January 3, 2023
Julie Weston has been promoted to special asset associate on the estate settlement team. She is responsible for the management of special assets in the settling of estates. She has over ten years of experience in client service. Julie earned her bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree from Walden University. Joel […]
Read MoreJanuary 3, 2023
Family office wealth strategist receives CFP® Certification Family Office Wealth Strategist Brittany Szymczak, CFP®, CPA has been authorized by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) to use the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP® certification marks in accordance with CFP Board certification and renewal requirements. Brittany is responsible for providing comprehensive family wealth […]
Read MoreDecember 20, 2022
Chief Investment Officer Nicholas Juhle, CFA was featured in a Nerd Wallet article on How to Buy Treasury Bonds. Read more here.
See MoreDecember 19, 2022
Chief Investment Officer Nicholas Juhle’s commentary was recently featured in US News & World Report article on stock market trends for 2023. Read more here.
Read MoreDecember 19, 2022
Greenleaf Trust is proud to announce that it has been recognized as an “Inclusive Workplace” by Best Companies Group, a workplace culture and employee engagement expert, and COLOR Magazine, a leader in corporate inclusivity.
Read MoreDecember 19, 2022
Wealth management associate and trading specialist receive CFP® Certifications Wealth management associate Brian Schafer, and trading specialist Mollie Felt have been authorized by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) to use the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP® certification marks in accordance with CFP Board certification and renewal requirements. Brian is a member […]
Read MoreDecember 19, 2022
Wealth Management Advisor Brian Farrell, CFP® was featured in Money Magazine.
See MoreDecember 15, 2022
U.S. retail sales posted the largest month over month decline in nearly a year reflecting softness in a range of categories that suggest some easing in American’s demand for goods. The report suggests some loss in momentum in consumer demand for goods amid high inflation and a shift in preferences favoring services. While rising wages and excess savings built up during the pandemic have helped support spending, consumers are feeling more pressure. While real year-over-year retail sales declines can be a leading indicator of a recession, softness is also an indication that Fed efforts to reduce consumer demand, and in turn inflation, is having an impact.
Read MoreDecember 14, 2022
• The Fed raised interest rates 0.50%, as expected, to a range of 4.25-4.50%.
• Projections for the rate next year were revised upward by 0.50%, from 4.50-4.75% to 5.00-5.25%. This was a hawkish surprise and is impacting risk assets.
• The bond market is unconvinced, and continues to price in a high-point of a 4.75-5.00% rate and then cuts of 1.00% by early 2024.
• Chair Powell noted that the economy appears to be slowing, but continued to characterize the labor market as out-of-balance, and risks to inflation as skewed to the upside.
December 13, 2022
November inflation data surprised positively this morning for the second month in a row offering hope that decades high price increases are easing and perhaps giving Fed policymakers additional breathing room in the months ahead.
Read MoreDecember 15, 2022
Wealth Management Advisor Brian Farrell, CFP® was quoted in Money Magazine. Read article here.
Read MoreDecember 9, 2022
Download our monthly newsletter. Read more.
View PDFDecember 9, 2022
It was May 1985 when I began to write a monthly newsletter to my clients about the economy, financial markets and geopolitical as well as domestic political happenings that had impact on both. Thirty-seven and a half years have flown by (and by some miracle, I didn’t get any older and some would say wiser) and this month’s column is number 450, comprising 1400 pages and over 625,000 words. What started out as an attempt to inform approximately 50 clients now reaches 1200 client relationships, hundreds of estate planning attorneys and CPAs as well as thousands of visitors to our website each month.
Read MoreDecember 9, 2022
In order to serve from generation to generation, it’s important that we continue to grow purposefully in size. There are risks to growing too quickly, and risks to growing too slowly. Purposeful Growth involves growing deeper and broader in our capabilities at a designed pace in order to serve existing and prospective clients better.
Read MoreDecember 9, 2022
Capital gain taxes, as the name implies, are taxes collected on the gains realized from the sale of an investment. In a year of volatile and downward-trending markets, some may assume that no capital gains could have been realized over the course of the year and thus there will be little to no capital gain distributions. This assumption, while understandable, is incorrect.
Read MoreDecember 9, 2022
In their ongoing pursuit of your money and identity, criminals are constantly coming up with new cons. When shopping online during the holiday season – or any other time of the year — there are plenty of opportunities for bad actors to take advantage of busy and distracted online shoppers. Here are a couple of […]
Read MoreDecember 9, 2022
At many times and for many estates, we regret that we were never afforded the opportunity to connect during the person’s lifetime and never learned in their own words what they planned for their legacy.
But what does it mean to plan for your legacy?
