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Integrated Partners Adds Estate Planning Tools From Wealth.com

Integrated Partners, the RIA firm, has entered into a strategic partnership with Wealth.com, aimed at providing its advisors with a “one-stop platform” for clients’ estate planning needs. “Clients are increasingly looking for services that offer additional value,” said Andree Mohr, president of Integrated Partners. “This strategic partnership is set to enhance our advisors’ ability to satisfy these evolving expectations with access to estate planning, backed by a network of estate planning attorneys.” The solutions available to Integrated advisors, according to the announcement, range from simple wills to complex advanced directives. The platform also helps advisors by summarizing existing documents and visually mapping complex plans for ultra-high-net-worth clients.

Accenture Expands Silicon Design and Engineering Capabilities with Dual Acquisition 0

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Accenture Expands Silicon Design and Engineering Capabilities with Dual Acquisition

Accenture Acquires Excelmax Technologies to Expand Silicon Design and Engineering Capabilities New York, NY (July 8, 2024) – Accenture is pleased to announce it has acquired Excelmax Technologies, a Bangalore, India-based semiconductor design services provider. The acquisition further enhances Accenture’s growing silicon design and engineering capabilities. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Excelmax provides custom silicon solutions used in consumer devices, data centers, artificial intelligence (AI) and computational platforms that enable edge AI deployments, to clients in the automotive, telecommunications and high-tech industries. The semiconductor market is experiencing a surge in demand for silicon design engineering, driven by the proliferation of data centers and the increasing use of AI and edge computing. This is further propelled by the growing consumer appetite for electronics, which is driving new investments in the chip design space. “With the rapid evolution of new technologies like generative AI and the growth of connected products, more intricate, specialized chips with enhanced performance and efficiency are required,” said Karthik Narain, group chief executive—Technology at Accenture. “Our acquisition of Excelmax enhances our expertise across every aspect of silicon design and development—from concept to production—so we can help our clients fuel innovation and drive growth.” Founded in 2019,...

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People Moves: Aon Taps Thomas From Lloyd’s as Head of Lloyd’s Capital; McLarens Names 2 Leadership Appointments in Latin America

Article 0 Comments This edition of International People Moves details appointments at the broker Aon and claims services provider McLarens. A summary of these new hires follows here. Insurance broker Aon plc appointed Ed Thomas as head of Lloyd’s Capital within its Reinsurance Solutions Capital Advisory team. Thomas will be responsible for leading Aon’s Lloyd’s-focused Capital Advisory services, focusing on capital-raising and capacity-enhancing initiatives that support managing agencies’ growth strategies, while helping them to navigate volatility and build resilience. Ed Thomas His remit will also include supporting the creation of new syndicates and delivering risk transfer and capital optimisation programmes, recognising that Lloyd’s remains a leading global marketplace for the deployment of specialty re/insurance capital. Based in London, Thomas joins Aon from Lloyd’s of London, where he held several executive positions – most recently as head of Member Services, a role in which he was responsible for overseeing approximately £37 billion of funds at Lloyd’s. During his time at Lloyd’s, Thomas also helped develop its pioneering insurance-linked securities structures, serving as director to Lloyd’s insurance risk transformation entities London Bridge Risk PCC Limited and London Bridge 2 PCC Limited, launched in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Thomas, a qualified accountant, brings...

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Election Presents a ‘Behavioral Trap’ for Investors

The upcoming presidential election will present “a behavioral trap of sorts” for investors, according to Daniel Noonan, investment writer at Morningstar Investment management. “If you’re motivated to make changes to your portfolio based on what’s happening in politics, the odds of success likely aren’t in your favor.” Quoting Eugene Fama, the former portfolio manager said: “Your money is like a bar of soap — the more you handle it, the less you’ll have. That’s probably advice worth keeping close between now and November.” ThinkAdvisor caught up with Noonan in mid-July to talk about the upcoming election and how advisors should be counseling clients before and after. THINKADVISOR: Which party works in favor of investors?  NOONAN: Voters will be rooting for blue or red in November. But if you’re an investor, the vote is for purple (the color you get when you combine them together). Markets like gridlock when different branches are controlled by different parties. How should investors resist reacting to volatility? The simplest advice for most investors would be to ignore what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Of course, this is easier said than done. An election season is likely to bring volatility back into markets. And it’s important for investors to...

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Novatae Acquires Missouri-Based Denali Specialty Group

Article 0 Comments Novatae Risk Group announced that it has acquired the assets of Denali Specialty Group, LLC of St. Louis, MO on July 1, 2024. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2019, Denali is a full-service insurance intermediary that is backed by decades of experience accumulated by its leadership. Denali has a primary niche in investment properties and an additional focus on cannabis, excess worker compensation, and student housing. The organization is led by Michael Eichhorn, Kerri Senger, and Paul Krutek. Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, P.C. provided legal counsel to Novatae, and MarshBerry advised Novatae. McCarthy, Leonard & Kaemmerer, L.C. provided legal counsel to Denali. No other advisors, diligence firms or legal counsel were disclosed. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Missouri Was this article valuable? Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article. Submit No Thanks Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it. Submit No Thanks Here are more articles you may enjoy. Interested in Mergers? Get automatic alerts for this topic.

