Brightbridge Wealth Management Zurich

Brightbridge is a world-wide private equity firm with the resources and expertise to source, evaluate, and manage private investments globally in both developed and developing markets and across many industrial and commercial sectors.
Brightbridge is manager of -- or principal advisor to -- private equity funds covering Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the Islamic countries that span the globe from North Africa through the Middle East and into Asia. These funds represent aggregate capital commitments of nearly $6.0 billion and several are the largest of their kind in their particular region.
Brightbridge's initial focus and one of its continuing core strengths has been investments in "infrastructure" in emerging market economies. Over time, however, Brightbridge has expanded this focus, allowing us to accumulate investment experience in a wide range of sectors from heavy industry, mining, oil and gas to basic materials and even restaurants.
Brightbridge's broad global experience and the large size of its funds has allowed it to become a prime choice as an investment partner for regional companies and local entrepreneurs. Brightbridge is also a pioneer in structuring innovative partnerships with international corporate strategic investors. Brightbridge has partnered with leading international corporations, including Vivendi, Marubeni, and AES in the power sector, AT&T, Orange, and Bell Canada in the telecommunications sector, and Pilkington in the gla...

As financial advisors and investment consultants, we believe in the following fundamental principals with regard to designing an investment portfolio and making specific recommendations. The purpose of a client's investment portfolio is to fund current and/or future financial objectives. The design of the portfolio must take into account the client's financial objectives, tolerance for risk, needs for current income or liquidity, and special considerations such as income and estate taxes. The appropriate allocation of investment assets for your goals and risk tolerance is the most important component in developing an investment portfolio. We believe that having a diversified, well-balanced portfolio, following long-term buy-and-hold strategies, and having patience, increases the likelihood that one will achieve their long-term financial objectives.
Diversification, dollar cost averaging, comprehensive portfolio reviews and analysis are beneficial methods of managing assets. Dollar-cost averaging has some advantages in a declining market--or, more precisely, in a market whose general direction may be downward but still has ups and downs. An investor who bought the Dow in 1929 and held it until 1939 would have seen a -46% return; but an investor dollar-cost averaging would have been able to take advantage, for example, of all the months in 1932-1934 in which the Dow closed at less than 100. In these months, that investor would have gotten a lot more for his money. This ef...

The euro recently fell for the first time below the minimum limit of SFr1.20 ($1.31 ) set by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) in September 2011.

However, currency experts agree that the temporary slip that occurred during Easter week does not require a change in exchange rate policy.

Thomas Jordan, vice-president and interim president of the SNB, defended his institution at the start of this week and said that doubts about the exchange rate policy were “unfounded”.

Jordan repeated the central bank’s willingness “to buy foreign currency in unlimited amounts” in order to keep the franc within the specified limits. He also confirmed that the Swiss currency “remained overvalued”.

The pall of Europe’s debt crisis is obscuring evidence that the rest of the global economy is in decent shape. Stock markets slumped Friday after European finance ministers said the Greek government must take more steps to secure further aid, triggering the departure of six ministers from Prime Minister Lucas Papademos’s cabinet and fuelling violent street protests in Athens. But away from the noise and confusion of European capitals, and contrary to the outlooks of gloomy Wall Street forecasters, U.S. companies are steadily hiring and investing, generating momentum that will help offset whatever harm comes from Europe’s troubles.

Zurich Financial Services AG, Switzerland’s largest insurer, said fourth-quarter profit declined 46 percent after losses from Thai floods and other natural catastrophes.

Net income fell to $557 million from $1.04 billion a year earlier, the Zurich-based company said today in an e-mailed statement. This missed the $729.1 million average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

The company booked insured losses after reinsurance of $225 million in the quarter, said Chief Financial Officer Pierre Wauthier, adding that earnings were also crimped by a higher tax rate and a donation to charity. Zurich Financial said it will keep its dividend unchanged after increasing its 2010 payout to an 11-year high of 17 Swiss francs ($18.53) per share.

The pall of Europe’s debt crisis is obscuring evidence that the rest of the global economy is in decent shape. Stock markets slumped Friday after European finance ministers said the Greek government must take more steps to secure further aid, triggering the departure of six ministers from Prime Minister Lucas Papademos’s cabinet and fuelling violent street protests in Athens. But away from the noise and confusion of European capitals, and contrary to the outlooks of gloomy Wall Street forecasters, U.S. companies are steadily hiring and investing, generating momentum that will help offset whatever harm comes from Europe’s troubles. While Greece plunged deeper into chaos, the U.S. Commerce Department released data showing U.S. imports surged at the end of 2011, the latest signal that the world’s largest economy finally is on track for a lasting recovery. Canada, Mexico and China were among the beneficiaries, as the U.S. trade deficit with its largest trading partners widened. U.S. imports jumped 1.3 per cent in December, to $227.6-billion (U.S.), the biggest one-month increase since July, 2008. Consumption accounts for about 70 per cent of U.S. gross domestic product, making imports an important barometer of economic health. Demand was strong across industries, including capital equipment such as machinery and semiconductors, which climbed to a record. The trade numbers follow stronger-than-expected hiring figures, including a report earlier this week that showed...