December 9, 2022
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced the increase to the maximum retirement plan benefit and contribution limits for 2023. Employee contributions to 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan will rise to $22,500 – a $2,000 increase from the $20,500 cap for 2022. Plan participants age 50 and older in 2023 can contribute an additional $7,500 for a maximum of $30,000, up $1,000 from this year.
Read MoreDecember 9, 2022
Following extremely robust market returns in 2021, and new all-time highs the first week of this year, 2022 has proven to be a challenging year for investors to date. While up from its mid-October lows, the S&P 500 index registered an intra-year drawdown of approximately 25%, while the aggregate bond market didn’t fare much better […]
Read MoreDecember 2, 2022
Good news is bad news. Continued job gains highlight strong demand, but offer little relief for the Fed. U.S. employers again added more jobs than expected in November and wages increased more than expected underscoring continued labor market strength despite rising interest rates and concerns of an impending recession.
Read MoreNovember 22, 2022
Greenleaf Trust, a Michigan-chartered wealth management firm with $17 billion in assets under advisement*, announced that it has been recognized as a 2022 National Best and Brightest in Wellness winner after being named a Michigan winner earlier this month.
Read MoreNovember 16, 2022
The Chief Financial Officer for Greenleaf Trust Steve McKiddy was honored on Thursday, November 10 with the first annual Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine Philanthropy Volunteer of the Year Award at the Medical School’s donor appreciation luncheon. Read More
Read MoreNovember 16, 2022
U.S. retail sales posted the largest month over month increase since February and real growth of 0.6% year-over-year indicating that demand for goods is broadly holding up despite decades high inflation and a deteriorating economic outlook. While real year-over-year growth in retail sales tends to be an indication of economic health, consumer resilience may complicate […]
Read MoreNovember 17, 2022
November 17, 2022, Kalamazoo, MI – Greenleaf Trust, a Michigan-chartered wealth management firm with $17 billion in assets under advisement*, announced that it has been recognized not only as one of Michigan’s Best and Brightest in Wellness but as an Elite Winner in Participation and Incentives. Winning companies were recognized at the “Michigan’s Best and […]
Read MoreNovember 16, 2022
Greenleaf Trust is pleased to share Chief Financial Officer Steve McKiddy was honored November 10, 2022 with the first annual Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine Philanthropy Volunteer of the Year Award at the medical school’s donor appreciation luncheon. Steve has been the Chairman of the Dean’s Circle of Leadership Giving for […]
Read MoreNovember 10, 2022
October inflation data surprised positively this morning offering hope that decades high price increases are easing and perhaps giving Fed policymakers some breathing room in the months ahead. The Consumer Price Index rose 7.7% from the same period a year ago compared to expectations of +7.9%. In addition to beating expectations, October CPI was the […]
Read MoreNovember 7, 2022
All of us experience the realization that the hands of the clock spin at greater velocity every year. The fade of winter is briefly replaced by budding tulips before the fireworks for the Fourth of July light up the summer sky. I truly love college football and can’t yet imagine that we are in the […]
Read MoreNovember 7, 2022
Receiving an award can be quite gratifying especially if it validates your hard work on something you are passionate about. We are passionate about and work hard on our culture. The culture at Greenleaf Trust is an expression of our core values and a big part of what differentiates us in the marketplace. Beginning in […]
Read MoreNovember 7, 2022
Russia and Ukraine are significant producers of crude oil and natural gas commodities essential to the energy industry. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused significant disruptions in these energy sources, particularly for Europe. With winter around the corner, now is an appropriate time to provide a primer on the situation. This article will focus […]
Read MoreNovember 7, 2022
Often an individual will say that they are too old to engage in a Roth IRA conversion. Their fear is that the tax-free benefits of owning a Roth IRA with a shortened life expectancy will be outweighed by the up-front income tax cost that comes with the Roth conversion. The reality is that an individual […]
Read MoreNovember 7, 2022
Although the majority of private sector qualified retirement plans are now defined contribution (DC) type plans (i.e. 401(k), 403(b), profit sharing etc.), there are still some legacy defined benefit (DB) pension plans being maintained by employers. It has long been known that these pension plans can become a runaway train of costs and corporate liabilities […]
Read MoreNovember 7, 2022
Over the past decade, we have become accustomed to a low interest rate environment which has favored certain estate planning techniques and wealth transfer strategies. A number of these strategies use interest rates which are published monthly by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); the Applicable Federal Rate (AFR) reflects the minimum interest rate that the […]
Read MoreNovember 7, 2022
When Congress enacted the SECURE Act in 2019, one of the noteworthy changes related to the period over which beneficiaries were required to take IRA distributions. Before the SECURE Act, beneficiaries of inherited IRAs could “stretch” the required minimum distributions (RMDs) over their entire life expectancies. The stretch period could be decades for younger beneficiaries, […]
