The editor has this brief look back at stories that have caught the eye in recent months.

It is has been a while since I took time to cast my mind back to the rush of stories we have published since the late spring, the summer and into autumn. With a US presidential/congressional election due in about a fortnight, there’s much to ponder. In the UK, which has a new, Labour-led government, we are closely-watching the possible outcome of the annual budget statement due on 30 October. This has also been a busy time for elections in Mexico, India, France, Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Belgium, Germany and Italy, to name just some.

A theme running through much of our coverage has been how wealth managers keep clients composed during uncertainties, for example on taxes. We have looked at topics varying from protecting the physical security and digital security of clients, through to how to capture opportunities in Japan’s venture capital markets. 

To an extent that’s been unusual by recent experience, tax has been an important area. Ever since former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said he wanted to axe the UK’s non-domicile regime and replace it with a different plan, the demise of this system has been commented on regularly. (See a case here.) The election in early July, which brought the Labour Party into power with a big majority (albeit on a low actual vote share and turnout), has rattled some advisors. There are reports that a significant number of HNW individuals want to leave and go to pastures new in Dubai, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland. Readers have had a refresher course in what is sometimes called “supply-side economics” – the idea that there’s a sweet spot for tax and economic efficiency. 

Away from tax, the team at this news service has helped break new ground in its 12th technology and operations report, which highlights how much progress the world’s wealth sector is making in digital tech. We will refer to it regularly in the months ahead as a check against hype, and sometimes, unwarranted gloom.

In my travels to Singapore, the US and Switzerland this year, it has been hard to overlook just how interconnected modern HNW individuals’ lives are and the need for wealth advisors to keep up. In Dubai/UAE, where I’ll be in late November, the jurisdiction is working hard to develop as a hub for fund management as well as family offices. Notwithstanding geopolitics of the Middle East, the UAE’s ascent continues to be impressive. We are regularly on the ground there to report its progress. (And hope that the traffic does not become too congested.) In Hong Kong, it is ramping up efforts to attract wealth, and Singapore continues to do so, while tightening up controls on the financial sector to avoid dirty money. 

We’ve taken time to talk to executive search figures about trends in the industry – this is a sector that continues to wrestle with the challenges of finding talented people as intergenerational wealth transfer continues. Another theme that keeps rolling on is M&A. A recent big deal, involving US-based multi-family office Pathstone, is one such case. US correspondent Charles Paikert gave that story his usual incisive analysis. Charles, who has been busy chronicling the corporate doings of many prominent US wealth management houses, offers analysis that comes from decades of experience.

My colleague Amanda Cheesley has also been on the road – travelling to Ireland and Scotland, for example, to take the views of various wealth managers. She continues to produce a wealth of interviews with decision-makers in the asset management sector. And we enjoy talking to specialist, niche players as well as the big firms when it comes to investment ideas. These concepts can be fun as well as, hopefully, profitable, as shown in this article about aged tequila.

What's next?
In coming weeks, as is customary during the "giving season," we intend to run a number of articles examining philanthropy, looking at the fine details of how HNW individuals and their advisors handle this area. (See an example of these articles from the US here.) And, of course, with the US elections, we will work hard to help explain what the political result means for wealth management not just in North America, but the rest of the world. The continued advance of AI is also certain to be a topic that keeps us busy, as will the shifting sands of the offshore world. 

I want to remind you of our excellent editorial advisory board who feed into the ideas that the editors find so useful. And if you have news stories, grumbles or comments, please email me at tom.burroughes@wealthbriefing.com and Amanda Cheesley at amanda.cheesley@clearviewpublishing.com.