Blue Rose Advisors Blog

By now, colleges and universities are quite familiar with the unique challenges that changes to the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) pose to financial aid offices for 2024-25. Typically available to prospective students beginning in October, the Department of Education delayed the new FAFSA rollout until late December for this admission cycle

In 2023, we had the opportunity to positively impact numerous higher education institutions, non-profits, and governmental entities advising on matters related to long-term capital planning, capital markets access, interest rate hedging programs, alternative financing solutions, the investment of bond proceeds, budget process improvements, and many other unique projects

Whether applying our own expertise to tricky problems or assisting clients who are either temporarily or perpetually short-staffed, we provide a wide array of tailored services to a range of institutions

The third quarter of 2023 has seen significant market movements and much uncertainty around the United States’ economic outlook for 2024 as the Federal Reserve attempts to steady inflation. Absolute yields as well as credit spreads have widened meaningfully across the credit spectrum

LIBOR cessation occurred as scheduled on June 30th of this year and most variable instruments that historically referenced LIBOR should now reference a different index. Depending on your last reset period, your debt instruments could still be utilizing a LIBOR rate for your current interest accrual period, however, with interest accrual periods thereafter referencing a different rate, likely some form of SOFR

As we’ve passed the mid-year point in 2023, rating agencies have published higher education sector updates and median data for fiscal year 2022

After a whirlwind 2022, many had hoped for calmer markets in the first quarter of 2023. While the overall performance of the market was positive, the first few months of the new year were anything but calm. We saw stubborn inflation, substantial interest rate movement, and the first significant banking crisis since the great recession

LIBOR cessation is now just three months away (June 30, 2023), and most of the transition process appears to be going to plan. SOFR continues to be the primary index utilized for the transition of variable rate loans, especially in cases where a synthetic fixed rate structure exists

With the tremendous buzz around the political, social, and economic factors at play around ESG (“Environmental, Social, and Governance”) bonds and their evolving status, it can be daunting for muni bond issuers that may want to enter this niche of the capital markets. The municipal bond market is, in fact, undergoing a period of change on how it both grapples with and takes advantage of ESGs

The municipal market landscape in 2022 was a meaningful departure from what we experienced in 2021 and 2020, which were banner years for issuance of municipal debt