2015

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TEDxWilmington | Sustainable Investing: What you didn't know could make you money.

Brown Advisory

TEDxWilmington | Sustainable Investing: What you didn't know could make you money. ajackson. Sat, 12/05/2015 - 08:00. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at [link].

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Ensuring Legacies Last

Brown Advisory

Ensuring Legacies Last. achen. Wed, 12/02/2015 - 10:29. Heirs who are unprepared for an inheritance may find that a big windfall can quickly become a mixed blessing. An essential step in estate planning is making sure beneficiaries know all the responsibilities and challenges that accompany the management of increasing wealth. When an aging parent with an air-tight estate plan fails to prepare heirs for an inheritance, an act of kindness runs a high risk of backfire.

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Anchoring Expectations

Brown Advisory

Anchoring Expectations. achen. Wed, 12/02/2015 - 12:50. Stock market corrections can prompt investors to impulse selling or other moves that are often harmful to their long-term financial well-being. By walking through four steps with a client, we can refocus his or her mindset on the fundamental issues that help safeguard financial stability and achieve steady outperformance.

Taxes 52
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Diamonds In The Rough

Brown Advisory

Diamonds In The Rough. achen. Wed, 12/02/2015 - 12:58. Weak commodity prices and flagging emerging market economies have dimmed the outlook for energy and metals companies, and are shaking up the high-yield bond market. Through conservative, bottom-up analysis, we are taking advantage of current market dynamics to buy attractively priced debt in companies with solid revenues and limited vulnerability to an economic downturn.

Clients 52
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Register Now: Sneak Peek Into Close Automation SkyStem Web Demo

Technology is rapidly changing the way accountants perform and manage month-end activities. Spreadsheets, email, and shared drives no longer have to slow us down. Join us as we present a "sneak peek" recorded demo of SkyStem's month-end close solution – ART. In under four weeks, your team can start reaping the benefits of month-end close automation by vastly reducing spreadsheets, cut down on reconciliation work, speed up the month-end close, and better manage your remote team.

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Strategic Advisory Letter | 2015 Year-End Planning Checklist

Brown Advisory

Strategic Advisory Letter | 2015 Year-End Planning Checklist. achen. Thu, 11/12/2015 - 11:10. As 2015 comes to a close, we remind our clients and friends of how important it is take time to review new tax rules, consider tax-saving opportunities and review investment and asset-protection plans before year’s end. As autumn rolls on and the holiday season approaches, it is once again time to consider a thorough review of your overall financial picture and your progress toward your long-term object

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Dream or Opportunity?

Brown Advisory

Dream or Opportunity? achen. Thu, 09/03/2015 - 15:11. China’s plummeting stock prices, slowing economic growth and currency volatility have pushed many investors out of the market. Nevertheless, we believe that a discriminating investment strategy toward China and neighboring emerging markets has the potential to yield meaningful long-term gains, especially from growth in China’s middle class.

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Shadow Consumption

Brown Advisory

Shadow Consumption. achen. Tue, 09/01/2015 - 11:30. Economic recoveries usually feature a surge in consumption as employment and wages rebound. Current U.S. consumption data might instead suggest that many consumers are on the sidelines. But rather than clutching their pocketbooks, consumers are reaching for their smartphones and using digital technology to find bargains online and to share goods, potentially influencing the data.

Food 52
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Strategic Advisory Letter | Mid-Year Planning Tools for 2015

Brown Advisory

Strategic Advisory Letter | Mid-Year Planning Tools for 2015. achen. Thu, 07/30/2015 - 16:44. It takes time to integrate decisions regarding your investments, tax situation, estate matters, business planning and charitable objectives into a thoughtful and coordinated plan. We recommend managing your planning efforts as a year-round process rather than an annual exercise in December.

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2015 BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY ANNUAL SHAREHOLDER MEETING

Brown Advisory

2015 BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY ANNUAL SHAREHOLDER MEETING. achen. Thu, 07/16/2015 - 15:53. The Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting is an opportunity for shareholders and analysts to pose questions to Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger in a five-hour session covering over 60 questions. The 2015 annual meeting celebrated the 50th anniversary of Warren Buffett taking control of Berkshire Hathaway and it drew a record crowd of over 40,000.