GUS Announces Restoration Service Expansion in Ottawa Area 0

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GUS Announces Restoration Service Expansion in Ottawa Area

GUS Announces Expansion of Property Restoration Services by Nettoyage Sinex/Les Entreprises Mila to Ottawa and Surrounding Areas Gatineau, QC (July 10, 2024) – GUS, Canada’s largest 100% Canadian-owned and operated group of property restoration professionals, is thrilled to announce the expansion of its franchisee Nettoyage Sinex/Les Entreprises Mila to the Ottawa area and surrounding regions. A leader in property restoration services in the Outaouais region, Nettoyage Sinex/Les Entreprises Mila is proud to extend its high-quality expertise and services beyond the province of Quebec. Since its inception, Nettoyage Sinex/Les Entreprises Mila has been committed to delivering premium property restoration services to satisfied policyholders. With their expertise, professionalism, and meticulous attention to detail, the Nettoyage Sinex team has earned the trust of numerous clients throughout Quebec over the years. The company offers a comprehensive range of services, including emergency mitigation, renovation, and reconstruction. By relying on an experienced team and proven methods, Nettoyage Sinex ensures the highest levels of customer satisfaction. “We are excited and ready to now offer our professional, quality restoration services to communities in the province of Ontario,” said Richard Miron, founder and owner of Nettoyage Sinex/Les Entreprises Mila. “We take immense pride in our work, and expanding our...

Majority Prefer Companies Not To Use AI For Customer Service: Gartner 0

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Majority Prefer Companies Not To Use AI For Customer Service: Gartner

Gartner Survey Finds 64% of Customers Would Prefer That Companies Didn’t Use AI For Customer Service Customers’ top concerns include difficulty reaching an agent and AI displacing jobs Stamford, CT (July 9, 2024) – Sixty-four percent of customers would prefer that companies didn’t use artificial intelligence (AI) in their customer service, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. Furthermore, 53% of customers would consider switching to a competitor if they found out a company was going to use AI for customer service. A Gartner survey of 5,728 customers conducted in December 2023 revealed that while customer service leaders are eager to adopt AI, customers remain concerned about its use within the customer service function. “Sixty percent of customer service and support leaders are under pressure to adopt AI in their function,” said Keith McIntosh, Senior Principal, Research, in the Gartner Customer Service & Support practice. “But they can’t ignore concerns about AI use, especially when it could mean losing customers.” Difficulty Reaching a Person is Customers’ Top AI Concern The top concern that consumers have about AI in customer service is that it will get more difficult reaching a person (see Figure 1), followed by AI displacing jobs, and AI...

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Vermonters Assess Beryl Damage, Begin Cleanup One Year After Major Flooding

Article 0 Comments PLAINFIELD, Vt. — Volunteers, some with heavy equipment, shoveled river silt and mud from roads, homes, yards and driveways and removed flood-ravaged items from homes Friday in one of the Vermont communities hardest hit by flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. Former students of a now retired school principal, whose home and yard were among those damaged, showed up to help. “I think as a community we all got to come together and give a hand and receive nothing but just giving the love back that he’s given the community and to the school,” said Dillon Mears, 33, of Owen Bradley. Some wore t-shirts emblazoned with the word “love,” a message that Bradley and his wife Jane spread. The couple’s son flew in Friday morning on a red eye from Oakland, California, and quickly went to work with others. “This is how we are. You know, there’s people over there helping out, as soon as we’re done here, we’re going to help everybody else out,” said Adrian Bradley, 35. “That’s Vermont. It’s a small state, 600,000 people, we know everybody, you help your neighbors.” Gov. Phil Scott said Friday it’ll take several more days to fully...

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Research Affiliates CIO Raises Private Credit Concerns

Que Nguyen, partner and chief investment officer, equity strategies, at Research Affiliates, joined the firm in 2021 after seven years as a managing director of portfolio strategy and analytics at Willett Advisors. Nguyen leads cross-sectional equity research and strategy design at Research Affiliates, working with the firm’s academic advisors and with the PIMCO subadvisor’s portfolio managers. Her work supports Research Affiliates’ systematic active portfolios and smart beta indexes. Nguyen’s career also includes several years as managing director, strategy, in the University of Chicago’s investment office, and leadership posts at other financial services firms. In May, she wrote a post on the Research Affiliates website noting that the firm believes that generative artificial intelligence has transformative potential and could be in the early stages of becoming an investment bubble. Nguyen recently responded by email to several questions from ThinkAdvisor about her market insights. THINKADVISOR: What is your current take on the markets, a segment or sector that you think is really interesting now, and why? What does this mean in terms of specific holdings? QUE NGUYEN: U.S. exceptionalism has been the mainstay of markets in the last few years, and especially so in the technology ecosystem. As a result, valuation dispersion...

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Allstate Seeking 34% Rate Hike on California Homeowners Insurance

Article 0 Comments Allstate is seeking an increase in its California homeowners insurance premiums by an average of 34%. According to the California Department of Insurance, the Allstate homeowners filing was received by the Department on April 14, 2023. The initial rate request was 39.6%. Consumer Watchdog petitioned to intervene in July 2023. In January of this year, Allstate amended their rate request to 34.1%. According to a reports, it would be the largest rate increase this year and would impact more than 350,000 policyholders. “This is a complicated rate filing where Allstate is switching complex wildfire models and introducing its wildfire mitigation discounts in compliance with the commissioner’s Safer From Wildfires regulation,” a CDI statement reads. “The rate filing is currently under review by the Department.” The state’s insurance commissioner and other stakeholders have responded to a growing crisis in the state’s insurance market, one that seems to be driven in part by consecutive severe wildfire seasons in California, with myriad proposals. Modeling could be used in ratemaking under a proposal being considered by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, which is being supported by the insurance industry. It is among several steps proposed to help the state’s homeowners insurance crisis,...