A directed trust is a feature that can be included in various types of trusts, and provides the ability to bifurcate trustee duties between administration, investment, and distributions. Grantor’s commonly use directed trusts to give more control to current and future beneficiaries. Especially in cases where the trust holds family owned investments so the family […]

The word “annuities” can generate a range of reactions from clients, their family members, and their advisors. Some reactions are positive while others are not so much. Everyone, however, can agree that they can be very complex. That said, sales of annuities were exceptionally strong during 2021 up 16% to $254.8 billion. Some of this […]

Retirement security has been a featured topic with legislation over the past several years and was recently on the agenda again.  Back in December of 2019, Americans saw a number of changes to their retirement savings plans when the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, or the SECURE Act, became law. One requirement […]

“Many forms of conduct permissible in a workaday world for those acting at arm’s-length, are forbidden to those bound by fiduciary ties. A trustee is held to something stricter than the morals of the marketplace. Not honesty alone, but the punctilio of an honor the most sensitive, is the standard of behavior.” Meinhard v. Salmon, […]

It’s hard to believe but the little company we started in a historic home on the corner of South and Westnedge streets in Kalamazoo will be 24 years old this month. In May of 1998 we received our charter to become one of Michigan’s first trust only banks open to the public and in July […]

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Over the past few years, our world and many workplaces have shifted dramatically as we endured a global pandemic. While employers focused on workforce reductions and remote work, setting priorities for their 401(k)/403(b) plans was often low on the priority list. However, as life begins to normalize, we are beginning to see a renewed interest […]

The year 2022 has been challenging across financial markets, to say the least. While it is best to stay disciplined during times of uncertainty to achieve long-term goals, that does not mean we avoid making changes. Tax-loss harvesting is a strategy that we consistently use for clients regardless of economic conditions. Given the challenging market […]

As we work with clients to fulfill their goals and objectives, one of the most common strategies that we discuss is gifting. Making gifts to achieve goals and objectives, which are often generational in nature, requires a great amount of analysis and detailed execution to attain the desired outcome. Gifting strategies vary widely depending on […]

The development of our talent is critical to our growth. As we continue to find and hire new teammates we need to make sure they are properly supported. We do this by making sure every teammate in our organization has a coach. The coach’s primary responsibility is to support and develop those they lead along […]

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Have you ever wondered why diversification in your portfolio matters? Before we answer the question, have you ever heard of Michel de Nostradamus? Nostradamus was born December 14, 1503 in Saint-Remy, France during the Renaissance. He was a physician and an astrologer, and was regarded for his insight and ability to foretell what the future […]

The COVID pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine, continue to significantly impact the world and pull on the heart strings of many, leaving them searching for ways to help. In times like these, the number of organizations bidding for your donations generally increases. As urgent needs present, the decision to donate may be an […]

In 2021, more than 65 million Americans received Social Security benefits totaling, in aggregate, more than one trillion dollars. In April of each year, the trustees of the Social Security trust fund are supposed to report on the current and projected status of this highly relied upon program. Last year, the report was not published […]

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are a great way to cover medical and long-term care costs in the owner’s retirement years when those expenses increase exponentially with the owner’s age. The only real tax drawback to accumulating wealth in an HSA is when the account is inherited after the account owner’s death by a non-spouse beneficiary. […]

As one of our four “Cs” – Clients, Colleagues, Communities, and Culture – the communities that we live and work in are very important to us. We value giving back to them and making them stronger and more vibrant. As such, we empower our team to support their communities and causes within those communities in […]

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We are frequently asked how to set an appropriate level of cash reserves in a client’s financial holdings and the answer is, it depends. It varies by individual and entity, the level of predictable expenses or distributions and whether there are other sources of funds besides the investment portfolio. But there are steps to follow […]

As a result of a provision of the SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) Act, passed in 2019, retirement plan providers are required to begin providing lifetime income illustrations on retirement plan statements by September 18, 2022. Many plan providers send quarterly statements; therefore, if you have not yet noticed a change to […]

Cost Basis Step-Up, a Quick History and Why it is Still in the News You may recall there was a lot of discussion around tax reform in 2021, with quite a bit of attention given to the threat to repeal the step-up in cost basis upon the death of the asset’s owner. While that change […]

In 2015, we implemented our 10-year strategic plan to be Top of Mind Market Brand Dominant in the state of Michigan. Each year we assess our progress and initiate tactics to take one step closer to our goal in 2025. This year, as part of our marketing plan, we partnered with public relations firm Lambert […]

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At this time of year retirement plan providers are busy completing the annual Actual Deferral Percentage (ADP) tests for qualified retirement plans which contain a salary deferral or Roth 401(k) component. This test in particular can be very impactful to certain plan participants. This is a non-discrimination test for 401(k) plans mandated by the Internal […]