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View PDFOctober 25, 2022
Greenleaf Trust is proud to announce the addition of James Liggins, Esq. to board of directors: At the regularly scheduled October board of directors meeting, the board unanimously voted to accept the nomination of James Liggins, Esq. to the Board of Directors of Greenleaf Financial Holding Company, Greenleaf Trust of Michigan and Greenleaf Trust of […]
Read MoreOctober 19, 2022
Chief Investment Officer Nicholas Juhle spoke at the Detroit Economic Club about the collapse of consumer confidence. Listen here
Read MoreOctober 14, 2022
U.S. retail sales slowed in September with inflation adjusted spending unchanged from a year ago and down month over month. Weaker retail spending is an indication that rampant inflation is catching up with consumers. The Fed is expected to implement a fourth 0.75% rate increase next month as part of an ongoing effort to soften […]
Read MoreOctober 13, 2022
On the heels of last week’s solid jobs report, September inflation data came in hotter than expected this morning likely cementing another 0.75% Fed rate increase next month. While policymakers have responded to elevated inflation with the fastest hiking cycle in over 30 years, the labor market and consumer demand have remained resilient. The Consumer […]
Read MoreOctober 12, 2022
When the financial crisis and resulting severe recession took place in 2008, we offered that the recovery would be long in duration and reflected in incremental progress along the way. The essential reason for that observation was the knowledge that the recession of 2008 was not a typical business cycle recession, but rather one that […]
Read MoreOctober 12, 2022
With market volatility persisting throughout the year, investors have become more interested in alternative investments. Some of these investments, such as hedge funds, private equity, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and others incur large income distributions. For those in the top tax bracket that can mean income taxes near 45%, whether or not that income […]
Read MoreOctober 12, 2022
Download our monthly Perspectives Newsletter. Read More
View PDFOctober 12, 2022
It’s almost Halloween, and there are spooky things everywhere you look. Though this time of year is often intentionally scary, don’t let fear control you, especially when it comes to your finances. Sometimes fear of what’s waiting around the corner, or the big scary unknown, can stop us dead in our tracks and keep us […]
Read MoreOctober 12, 2022
The Department of Labor’s Electronic Disclosure Rule has simplified the delivery of retirement plan information to participants. This rule allows retirement plan administrators to satisfy their information disclosure requirements under ERISA (The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) by making required notices and disclosures available to employees electronically under a “notice-and-access” method. The new […]
Read MoreOctober 12, 2022
Participating in an Ironman race requires months, if not years, of rigorous training, discipline and mental dexterity. Preparation is not limited to purely triathlon training, but crosses over into the efficiency of navigating the transition zones (from swimming to biking, and from biking to running). Successful triathlon participants train their bodies to perform these transition […]
Read MoreOctober 12, 2022
2022 has been a difficult year for investors offering limited opportunities for positive returns. After rising nearly 27% in 2021, the S&P 500 index has retreated 24% year-to-date. Uncertainties abound as persistent inflation is met with increasingly restrictive monetary and fiscal policy and geopolitical risks loom large. US corporate earnings, however, have proven resilient thus […]
Read MoreOctober 10, 2022
October 7, 2021 Birmingham, MI – Greenleaf Trust announces CTFA designation Senior trust relationship officer receives Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor designation Mark Meyers, CFP, CTFA, CLU, ChFC, a Senior Trust Relationship Officer in southeast Michigan was recently awarded the Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) designation from the American Bankers Association. Mark provides holistic […]
Read MoreOctober 7, 2022
Continued job gains underpin consumer health, offering no relief for the Fed. U.S. employers added jobs at a healthy, though more moderate pace in September and the unemployment rate fell, suggesting the labor market remains resilient against aggressive rate increases from the Federal Reserve. While there have been some signs of moderating labor demand including […]
Read MoreOctober 3, 2022
By Rose White Chief Investment Officer Nicholas Juhle, CFA® discusses the need for disciplined investing despite tumultuous markets. Read more on MLive.
Read MoreSeptember 9, 2022
Current economic data and news seems mostly positive, and yet there are those who are uneasy about the near-term future and seem increasingly convinced that a recession is not far off. Why is there seemingly a disconnect between the current condition and what lies ahead of us? In this month’s article, we will try to […]
Read MoreSeptember 13, 2022
Senior Wealth Management Associate Garrett Urman, CFP®, has been authorized by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) to use the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP® certification marks in accordance with CFP Board certification and renewal requirements. Garrett is responsible for the development of comprehensive wealth management plans, the execution of goal-based planning […]
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