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The Next 10 years: Muted Return Expectations
According to a recent article in the Financial Times, the traditional 60% stock, 40% bond portfolio appears to be obsolete due to the probable underperformance of both of its components for years to come. The forward-looking capital market assumptions from many of the world’s leading asset managers and investment consultants imply tepid returns for stocks and bonds for the coming 10 years.
A properly drafted comprehensive estate plan is an important financial tool that can do many things. First and foremost, it provides a framework for the distribution of your estate (i.e., who gets what, when, and under what conditions, if any).
Drivers behind today's seller's market
It is no secret that the merger & acquisition (“M&A”) market has been vibrant and showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. There are a plethora of statistics and charts that can be produced to demonstrate the health of the M&A market, but an exhaustive quantitative review of transaction activity will be for another day. That said, let’s at least set the table with a couple instructive reference points for context.
Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) - A Way to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!
What is a SLAT?
A SLAT is an estate planning tool available to a married couple that allows a spouse the ability to remove assets from their combined estates by making a sizeable irrevocable gift to a trust today for the benefit of the other spouse, children, and/or future generations. If properly structured, the gift will not be subject to estate tax in either spouse's estate (using the donor spouse's Unified Credit) but will still allow the couple to maintain access (limited) to both income and principal during the lifetime of the donee spouse.
Wealth Management Services are offered through Baldwin & Clarke Advisory Services, LLC (BCAS). BCAS is a Registered Investment Adviser with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). BCAS’ Form CRS and other disclosure documents can be found here. The information in this website has not been approved or verified by the SEC, or by any state securities authority. Additional information about BCAS is available on the SEC’s website at: www.adviserinfo.sec.gov, using CRD #105666.
Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
