COVID-19, quiet quitting, talent shortages and sourcing, ghosting, revenue pressures, cost cutting, and global economic and political uncertainties, to name just a few of the factors managers need to juggle in these modern times. Disruptors in and of themselves, are exhausting to solve but make no mistake, asset managers do need to solve them. Layer in increasingly complex and often manually labor-intensive operating environments and overcoming these challenges becomes all the more daunting—and costly. In the end, and as different as they are topically, they all share one commonality; they have a significant impact on a manager’s ability to focus on their core remit—to produce favorable economic results for their clients.
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Helping people achieve retirement readiness isn’t as simple as telling them how much they need to save. Multiple factors compound the ability to save, including income level, outstanding debt, longevity, overall health, domestic arrangements (partnerships, children, etc.), retirement age, and even the type and place of work. These factors aren’t fixed or constant—they vary by demographic and over the course of a lifetime. The number of scenarios is almost limitless, but consider a few of the more significant inputs.
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Now that a couple of months have passed since Phase 6 of Uncleared Margin Rules (UMR) was implemented, it’s time to examine some of the lessons learned from this latest stage.
One lesson that stands out is how important it is to use time wisely. Finalizing CSAs (Credit Support Annexes) and ACAs (Account Control Agreements) took more time than expected as such a large number of firms came into scope, with additional delays on custodian accounts and counterparties signing documents. Threshold monitoring can help you avoid delays by giving you the ability to monitor REG IM (Regulatory Initial Margin) values from your broker, which allows for parties to finalize onboarding activities when they are still under the $50 million threshold. This is also a great cost-saver for relationships that may never breach the REG IM threshold or take years to do so.
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For many, January comes with a focus on making resolutions for the new year. Most often, these resolutions are about health. Statista reports that the top three resolutions for 2023 are about physical well-being, with people wanting to exercise more, eat healthier and lose weight.
The fourth most popular resolution is also about health, although it’s a different kind of health—it surrounds financial health. People want to save more money in 2023.
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Many firms assume they don’t need a process for custodianship notifications of UGMA/UTMA (Uniform Gifts to Minors Act/Uniform Transfers to Minors Act) accounts. While all this is technically true, the practice is beginning to change. Some feel acting proactively is a sign of integrity. Others feel it’s only a matter of time until regulations mandate compliance. No matter the reason, confirming appropriate ownership, maintaining accurate books and records, and promoting asset retention are all positive outcomes.
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Non-traded REITs have been in the press of late. The most recent headline—the $4 billion investment by the University of California’s endowment fund (UC Investments) into Blackstone’s BREIT—has generated much discussion about the structure of the deal and the attractiveness of non-traded REITs in general.
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Insurance investors have been major players in Commercial Real Estate (CRE) lending for decades, with the commercial mortgage industry fitting nicely as an asset against the liabilities that life insurance companies have. Characteristics such as fixed-rate interest and ten-plus-year terms benefit both sides.
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Insurance plays an essential role in helping manage global challenges, such as climate risk. Enterprise Risk Management is a necessary ingredient to make it successful.
The insurance industry is preparing to cope with emerging challenges under difficult market conditions, and risk management plays a major role in this transformation.
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