Is a Donor-Advised Fund Right For You?
Be sure you understand your charitable options before committing. A $1 billion dollar donation is always a big piece of news, and when an ultra-high-net-worth individual or family makes such a gift, the world is sure to take notice. Within the last year, such donations have been made to community foundation donor-advised funds (DAF). No […]
Recent Updates Regarding Washington State Taxes
Washington Capital Gains Tax Beginning January 1, 2022, a flat 7% tax on net long-term capital gains went into effect. Many advisors believed the tax to be unconstitutional and that it would be repealed if/when challenged. However, the WA Supreme Court upheld the tax in March of 2023 in Quinn v. Washington. Additionally, the public […]
Six Reasons Why Most UHNWIs Choose a Multi-Family Office
Your family office is a point of pride as well as a smart way to manage your business and personal affairs. But you don’t have to have a gold nameplate and command your own staff to reap all of the family-office benefits. In fact, a multi-family office typically offers greater advantages—and ironically, more control—than a single-family office. […]
The Magnificent 7 and the Imperfect Index
Despite domestic and geopolitical uncertainty, equity portfolios performed quite well in 2023 as measured by the S&P 500 Index. The market return was largely driven by the seven largest constituents of the S&P 500, also known as the Magnificent Seven. The Magnificent Seven includes: Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Nvidia, and Tesla. These companies […]
Federal Tax Updates
On November 9, the IRS released its annual inflation adjustments for tax year 2024 covering updates to more than 63 tax provisions. The 2024 adjustments will affect tax returns filed in 2025. On December 31, 2025, a significant amount of the individual tax provisions passed under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”) will […]
3 Steps for a Generational Transition of the Family Business
As the oldest Multifamily Office headquartered in the West, we bring decades of experience helping families transition their businesses to the next generation. Over the years, we’ve identified several commonalities among families that have successfully navigated a family business transition. The following three concepts we believe are essential: 1. Create a family office to organize […]
Whittier Trust Presents: Our Investment & Economic Outlook
A considerable amount of market uncertainty has dissipated in recent weeks along the lines of our projected investment theses. Disinflation has unfolded at a faster pace than many had expected. At the same time, economic growth has also exceeded expectations. The odds of a recession have receded for many investors, while others believe that the […]
Why Begin Your Business Exit Early?
8 Reasons It’s a Good Idea to Begin Planning Your Business Exit Early 1. Transition Planning Preserves Enterprise Value – A BCG study found a “28-percentage point differential in market capitalization growth between companies that had planned transitions and those that had not.” (Boston Consulting Group study of 200 family business transitions 1995-2014) 2. Things Happen – […]
3 Common Pitfalls of Trust Planning
How to avoid the downsides of an estate plan Many considerations are at play when creating an estate plan. Parents and grandparents often want to make sure family members are taken care of, while simultaneously enacting their own vision for the family legacy and goals for their estate. However, sometimes those decisions might benefit from […]
Investment Management: Steps To Take to Hedge Against A Possible Recession
Concerned about a downturn? Here’s what to do to prepare for a recession Internet searches for “2023 recession prediction” are on the rise, indicating people are concerned about the state of the economy and, more specifically, their portfolios. Even with the current volatility—from high inflation to international geopolitical issues leading to a bear market—it’s not […]