Maryland Business and Estate Law Firm

By James A. List
The Law Offices of James A. List, LLC

There was much speculation about what the current presidential administration was going to do about estate tax law changes in late 2008 into 2009.  Some of this has quieted down as the stimulus package, unemployment, the auto industry and AIG, and health care reform now dominate the headlines. However, 2010 is upon us and the debate will soon again heat up, so it’s best to stay on top of the issues.

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By Matthew Jones, CFA
Investment Manager for Harvest Investment Consultants

In the first quarter of 2009, Harvest Investment Consultants, LLC provided information about the structure of corporate bonds and detailed the compelling investment opportunity that we had identified in that sector.  The corporate bankruptcies and onset of global recessionary conditions in late 2008 and early 2009 lead to a credit market freeze and high-quality companies were unable to issue new debt.  Over the last six months, the capital markets have been gradually improving and we believe the corporate bond market has moved closer to “fair value” levels.  High quality corporate bonds that are relatively short in maturity can still provide attractive income opportunities and lower levels of volatility compared to riskier asset classes due to their priority level on a company’s balance sheet.

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