Regardless of our age, personal circumstances or financial standing, we all ultimately want the same thing: a successful retirement. But with the standard retirement age increasing beyond 65 and more people living well into their 80s and 90s, how soon is too soon to start thinking about this important milestone?     The truth is that retirement should be a major concern no...

  The Fed took a gradual step toward policy normalization with the today’s post-meeting press release. Wording of the statement was changed to reflect what Chair Yellen had previously described as an indication that the Fed could find it appropriate to change the target Federal Funds rate at any time. This was widely expected by the market. Somewhat unexpected were comments...

  Atlantic Trust was well-represented at the annual Family Wealth Report (FWR) Awards in New York and we are pleased to announce that the firm has been named the country's "Best Multi-Family Office (National)."     Our firm was one of seven finalists for the award, which recognizes multi-family offices “with a genuinely national reach.” The judges were...

  One of the ironies of the data we used to project 2015 is that, despite what the data tells us, Main Street still believes that we’re in a recession. While the job market is better than it was a year ago and the housing market has rebounded, the jobs environment hasn't provided much in the way of wage increases, and many people have been forced into part-time or contract work. This...

  During his 2015 State of the Union Speech on January 20, President Barack Obama’s proposal to roll back Section 529 college savings plans sparked a wave of backlash from financial firms, educational institutions and politicians on both sides of the aisle. Although the proposal was later withdrawn, the national debate raised some important questions about college savings and the role...

  If I had one word to describe 2014, it would be “eventful.”     Atlantic Trust not only accomplished a smooth and successful transition to CIBC, but we had virtually 100% client and team member retention while continuing to grow the firm in a robust fashion. We also experienced very strong growth in 2014 with an additional $1.5 billion in net flows of assets; this gives us...

  Last night, members of our New York team and I were honored to represent Atlantic Trust at the 2015 Private Asset Management (PAM) Awards, accepting an award in the following category:               Best Multi-Family Office—Overall, New Product (AT Income Opportunities Fund)     The AT Income Opportunities Fund launched July 1,...

There was no change in monetary policy at the January 28 meeting. The FOMC made some marginal changes to their press release when compared to the December 17 statement and repeated an expectation to be patient in normalizing policy. Following is a summary of the statement the Fed released.     Growth               Domestic...

With the memory of last year’s large-scale hacking incidents still fresh in our minds, it’s no secret that security will be an important topic going into 2015. But how did we get to this point, and what are the risks?   Last year, we saw an uptick in the number of high-quality “phishing” emails—messages designed by scammers to trick users into providing sensitive, valuable information—in...

  Atlantic Trust once again had a strong showing at the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. During this year’s conference, our presence—both as a sponsor and in the Exhibit Hall—was more impressive than ever before. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with the many outstanding professionals and friends of the firm who attended.     Heckerling...

What does it mean to be “affluent”? Or a “family of wealth”? Most families might attempt to answer that question with a number, though this isn’t necessarily the best answer.   According to internationally recognized financial advisor Matt Wesley, J.D., M.Div., a number can’t always be sustained, but real family wealth can. Wesley, who was the keynote speaker and lead facilitator last...

Savings is the foundation of wealth building and wealth creation. Without accumulating savings, you can’t make investments (home, business, 401k, real estate, stock and bond portfolio, etc.). If you don’t invest in something, how do you become wealthy? The wealthy, generally speaking, became so by building businesses, buying and selling real estate, and growing stock and bond portfolios. The...

When implemented correctly, a Roth IRA is a powerful retirement savings tool that potentially can provide significant tax-free earnings growth as part of your overall estate plan.   Whether you are creating a new Roth or are preparing to convert an existing traditional IRA, there are various contribution, conversion and transfer options to consider. Likewise, it is important to...

I am pleased to announce that we have hired Ryan Christine Coulson as senior vice president and wealth strategist in our San Francisco office, and Mark Kane as senior vice president and business development officer and Josh Miller as managing director and senior wealth strategist in our Boston office.   The addition of Ryan, Mark and Josh brings 25 combined years of valuable experience...