As Q2 2025 approaches, family offices face a complex economic landscape shaped by persistent inflation, rising regulatory scrutiny, digital threats, and geopolitical unrest. While the pace of change continues to accelerate, success lies in preparation, agility, and the ability to harness specialist insight. This outlook provides a high-level review of the key forces likely to define the next quarter and outlines actionable strategies for family offices to navigate uncertainty while capitalizing on emerging opportunities. Key Indicators to Watch Inflation and Interest Rates Though inflation is stabilizing but inflation and interest rates continues to be a global concern. Central banks worldwide…

In the second busiest period of earnings releases, 119 S&P 500 companies reported earnings last week. 73% of S&P 500 firms reported better-than-expected earnings for the quarter. With 184 S&P 500 companies scheduled to report this week, it is the busiest week of the reporting season. In addition to earnings, the economic calendar is packed with impactful data, like first-quarter US GDP and the monthly jobs report. Earnings At A Glance The communications services sector contributed most positively to last week’s earnings growth improvement. According to FactSet data, Alphabet (GOOGL) was the most significant contributor to the increase in earnings…

When he wrote The Intelligent Investor and Security Analysis, Benjamin Graham provided details on his methods for selecting stocks. His student at Columbia’s business school, Warren Buffett, created Berkshire Hathaway and applied what he’d learned from Professor Graham. A lot has changed since Graham and Buffett’s best days, but the basics still apply. If an investor can purchase a stock at a price below its book value, that’s basically good. Other factors enter into it, of course: is the company making money? Does it reward shareholders with dividends? Here are four stocks that may fit these classic value stock guidelines.…

Structured Notes and Buffer funds are sleep-well-at-night products designed to protect investors from market drops. Brokers and nervous investors love them, despite their complexity and fees. Talk to any financial advisor these days, and he or she is likely to have a strong opinion about something known as “structured notes.” These complex products are sold as the “have your cake and eat it” investments of the wealth management world. Their specialty is flexibility –some are geared toward growth and others toward income. Returns are generally capped and in all cases the goal is to limit downside risk. They are manufactured…

he Service Gap: What’s Missing? While individuals may enjoy access to a broad range of financial, legal, and estate planning services, those services often fail to address the unique complexities of collecting. A fine art collector may work with a wealth manager who lacks familiarity with the nuances of valuation and provenance. Their estate attorney may not understand how to plan for the succession of a fractionalized, internationally sourced collection. Their insurance advisor may fail to cover certain categories of collectible risk.This disconnect is more than a nuisance—it creates costly problems. Improper valuation can lead to IRS audits or underinsured…

A well-crafted financial plan starts with clearly defined goals. Whether it’s saving for retirement, paying off debt, or buying a dream home, goal setting provides direction and serves as a benchmark for progress. However, financial goals often evolve over time, and understanding their two distinct types can help individuals stay motivated and prepared for the future. Type 1: The Starting Goal The first type of financial goal is the one set at the beginning of a financial journey. These goals are often deeply ingrained—perhaps a lifelong dream of owning a vacation home, retiring early, or reaching a specific net worth.…

Virologist Michael Taylor does volunteer work helping cancer patients. His task: picking medical stocks. “I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good,” Adam Smith said. Maybe he’d have made an exception for the Simplify Health Care exchange-traded fund. All of its 0.5% fee revenue, after overhead, is donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The fund’s portfolio manager, Michael F. Taylor, takes no salary. Private businesses that give away all profits and also succeed as businesses are scarce; the Newman’s Own food branding operation, which has donated $600 million…

Intergenerational family business conflicts can pose significant challenges, as evident in the recent high-profile dispute within the Kwek family at City Developments Limited (CDL). This case provides valuable lessons for governance in ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) family enterprises. By utilizing Systems Dynamics, a methodology for understanding complex systems, we can better analyze the underlying causes of such conflicts and propose strategic solutions. The Kwek Family Legacy The Kwek family exemplifies a successful Asian business dynasty. Founded in 1941 by Kwek Hong Png, Hong Leong Company evolved from a modest trading firm into a major conglomerate with interests in banking, hospitality, real estate,…

The latest Taylor Sheridan TV series, Landman, has created a lot of buzz about the oil patch. What most Americans don’t realize is that this show would not exist except for one incredible fact – The U.S. is one of a few countries in the world where private citizens can own mineral rights (“minerals”). In most countries, citizens are allowed to own the surface of the land, but the state government or crown exclusively owns the minerals below the surface. Citizen-owned mineral rights have led to an entire sub-surface industry unique to the U.S. With industry comes investment, and accordingly,…

There are numerous myths, rules of thumb, traditions and other shortcuts surrounding retirement planning. Fallacies and poor assumptions are behind many of them. Using the shortcuts can reduce your financial security in retirement and make it harder for most people to have successful retirements. Yet, these traditions are widely-accepted and widely-used. Two widespread myths concern when people retire and how much of their employment income they need to replace in retirement. Actual experience differs from the traditional beliefs and many people’s expectations, as demonstrated in the recent “Guide to Retirement” from J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Most pre-retired people think they’ll…