Having just logged dozens of hours watching the Summer Olympics and the US Open, I was (and remain) impressed by the mental fortitude of champions.

The twin benefits of charitable giving—supporting a cause and minimizing taxes—have long held great appeal for the moneyed crowd.

Research is central to our work, so I expect a certain amount of give and take with our readers. The exchange typically unfolds like this: We conduct studies with professional advisors, consolidate and analyze the findings, serve the results back to the advisors in a variety of formats, and, almost always, field some inquiries about how the findings apply to an individual practitioner or a particular situation.

Knowing as much as possible about how criminals think and act will lead to better security for your wealthy clients.

More and more wealthy clients are abandoning their newly completed estate plans, alleging that the final result does not suit their needs.

At the annual meeting of AALU in May, Alan Greenspan shared his views on the economy, technology, hedge funds, social services and education—topics that will likely be determining factors in the future of private wealth management and the services wealthy clients will need down the road.

When notorious hotelier and reputed Queen of Mean, Leona Helmsley, passed away last August and the details of her will became public, it created a media feeding frenzy—her dog was named the beneficiary of a $12 million trust fund. Less than a month later, the similar (but much larger) trust established by Oprah Winfrey to ensure the future well-being of her pets made the headlines. In an age where the extravagances of the glitterati seem almost commonplace—space flights, anyone?—the actions of these two wealthy and powerful women still had the ability to astound. Why?

A few months ago we ran a story about the relationship between wealth and investment products based on research conducted by Prince & Associates Inc. “Eye Of The Beholder,” Aug/Sep 2007). In it we noted that as wealth increases the interest in mutual funds declines. As evidence, 16% of investors with a net worth of between $1 million and $5 million expressed interest in funds while none of the investors with net worths in excess of $10 million did. Products with much higher levels of interest among the affluent were more tailored vehicles such as separate accounts, and higher-octane options like hedge funds.