Ethics 52
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2024 Lending Outlook: Innovations and Evolutions in the Financial Sector

As we step into 2024, the lending landscape evolves rapidly with technology, regulations, and market dynamics driving change. For banks and financial institutions to stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of their customers, these drivers must be understood and engaged with. Lenders can anticipate significant transformation fueled by technological advancements, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer behaviors.

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Investment Perspectives | Sound and Fury

Brown Advisory

Investment Perspectives | Sound and Fury. achen. Wed, 07/01/2015 - 16:45. Recent months have witnessed an unusual amount of speculation over when the Federal Reserve will finally begin raising interest rates. At times, it seems like this is the only issue on the minds of market prognosticators and TV’s talking heads. As shown in the chart on page 2, even the slightest hint of a possible move from the Fed can trigger a financial market reaction.

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Demystifying Sustainable Investing

Brown Advisory

Demystifying Sustainable Investing. achen. Wed, 06/03/2015 - 09:00. For many investors, the topic of sustainable investing is a jungle of jargon and vague terms. When you cut through the confusion, though, you find that sustainable investing strategies have matured and improved, and now form the core of an increasing number of investors’ portfolios.

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Sustainability—An Expanding Toolkit

Brown Advisory

Sustainability—An Expanding Toolkit. achen. Wed, 06/03/2015 - 09:02. The boom in sustainable strategies has made it far easier than even five years ago to construct a sustainable portfolio across asset classes—from stocks to fixed income to compelling private equity alternatives. No question about it, sustainable investing is a growth industry. There were 925 investment funds that incorporate environmental, social or governance factors in their approach as of the end of 2014, according to US SIF

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Sustainability—Beyond the Usual Suspects

Brown Advisory

Sustainability—Beyond the Usual Suspects. achen. Wed, 06/03/2015 - 09:05. CEOs across the board try to give their firms a boost by increasing revenue and cutting costs. Our focus is on finding stocks across sectors with underlying environmental business advantages. That can lead us to holdings that might surprise you. CEOs of public companies face pressure from a wide variety of stakeholders to improve their environmental profiles: megaphone-wielding shareholders, procurement managers seeking to

Medical 52
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Banking on Loyalty: Holistic Financial Advice for Unparalleled Business Growth

Speaker: Joe Buhrmann, MBA, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC® Senior Financial Planning Practice Management Consultant eMoney Advisor

During an era of evolving consumer preferences, the banking sector is undergoing a profound shift. As customers continue to broaden their perspectives, banking professionals must support their customers' financial wellness by providing holistic financial advice that aligns with individual goals and circumstances. Without adapting, financial institutions will find that loyalty may crumble amid uncertainty.

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The Advisory | June 2015

Brown Advisory

The Advisory | June 2015. achen. Wed, 06/03/2015 - 10:14. Shifting Gears. Ahead of the first tightening by the Federal Reserve in nine years, we are shifting into less-traditional assets, anticipating that, at best, U.S. stocks and fixed income securities will probably languish when the central bank begins to withdraw record stimulus. Federal Reserve policymakers forecast that they will likely start tightening this year for the first time since 2006, bringing an end to record liquidity, even as

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2014 Annual Report | Putting The Pieces Together

Brown Advisory

2014 Annual Report | Putting The Pieces Together. achen. Fri, 05/01/2015 - 12:00. We are pleased to share with you the 2014 annual report for Brown Advisory. The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the firm's performance as a business and its financial condition. As important, we use each year's annual report to continue the dialogue with our clients, our shareholders and our colleagues about the mission of Brown Advisory and the steps that we are taking to strengthen further our t

Clients 52
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Investment Perspectives | Bubbles II

Brown Advisory

Investment Perspectives | Bubbles II. achen. Wed, 04/01/2015 - 16:48. Almost exactly five years ago, we wrote a piece entitled Bubbles, which discussed the sharp rally in stocks from the lows of early 2009 and the risks of the growing federal deficit that resulted from government bail-outs and fiscal stimulus during the financial crisis. In part, our letter was a look back at the crisis from the perspective of a year’s recovery from the market’s bottom and about 15 months removed from Lehman Bro

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Compound Interest | Out of Patience

Brown Advisory

Compound Interest | Out of Patience. achen. Fri, 03/27/2015 - 15:27. The March Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) marked a major shift in. the Fed’s signaling to the market. This has important implications for the bond. markets, and we would like to share our thoughts about what happened in this. meeting and what we believe it means going forward.

