Insights matter.

In a 2018 article, the Wall Street Journal highlighted an apparently common practice in American families: parents doing their kids’ taxes. Why is this notable? Well, in many cases, the children are adults in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and even 50s. So, why are parents doing their adult children’s taxes? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? In our work with families, we have seen many situations like this. In our experience it’s not necessarily good OR bad.

With the close of the Federal Open Market Committee meetings this week, the market’s expectations were confirmed as the Fed chose to increase interest rates by the anticipated 25 basis points. In addition, they set the stage for two to three additional rate hikes later this year. This is both consistent with expectations and in alignment with our thematic view of fixed income headwinds. This research report from our colleagues at Asset Consulting Group provides some data to that effect.

We are proud to announce that we have been named as one of the Top 9 Financial Advisors in the St. Louis Area by Advisory HQ on March 12, 2018. Please visit the Advisory HQ site to learn more about how top advisors are selected: http://www.advisoryhq.com/articles/best-rated-financial-advisors-in-st-louis-mo/ AdvisoryHQ developed a breakthrough “Top-Down Advisor Selection Methodology” that is based on a wide range of filters including fiduciary duty, independence, transparency, level of customized service, history of innovation, fee structure, quality of services provided, team excellence, and wealth

Matter Family Office was honored to win the “Multi-family Office ($2.5 billion to $5 billion AuM/AuA)” award at the Family Wealth Report Awards 2018 in New York City on March 9th. We are proud of our work with multigenerational families across the country, and we look forward to remaining a leader in the evolution of the wealth management landscape. According to the Family Wealth Report Awards website, “Winning a Family Wealth Report Award sets organizations and individuals apart from their peers

As we consider all the major investment headlines of the year, one that has attracted a great deal of recent public interest is also one that seems to be the least understood. If we were to caricature the evolution of Bitcoin media coverage (or digital currencies in general), we would say that what was on the back page and below the fold less than a year ago is now front and center daily. This rapid movement has not been easy to follow

It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of 2017. Time sure does fly when you’re having fun, and the markets are up! Indeed, investors have cause to celebrate, as global stocks are up over 20% for the year, with emerging market stocks leading the way. This strong performance is admittedly unexpected (and somewhat confusing) as economic indicators are mixed. While GDP growth has improved in the U.S., it is off a weaker base than what we

The current bull market is the second longest on record in the post-WWII era, leading many market participants to wonder if there really is too much of a good thing. In the past, we have made mention of the challenges of predicting the future direction of the markets. However, not knowing where things are going doesn’t prevent us from taking stock of where things currently stand. At the surface, when we look at valuation measures and other fundamentals and compare them to historical

As thought partners to our families, one of our principle goals is to help them gain a fuller understanding of the investments they make. We believe a key component to making decisions that are most suitable and consistent with each family’s objectives and aspirations is answering the questions “What do we own?” and “Why do we own it?” One growing area of focus has been a desire to understand how our investments address and impact Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)

It is hard to believe that we are already halfway through 2017! It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were coming into the year with some tempered optimism for the year ahead.  The first six months of this year have not lacked for action. Stock markets around the world have rallied, led by improving profit trends and higher valuations. Bonds have been surprisingly resilient. The one area of weakness has been commodities, led in particular by oil prices, which

Sometimes the hardest advice to give is to those closest to us. While we don’t pretend to have the secret recipe for success, we have found that objectivity, independence and clarity are essential. Here’s a bit more detail as to how we think about helping aging parents. 1. Use an independent, neutral advisor to facilitate the planning. This person can gather information, identify gaps, detect patterns, and provide thoughtful solutions. It is important that the advisor meets with parents and

Our research consultant, Asset Consulting Group, recently completed an analysis (click here to read) that addresses the growing concern that investors have become complacent. The “complacency index” (bear with us as we delve a little into the weeds here) is an index that is constructed by taking current valuations and dividing them by the market volatility. The higher the number, the higher the degree of “complacency” in the market. As the analysis shows, current levels seem to point to the

It’s only March, but summer is just around the corner. Should teens be considering a summer job? According to Richard Weissbourd, a lecturer and research at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education quoted in this Quartz article, the answer is a resounding “yes!” Weissbourd doesn’t necessarily recommend a high-profile internship, either. He believes teens benefit much more from jobs in the service industry, where they get to see life through “a radically different lens.” “The lessons are huge,” said Richard Weissbourd, a lecturer