As a microbiologist laboring in the lab, my goal was to unite passion, purpose and planning. If you care about such things, you know that compromise is a word you scratch from your dictionary.

As the folly of relying on Russia and other petrostates for energy needs become apparent in the throes of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, nuclear power is back in fashion. France plans to construct six new plants and is aiming for “total energy independence.” Britain announced March 21 it would build a new generation of reactors at “warp speed.” A redesigned energy system that turns to alternative fuels and belches out less carbon also promises to emasculate despotic regimes funded by fossil-fuel reservoirs.

U.S. tax forms included a new question in their capital gains section this year: “At any time during 2021, did you receive, sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of any virtual currency?” Nothing says there might be some investment value in cryptocurrency like the IRS taking notice. Being called out as an investment worthy of notice certainly gives crypto a certain credibility, but is it right for the typical investor? Should advisers be thinking about adding a bit to their clients’ portfolios? Or is it still too new and esoteric for all but the most adventurous (or least excitable) investor? Afterall, the IRS also taxes gambling winnings.

The modern auction block is the stuff of headlines. Think Picasso’s and van Gogh’s selling for millions. Ditto for McLarens and other classic or high-performance automobiles, as well as jewelry, coins, Michael Jordan basketball shoes. How about this one: The revolver used to kill Billy the Kid changing hands for $6 million at Bonhams.

There are many ways to underwrite real estate construction. One of the less used is ground leases, even though they offer several attractive features, including flexibility, according to Terri Adler, managing partner of Duval & Stachenfeld.

It might be premature to call advisers and investors “yield starved” at this stage, but the hunt has clearly begun for new portfolio assets to offset what many are prophesizing to be an end to the historic bull market on Wall Street. With equities curdling under the assault of a worldwide pandemic, rising inflation and interest rates, and warfare in Europe, some investors are moving up the risk spectrum.

Living through the COVID-19 pandemic complicated commercial real estate investment in a myriad of ways, shifting economics of every asset class in the industry. While some investors pulled back, preferring to sit out the storm on the sidelines, others have rushed in with mountains of dry powder to scoop up battered hospitality, retail and office properties in anticipation of strong consumer demand rebound.

Aneta Markowska, chief economist at Jefferies: “It’s easy to construct a very negative narrative, but when you actually look at the magnitude of all those impacts, I don’t think they’re significant enough to push us into a recession in the next 12 months.”

What do artificial intelligence and real estate have in common? A lot, as it turns out. Real estate has been the most fascinating space to watch throughout the global pandemic, and the applications of artificial intelligence are growing faster than housing starts. Working from home has called the value of some commercial real estate into question, and residential housing values have shot through the roof.

A boatload of recent news suggests that the shipping industry continues to look very attractive from an investing point of view. For starters, global cargo carriers are estimated to have recorded $150 billion in profits in 2021, the first time they’ve collectively reached that figure in a single year.

Dave Welling’s career didn’t exactly get off to a ballistic start. His first position — the job of Welling’s dreams at the time — landed him at Bain & Co., a noted management consulting firm still under the direction of founder Bill Bain. Alas, no sooner did Welling arrive than the firm ran aground from a combination of bad economic times and a poorly executed employee buyout plan.

The economy is in the twilight of a four-decade economic super wave. But the next phase will neither be constrained by sovereign borders nor necessarily inspired by one killer app. This new era will have more far-reaching implications, particularly for the asset management profession.

The office sector has arguably seen the greatest shift produced by the pandemic. Once the go-to investment for real estate investors, office assets suddenly became a pariah, thanks to COVID-19. No one wanted to share four walls, sealed windows and an HVAC system with a bunch of loosely connected colleagues at the height of a mysterious and scary disease.

Yes, there are about 55 million senior citizens (ages 65 and over) living in the United States, with this number expected to rise to more than 85 million by 2050. Yes, roughly between 5 percent and 10 percent of adults aged 65 or older require daily medical assistance or are receiving government financial aid, but what about the rest?

Inflation is running hot, registering a 7.9 percent year-over-year increase as of February 2022, which now marks the most inflationary environment in the United States since the early 1980s. Although elevated inflation has occurred infrequently, it can and has persisted for longer than desirable, such as from 1973 through 1981.