News

Artificial Intelligence (AI) currently dominates the technology headlines, and rightfully so. The launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI in November 2022 has ushered in a revolutionary era of more natural and efficient human-technology interaction.

Greenleaf Trust continues to grow across the state of Michigan with the addition of six teammates across the company.

If you sold in May and went away this year, my condolences. The third quarter is off to a healthy start. Investment markets performed well in July, and while second quarter earnings are down compared to a year ago (as expected), forecasts call for recovery in the second half and a strong outlook for 2024.

Have you ever Googled the answer to a question that you were too embarrassed to ask anyone else? For example, “Why does my dog keep sniffing my eyes?” or “Why am I lightheaded?” My sister and close friends know the first thing they need to do when I pass away is to erase my Google […]

What to expect during your first Retirement Plan audit.

When it comes to credit cards, there are many different types of cards you can carry, some of which include standard cards, travel cards, cashback cards and store specific credit cards.

Mike Odar reflects on the 25 years of Greenleaf Trust

After a challenging 2022, investors should be pleased with the market experience in the first half of 2023. In stark contrast to a period when both stocks and bonds moved lower together, financial markets have largely been in recovery mode over the last six months. Several positive themes have bolstered markets including a strong labor […]

The selection of a trustee is pretty much the choice between either a professional or an amateur

The triple tax benefit of Health Savings Accounts

How to Help Participants Balance Current Needs vs Future Security

Trusts are a major part of most estate plans and attorneys and financial advisors love acronyms to describe the various types of trusts, but what do all these letters mean and what purposes do they serve?

Our Retirement Plan Services Division traces its roots back to the foundation of our company in 1998.

The US Department of the Treasury manages payments for the federal government. Congress, by law, limits the maximum amount of debt that the Department of Treasury can issue to finance budget deficits. This limit is commonly referred to as the “debt ceiling.”

When it comes to investing for retirement you have a multitude of options to choose from. Making the decision about how you are going to manage the taxation of your retirement plan contributions makes the decision even more complex.

Let’s explore some options worthy of consideration for the administration and distribution of real estate assets.

SECURE Act 2.0 offers a creative solution for funding Roth IRAs for the youngest members of our families by leveraging excess 529 plan savings.

One of our founding goals in 1998 was to find really talented teammates and create a culture that would engage and inspire them.

The second quarter of 2023 is off to an interesting start. For the most part, investment markets performed well in April and first quarter earnings season is shaping up better than expected.

Lifetime gifts remove the asset, and any future asset appreciation, from the donor’s taxable estate.

Recent Perspectives articles have called attention to the newly passed SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022, which initiated several retirement plan changes and enhancements.

While the strategy of aggressively raising rates can affect various aspects of consumers’ lives, it also creates an opportunity to reevaluate and refresh the traditional financial planning guidance that has been in place for the past decade.

During our meetings with grandparents, a common topic is leaving assets to their grandchildren. While direct gifting, paying for tuition or medical bills, or funding 529 educational savings accounts are all effective techniques, this article focuses on another popular technique: establishing trusts for grandchildren. We will explore the different types of trusts, incentivizing them, and […]

There are a lot of headlines out there questioning the safety and liquidity of our banking system after the recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

Executive compensation is the combination of salary, benefits and bonuses offered to executives and other top management in exchange for their efforts on behalf of an employer.

In 2022, there were nearly 7.8 million reports of suspicious activities related to taxpayer returns according to the Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud Information Sharing Mission & Analysis Center, a partnership between the IRS, companies and states. Most of these suspicious activities related to online tax fraud.

Is “rothification” even a word? Probably not, but to me it seems a fitting term to describe several of the changes in store for retirement plans as a result of new legislation signed by Congress at the end of 2022.

Retirement is an ongoing process of emotional adjustments.

With the capital markets closed in observance of Presidents’ Day, we created a day for our teammates to give back to the communities in which we live, work, and play. We call this day our Day of Caring.

Our national debt has garnered a lot of attention this year, both for its absolute size and for the possibility that our elected friends in Washington might fail to raise its ceiling.

Most estate plans skip the idea of using incentive distribution provisions to induce behavioral changes in the estate beneficiaries. A common estate distribution regime uses milestone ages, e.g., 25% at age 25, 50% at age 30, and the balance to be distributed at age 35.

Behavioral biases are beliefs or behaviors that can unconsciously influence our financial decision-making. One example is loss aversion, where the pain of losing (money) is more powerful than the pleasure of gaining.

On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023. The legislation contains significant retirement provisions in what is called the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (“the Act”).

Cross-testing is a calculation method used for allocating employer discretionary profit-sharing contributions. This is often used alongside 401(k) and safe harbor contributions to maximize annual contribution limits (usually targeted to owners or highly compensated employees) at the lowest overall cost to the company.

Please join me in welcoming our newest teammate back home to Birmingham, Michigan. Bill Feldmaier has recently joined Greenleaf Trust as our new Managing Director of our southeast Michigan market and will be located in our Birmingham office.

We’re off to a good start in 2023. If you believe the notion that ‘as goes January, so goes the year,’ the so-called January Barometer suggests we may be in for a positive year in the stock market.

US equities have historically generated outstanding returns for long-term investors. Notwithstanding numerous recessions, market panics, wars, and a global pandemic, the S&P 500 has increased in value from 17 in 1927 to nearly 4,000 in 2022, equating to an annualized total return of nearly 10%.

Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) comprised over an estimated $13.9 trillion of assets as of 2021 per the Investment Company Institute. IRA balances have risen significantly over time as companies moved away from pension plans and baby boomers gathered assets for retirement.

The year end has passed and business leaders and office personnel have been working diligently on closing the books for the year end 2022. This process can be time consuming and stressful.

One of the things that makes us unique is our talented team. They are deeply committed to the work they do for our clients and deserve meaningful recognition for their achievements. At the end of the year, we announced the following 29 promotions. These were teammates from throughout the organization that successfully executed customized purposeful growth plans with their coaches. Promotions are always based on merit and impact at Greenleaf Trust, not time in role. Needless to say, I am extremely proud to recognize these teammates and share their new titles with you.

The year 2022 ushered in significant events in the industry in many areas. Some were more impactful than others, but a few are worthy of review.