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Navigating Financial Storms: Strategies for Building Resilient Balance Sheets

Speaker: Carolina Aponte - Owner and CEO, Caja Holdings LLC

In today's rapidly changing business environment, building a resilient balance sheet is crucial to the survival of any business. A resilient balance sheet allows a company to withstand financial shocks and adapt to changing market conditions. To achieve this, companies need to focus on key strategies such as maintaining adequate liquidity, managing debt levels, diversifying revenue streams, and prioritizing profitability over growth.

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The Advisory | March 2015

Brown Advisory

The Advisory | March 2015. achen. Thu, 03/26/2015 - 15:21. In this issue of The Advisory: The reasons we are currently attracted to Asian emerging-market equity investments; perspectives from our equity research, fixed income, and private equity teams on investment risks and opportunities created by the plunge in oil prices; the implications of the surprising divergence we are seeing in U.S. and European central bank policy; and the many ways that business owners can benefit greatly by developin

Banking 52
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Investment Perspectives | Dealing with Risk

Brown Advisory

Investment Perspectives | Dealing with Risk. achen. Fri, 01/02/2015 - 15:59. With the exception of a few sudden downdrafts, stocks gained meaningful ground in 2014 with relatively low volatility, so now may seem like an odd time to write about risk.

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Compound Interest | Beware the Trap

Brown Advisory

Compound Interest | Beware the Trap. achen. Tue, 09/22/2015 - 10:21. Late in an economic cycle, investors in corporate bonds tend to snap up securities that offer a comparatively high yield but understate the risks of default. Here are our thoughts on how to avoid such “value traps.”. From telecommunications companies in 2000, to homebuilders in 2007, to coal mining companies in 2014, recent history offers plenty of cautionary tales for high-yield investors.

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Europe's Slow Climb

Brown Advisory

Europe's Slow Climb. achen. Thu, 09/03/2015 - 15:10. Greece’s debt crisis has dominated the headlines in Europe this year but has not halted regional growth or vitality among European companies showing unexpected earnings strength. War and financial turmoil— the bane of Europe’s economic well-being last century—are currently veiling a rebound in regional growth and unanticipated vigor among European companies.

Economy 40
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Putting the ‘Tech’ in Spend Management Techniques

Speaker: Wayne Spivak, President and CFO of SBA * Consulting Ltd., Industry Writer, Public Speaker

If you’re lost in the world of spend management needs and your GAP analysis is lacking perspective on the future state of your business performance, listen up! With the advancement of technology, the implementation of spend management best practices and concrete GAP analyses is more streamlined and accessible than ever before. And while this may sound like great news for you and your clients, it won’t be worthwhile unless you have the latest techniques to back up your ambitions!

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Investment Perspectives | China's Shock

Brown Advisory

Investment Perspectives | China's Shock. achen. Thu, 10/01/2015 - 09:32. After years of steady, even quiet, market appreciation, investors were jolted awake by the late August swoon in stocks around the world. Those returning from vacations where they had no contact with the outside world (admittedly, hard to do these days) probably wondered, “What in the world is going on here?”.

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Before Tying the Knot

Brown Advisory

Before Tying the Knot. achen. Thu, 09/03/2015 - 15:11. Although the divorce rate has fallen for many years, the emotional and financial costs from a split-up are often very high. Protecting inherited assets from a claim by a family member’s ex-spouse can help limit those losses. Such protection can be a cornerstone for sound estate planning. Few terms have the potential to kill the excitement of a wedding engagement as quickly as “prenuptial agreement.”.

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Off the Beaten Trail

Brown Advisory

Off the Beaten Trail. achen. Wed, 12/02/2015 - 13:46. Investors should expect the market swings of 2015 to carry over into the new year, driven largely by concerns over weak global growth. We are recommending that clients consider high-yield bonds and other asset classes that can offer the prospect of solid gains that diverge from the path of traditional stocks and bonds.

Economy 52