July 15, 2010

World Wealth Report 2010

Individuals with high net worth with more than $1 million of investable assets, and those with ultra-high net worth with more than $30 million of investable assets, increased their global philanthropic activities in 2009, except in North America. High net worth individuals in Canada and the United States have typically given more than $300 billion annually to global charities. However, in 2009, a smaller share of their assets was allocated to philanthropy than in 2008. In all regions, donors have started assessing the mission and effectiveness of charitable organizations to ensure that donations make an impact. These were some of the findings of a report, titled "World Wealth Report 2010," by Merrill Lynch and Capgemini. Additional findings can be found in the full report. The report serves to inform wealth managers of the trends and to assess how wealth management firms have been adapting to behavior-driven investing by clients.