheless, most people have neglected to put such plans in place. According to a recent survey...

While a spike in volatility can be unnerving, it is a normal part of the market cycle. There are myriad theories on why the strong upswing in the third quarter has abruptly reversed course in October. We would cite two as the most dominant.

Americans tend to be very charitable. Historically, charitable giving as a percentage of GDP has consistently hovered around 2%. In 2017, this amounted to more than $400 billion, according to Giving USA. Yet, most of us don’t really understand the impact that our donations have on the causes we choose to support. After the check is written, where does the money go? Strategic philanthropy is a...

In today’s world, women are corporate executives, entrepreneurs, independent investors and leaders in their communities. They control over half of the world’s wealth, and their share is rapidly rising. One in four married women is the breadwinner, and they are increasingly becoming the key decision-makers when it comes to personal and family finances.  Yet, on...

The wild ride continued last month as the market declined over 3.0% early on, only to stage a strong recovery in the back half of the month.

Succession planning can be one of the most challenging aspects of owning and operating a family business. And while many family business owners may dream of passing ownership of the business onto future generations, keeping the business within the family isn’t always a viable option. When a clear successor within the family doesn’t exist, family business owners are faced with the difficult...

Keeping a family business within the same family from generation to generation is not always a possibility. Nevertheless, many family business owners want to ensure that the firm and culture they have worked hard to build is preserved well into the future. An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is a way to keep control of a family-owned business within a different type of family—employees who...

The Federal Reserve raised the target range for short-term rates to 2.00% - 2.25%, as expected. Today’s information revealed neither a sign that the Fed was preparing to pause nor accelerate the process of rate normalization.

Emerging markets have become volatile in recent months due to the conflict over global trade, especially as it becomes a showdown between the U.S. and China. Both rhetoric and action on this front have been and may continue to be highly unpredictable.

Mid-cap stocks are often referred to as the market’s sweet spot—they are typically less volatile than small-cap stocks but offer more growth potential than large caps. This combination has resulted in favorable risk-adjusted returns over time, which investors tend to seek. Yet, historically, mid-cap stocks have been largely overlooked.  In the early 1990s, two investment teams began to...

Family-owned businesses are the backbone of the American economy. However, despite the job security and family legacy potential many of these businesses represent for the families that own them, the importance of careful succession planning is often overlooked. Indeed, only about 30% of family businesses survive into the second generation, according to the Family Business Institute.  ...

One of the many challenges high net worth families face during the estate and legacy planning process is knowing when and how to educate and prepare their children for the wealth they are set to inherit. While today’s rising generations—millennials in particular—may have a solid grasp of financial management concepts, wealth literacy is very different than financial literacy. Helping younger...

If you are self-employed, you know that owning your own business takes a large investment of time, money, and hard work. You dedicate all your resources to building a successful company, but success is often a double-edged sword. The more money you earn, the more taxes you owe as a portion of your overall income. And, your progress towards retirement may stagnate as your focus shifts to more...

Legacy planning is an opportunity for families to define their values while creating long-term objectives to their wealth. While preserving wealth and developing an effective approach to pass it from generation to generation is often a challenge, sometimes the most difficult aspect of legacy planning is knowing when and how to integrate younger generations and trusted advisors. When it comes to...