ZURICH (Reuters) – Swiss bankers are on the defensive with their secretive industry under sustained attack for sheltering tax dodgers. Some cannot travel abroad for fear of arrest in tax investigations.

But the fur coats and expensive cars on display around the Paradeplatz square at the heart of Zurich’s financial district – as well as booming house prices – tell a different story: business is good in a city now ranked the world’s costliest.

Zurich overtook Tokyo as most expensive according to a new ranking by the Economist Intelligence Unit because of the soaring Swiss franc.

The pall of Europe’s debt crisis is obscuring evidence that the rest of the global economy is in decent shape. Stock markets slumped Friday after European finance ministers said the Greek government must take more steps to secure further aid, triggering the departure of six ministers from Prime Minister Lucas Papademos’s cabinet and fuelling violent street protests in Athens. But away from the noise and confusion of European capitals, and contrary to the outlooks of gloomy Wall Street forecasters, U.S. companies are steadily hiring and investing, generating momentum that will help offset whatever harm comes from Europe’s troubles. While Greece plunged deeper into chaos, the U.S. Commerce Department released data showing U.S. imports surged at the end of 2011, the latest signal that the world’s largest economy finally is on track for a lasting recovery. Canada, Mexico and China were among the beneficiaries, as the U.S. trade deficit with its largest trading partners widened. U.S. imports jumped 1.3 per cent in December, to $227.6-billion (U.S.), the biggest one-month increase since July, 2008. Consumption accounts for about 70 per cent of U.S. gross domestic product, making imports an important barometer of economic health. Demand was strong across industries, including capital equipment such as machinery and semiconductors, which climbed to a record. The trade numbers follow stronger-than-expected hiring figures, including a report earlier this week that showed the fo...

(1888PressRelease) August 21, 2011 - Airbnb announced a $50,000 insurance policy and the formation of a 24/7 customer support hotline Monday after two users recently said their use of the company's travel services had left them the victims of vandalism and theft.

Up to this point, Airbnb - a website that connects travelers with people who are willing to host travelers - had been on a hot streak: It had landed high-profile celebrity and tech investor Ashton Kutcher as an advisor, as well as a funding round of $112 million, which valued the company at $1.3 billion.

In June, an San Francisco Airbnb user identifying herself as E.J. said on her personal blog that a person who rented her apartment on the website had trashed her home and stolen her jewelry, some cash and electronics, among other things. E.J. followed up that post with one Thursday accusing Airbnb of trying to get her to remove her original blog post as well as neglecting to help her recover from the "nightmare" of a situation.

Another Airbnb user, Troy Dayton, told the website TechCrunch that he too had his home vandalized by someone who had rented his apartment through the service and that he'd come home to find "meth pipes everywhere."

After a back-and-forth between TechCrunch and investors in Airbnb, Chief Executive Brian Chesky wrote a blog post Monday saying his San Francisco start-up hadn't handled its users' situations correctly and was looking to make thing...

The pall of Europe’s debt crisis is obscuring evidence that the rest of the global economy is in decent shape. Stock markets slumped Friday after European finance ministers said the Greek government must take more steps to secure further aid, triggering the departure of six ministers from Prime Minister Lucas Papademos’s cabinet and fuelling violent street protests in Athens. But away from the noise and confusion of European capitals, and contrary to the outlooks of gloomy Wall Street forecasters, U.S. companies are steadily hiring and investing, generating momentum that will help offset whatever harm comes from Europe’s troubles. While Greece plunged deeper into chaos, the U.S. Commerce Department released data showing U.S. imports surged at the end of 2011, the latest signal that the world’s largest economy finally is on track for a lasting recovery. Canada, Mexico and China were among the beneficiaries, as the U.S. trade deficit with its largest trading partners widened. U.S. imports jumped 1.3 per cent in December, to $227.6-billion (U.S.), the biggest one-month increase since July, 2008. Consumption accounts for about 70 per cent of U.S. gross domestic product, making imports an important barometer of economic health. Demand was strong across industries, including capital equipment such as machinery and semiconductors, which climbed to a record. The trade numbers follow stronger-than-expected hiring figures, including a report earlier this week that showed the fo...