On June 6th, 2024, the United States Supreme Court upheld the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals opinion in Connelly v. United States, a case involving the estate tax and the valuation of shares in a closely held corporation. The ruling has significant implications for business owners with buy-sell agreements funded by life insurance, making it crucial to understand how this ruling impacts business owners’ estate planning and tax strategies. The Court ruled that life insurance proceeds used to fund the redemption...

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The trends were already entrenched before the US election and continued through most of last month. The trend toward higher rates and higher equities stalled, while the dollar remained strong. Investors and business continue to wrestle with the implications of the Republican sweep in the US elections. There are two broad issues that are the source of uncertainty. The first is the broad tariff Trump has advocated on the campaign trail: 60% on China and 10-20% on rest of the...

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Cilcare is proud to mark a decade of groundbreaking work in hearing loss and tinnitus research. Since our founding in 2014, we have remained committed to driving scientific innovation and advancing solutions to address the global medical need for hearing health treatments. In celebration of this significant milestone, we have released a special video that highlights key achievements, the dedication of our visionary founders, and the unwavering support of our partners, scientific board members, and collaborators. As we look ahead,...

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The country is in the top ten for variables like bandwidth speed and use of robots in education and R&D. Spain has climbed three places in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2024, the global digital competitiveness ranking compiled by the World Competitiveness Centre (WCC) at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), based in Switzerland. It thus regained the 28th position it occupied in 2022 out of a total of 67 countries, and obtained a score of 70.86 out of 100. The...

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European Parliament approves von der Leyen’s College of Commissioners On Wednesday, 27 November, MEPs gathered for the European Parliament Plenary on the new College of Commissioners and its programme, to vote on the approval of the new college. The session began with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s speech thanking the outgoing College and sharing an outline of the plan for the new College. Von der Leyen announced her plan for a Competitive Compass, built on the three pillars of...

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Executive Summary In 2020, TABS conducted its DVITUS (Dutch Ventures in the United States) research, examining the experiences and challenges of Dutch companies expanding to the U.S. This study concluded that while success in the U.S. could be achieved relatively quickly, investment and preparation are crucial due to increasing complexities in international business. TABS performed another research study. This time broadening the scope to include companies from Belgium and Luxembourg. This was done in collaboration with Belcham and Luxembourg Trade and...

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Key Takeaways from the Executive Vice-President Hearings The second, and final round of confirmation hearings for the next College of Commissioners took place on Tuesday (12 November). The six Executive Vice-President Hearings are as follows: Kaja Kallas, Executive Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Kallas pledged to work on strengthening the EU’s position in the world and safeguarding its geopolitical and economic security. Kallas has called on the EU to respond to outside threats “without losing who we are”. Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President...

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