In recent years the field of finance has exploded with innovation. New products, services and techniques abound. The risks of inflation, the volatility of interest rates, the deregulation of financial intermediaries and the unbundling of financial services have combined to present investment managers with challenges and opportunities far greater than in the past. For trustees and managers of pension, trust, endowment, and similar funds, the task of meeting the challenges and exploiting the opportunities is much more difficult. These fiduciaries must measure their investment decisions against constrained interpretations of a legal standard--the prudent man rule--that have caused it to lag far behind changes in investment theory and the marketplace. Drawing on financial history, a major opinion survey of institutional investors, and comprehensive reviews of the law and of the lessons of modern portfolio theory for prudence, this book presents a powerful case that the prudent man rule as elaborated in legal treatises and much of the case law would virtually compel a fiduciary to act imprudently in terms of financial theory and marketplace reality. In proposing a modern paradigm of investment prudence, the book uses illustrations drawn from such traditionally suspect categories of investment fiduciaries as securities lending, real estate, venture capital, options and futures and repurchaser agreements. An unusual examination of the interaction of the worlds of law and finance, this work will be of interest to fiduciaries who are subject to some from of prudent man rule and all others, including judges, lawyers and investment managers, who are called upon to interpret and apply that legal standard.

This book details a prudent investment process for Investment Stewards--persons who have the legal responsibility for managing someone else's money, including trustees and investment committee members. It is used in conjunction with Fiduciary360's training programs in fiduciary responsibility.

Inheritance theft is a widespread but hidden phenomenon afflicting every level of society. During the next twenty years, baby boomers and their children will inherit an estimated one hundred trillion dollars, much of which will be hijacked by family members, associates, or strangers. Everyone who might give or receive an inheritance is a potential victim.The legal and practical advice in this book teaches:"Who steals inheritances"Why, When, and How inheritances are stolen"Why we are all potential victims"How to protect yourselfThis book includes Q&As on inheritance law, quizzes to determine the security of your estate, and checklists on how to protect yourself.

The use of testamentary trusts is becoming an important part of estate planning. As a result, students who want to make a living as probate attorneys will need to know how trusts fit into estate planning. In addition, bar examiners realize that it is important for students to have a basic knowledge of trust law. That realization will result in bar examination questions that test that knowledge. This book is designed for use as a supplementary text for a course on wills and trusts and the primary text in a seminar or course exploring the law of trusts.