United States: Strategy

Consumer spending and employment figures continue to show strength, but beneath these headline numbers lies a more complex reality. As household financial reserves steadily decline, questions emerge about the sustainability of current consumption patterns and what this divergence signals for economic stability ahead.

Ankura monitors wealth and asset management M&A activity, tracks emerging themes in joint ventures and shareholder alignment, and examines how AI implementation challenges are reshaping enterprise operations and supply chain strategies. The analysis spans private equity market dynamics, regulatory compliance complexities, and the hidden costs of AI validation in investigative work.

Big Law is celebrating record revenues from hourly billing just as AI technology makes reliable flat-fee litigation pricing possible for the first time. With 71% of clients preferring flat fees and AI tools now capable...

Business valuations can shape decisions with serious consequences — what a company sells for, what a court awards, what an estate owes. The number itself is only as reliable as the person who produced it and the reputation of that person’s firm. Five factors distinguish a valuation that will hold up from one that will not.

Ankura monitors wealth and asset management M&A activity, tracks emerging themes in joint ventures and shareholder alignment, and examines how AI implementation challenges are reshaping enterprise operations and supply chain strategies. The analysis spans private equity market dynamics, regulatory compliance complexities, and the hidden costs of AI validation in investigative work.

On 15 October 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved amendments to FINRA Rule 2210 that will permit broker-dealers to include projected performance and targeted returns in certain investor communications.1

Ankura's latest insights explore critical challenges across healthcare workforce shortages, football finance regulation, digital transformation performance gaps, cybersecurity threats, and consumer financial stress. From post-acute care capacity to AI validation costs in investigations, these analyses examine how organizations navigate complex operational, regulatory, and strategic pressures.

How will generative AI reshape professional services firms? An economist examines whether AI serves as a substitute for human effort or a complement to it, exploring how productivity gains create strategic opportunities rather than simply reducing headcount. The analysis draws parallels to past technological disruptions like spreadsheets to illuminate how firms can reinvest AI-generated capacity to expand markets and enhance human expertise.

Lowenstein attorneys and business services professionals share how pro bono work has enhanced their legal expertise and interpersonal abilities through direct client engagement, court experience, and cross-departmental collaboration. The discussion reveals how serving vulnerable clients at nonprofit organizations develops critical skills in empathy, creative problem-solving, and clear communication that translate across all areas of legal practice.

As law firms celebrate longevity and stability, they face a critical challenge that extends far beyond partner transitions: the impending retirement of long-tenured professional staff who hold decades of institutional knowledge. How can firms preserve this invaluable expertise while building a foundation for the next generation of legal professionals?

Daniel Waldman shares his insights on effective networking strategies within the legal industry, revealing how meaningful professional connections can lead to career opportunities. His article in Precedent Magazine explores the evolution from awkward networking attempts to building genuine relationships that create lasting value.

Axios co-founders Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen join The Lobby Shop podcast to explore their new book Simplify, examining why leaders and organizations fall into complexity traps and how streamlining priorities, communication, and decision-making can drive superior outcomes. The discussion draws on their extensive media and leadership experience to unpack practical strategies for cutting through organizational clutter.