Lost and Found in Northern Michigan

Where did the summer go? In Michigan, we start asking ourselves that question in August. The more enjoyable the summer, the faster it seems to go. Mine has been busy and enjoyable, so it feels like it is really flying by.

Most recently, I was in Northern Michigan attending our signature summer events for our clients. Northern Michigan is “Pure Michigan” in the summertime and these events provide a great opportunity to connect with clients in a relaxed atmosphere. While at these events, clients often seek me out to share how they feel about their Greenleaf Trust experience. For me, this is the most enjoyable part of the evening.

One story from a client couple really brought a smile to my face. The clients approached me after dinner to tell me how much they appreciated the members of their client centric team. Their appreciation came from their team at Greenleaf Trust doing something for them that was totally unexpected.

The clients had recently been contacted by someone claiming to live in their house that they last lived in 20 years ago. The caller said she received a letter in the mail referencing an account that she believed belonged to them that was going to be escheated back to the state due to lack of contact with the owner. Their first question was is this a scam or is it legitimate? The clients obtained the letter and were completely bewildered by what account it could have been. With no account number referenced, they did not know where to even start trying to track down this mystery account and its holdings.

When their Wealth Management Advisor heard about this in a non-related conversation with the client, she quickly offered to figure it out for the client. After numerous dead-end calls, the account was found and matched with the client’s social security number. And, after 20 years of compounding growth it had become a sizable amount.

I was, of course, pleased because our clients were pleased. I thanked them for sharing that story with me and let them know that successfully finding that account for them was as rewarding to the Wealth Management Advisor as it was to them. This is exactly how we want to help.

Our value proposition is much more than portfolio management and customized to however we can help a particular client. Our team is wired that way. We want to help our clients with all of those “other” things that come up in life because we believe true holistic wealth management should involve all of those “other” things.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and don’t hesitate to let us know if there is anything else you need.