Planning for retirement is not only important from a financial perspective, but from a psychological perspective as well. Being prepared financially for retirement is critical, but the emotional impact is one that is often overlooked. Moving from a busy career into uncharted territory creates excitement as well as anxiety. The path to retirement reminds me […]

Valuation discounts, often utilized in connection with the transfer of ownership interests in family-owned or closely-held businesses, are a valuable estate planning tool. These discounts have gotten a good deal of press lately. Last September, the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) (H.R. 5376) was introduced in the House of Representatives. In its original form, the […]

We have all read the headlines about the tight labor market and have seen the help wanted signs around all of our communities (I counted 17 on my 20-minute commute into the office this morning). Without going into the myriad of reasons why we have a tight labor market, suffice to say that it is, […]

As of 2022, the federal lifetime gift and estate tax exemption is now $12,060,000 per person. If you are married, that means $24,120,000 can pass from you and your spouse to non-charitable beneficiaries without being subject to a 40% tax. The elevated lifetime exemption amount, combined with the recently increased annual exclusion amount of $16,000 […]

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In 2021, the nation’s long-term care insurers paid out $12.3 billion in claims to 336,000 policyholders in which some claims totaled over $1 million. This represents a significant increase over prior years according to the Association of Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI). The 2021 payout was approximately $700 million more than what was paid out in […]

Workaround clears the road for select Michigan business owners. During the final weeks of 2021, Michigan joined a growing number of states in adopting State And Local Tax (SALT) parity reforms. Governor Whitmer signed a bill into law December 20 that creates an election for owners of pass-through entities with Michigan-sourced income to pay state […]

Bequests that are subject to a condition or contingency are often referred to as “dead hand” control. They are often used to incent beneficiaries or to change unacceptable behaviors. A bequest to a beneficiary that is subject to a condition that the beneficiary must abide by the condition or forfeit the bequest is often used […]

Active equity managers face many investment paradoxes. Markets are inherently volatile and can be irrational. Long-term consensus expectations are often misestimated, all of which should create inefficiencies in security prices. And yet, most active managers fail to outperform their respective benchmarks. As Senior Equity Portfolio Manager, I’m specifically responsible for the Intrinsic Value Strategy, an […]

Remember starting your first job as an adult in the “real world?” You were excited, nervous, and wanted to make a big impression on day one. The problem was you were not exactly sure who everyone was nor what you were supposed to be doing. Our growth and commitment to client service has required the […]

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I’m encouraged by a conversation topic that seems to be coming up more and more regarding philanthropy, trust-based philanthropy. It’s not a new topic, but one that has and will take time to become the norm. As with most changes, it is understood and adopted at varying rates and levels of engagement. For the sake […]

Increasingly popular methods to raise employee participation in defined contribution retirement plans are various “automatic” features. These include auto-enrollment, auto-escalation, and automatically diversified qualified default investment alternatives (QDIAs). Let’s explore the opportunities auto-enrollment, in particular, affords plan sponsors. There are three forms of auto-enrollment, or automatic contribution arrangements (ACAs). Basic Auto Enrollment (ACA) Participants are […]

For much of 2021, there was plenty of angst expressed in the news with regard to the potential reduction of an individual’s federal unified gift and estate tax exemption amount. That exemption, $11.7 million per individual in 2021, was regularly threatened by several bills filed in Congress to reduce the exemption to a much lower […]

We believe meaningful recognition should be appropriate and deserved. It should be acknowledgement for a job well done. At the end of the year, we announced the following 20 promotions. These were teammates from throughout the organization who successfully executed customized purposeful growth plans with their coaches. Promotions are always based on merit at Greenleaf […]

With the end of 2021 around the corner, many individuals who work at both publicly traded and private companies may find themselves in a position where their employers have given them opportunity to receive equity compensation as part of their benefits package. There are two basic types of equity compensation – options and grants. Under […]

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was passed by the House of Representatives on November 5 and signed into Law by President Biden on November 15, 2021. It’s approximately 2700 pages long and includes $1.2 trillion of spending into broad infrastructure improvements. The bill has bipartisan support. In fact, it passed the Senate by a […]

As fall gives way to winter, families across the nation turn their attention to holiday festivities, football, and the coming of a new year. Similarly, financial advisors and tax experts at Greenleaf Trust spend this time preparing for year-end capital gains distributions. While this annual tradition may largely go unnoticed by those outside of the […]

I thought navigating 2021 would be a lot easier when we started. After all, what could be more difficult than 2020? I was wrong. Although we will have had our most successful year in the history of our company, it seemed like the rules and guidelines were always changing. Are we still in the pandemic, […]