Key insights As political uncertainty begins to recede after the U.S. elections, let’s address key investment and tax considerations heading into both year-end and 2021. On the investments front, markets at their highs combined with expensive valuations drive the importance of realizing capital gains or harvesting tax losses. On the tax front, consider whether to harvest income and capital gains before year-end, ahead of any potential tax increases in 2021. Amid potential uncertainty about what may lie ahead, it...

Welcome to our Microtransit Misconceptions series, where we use detailed data and real examples to debunk common myths about on-demand public transit | Think going on-demand will drain your budgets? Think again. See the proof that shows communities can actually save money when switching to microtransit. MYTH: On-demand transit is expensive. We can’t invest in something that isn’t financially viable. REALITY: When on-demand networks are implemented in a smart way, communities can actually save money compared to their previous fixed route services, unlocking broader...

Whether a company’s compliance program works in practice is one of the three fundamental questions prosecutors ask when evaluating corporate compliance programs.  Effective implementation is a key metric for the overall effectiveness of the program.  Companies may be wondering the same thing about recently updated compliance guidance from the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”):  how does it work in practice?  In other words, how have regulators applied the guidance in recent enforcement actions? This summer, the DOJ...

Let’s set the scene: You are running a few minutes late to an important Zoom meeting with a potential client. You hurriedly search for the dial-in information. Then, you type in the 10-digit meeting ID buried at the bottom of an email. Next, you enter your password. And now, you have been corralled into a virtual waiting room where you must stay in meeting purgatory until the host grants you access to the call. Is all this really necessary? According to the...

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion have become trending topics, especially as of late, but the truth is supplier diversity initiatives have been in effect in some corporations for decades. A few have achieved over $1 billion in annual spending across their diverse supplier base. Yet few  of those dollars are contributed through real estate services. It appears that we are at a juncture where corporate supplier diversity goals are growing and corporate real estate can significantly contribute to achieving those...

EIB and EDFI members expand existing - European Financing Partners (EFP) - financing scheme to reduce the economic impact of Covid-19 on companies in developing countries. As part of Team Europe’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, eleven members of EDFI, the Association of European Development Finance Institutions, are strengthening cooperation with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to create a new dedicated Covid-19 financing initiative through the existing European Financing Partners (EFP) scheme. The EUR 280 million initiative will support financial...

ING announced today that Ljiljana Čortan will be appointed chief risk officer of ING. Ljiljana Čortan until recently served as chief risk officer of HypoVereinsbank – UniCredit Bank (HVB) in Germany. She will succeed Steven van Rijswijk, who was appointed CEO of ING effective 1 July 2020. Ljiljana Čortan will be appointed as chief risk officer and member of the Management Board Banking effective 1 January 2021. The Supervisory Board will propose to shareholders to appoint her as member of...