March 2020 Perspectives Newsletter

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Coronavirus Update – Getting Worse Before it Gets Better

The coronavirus induced sell-off is reaching new depths today as investors continue to grapple with the rapid spread of the virus and uncertainty around a fiscal response to curb slower economic growth from the outbreak.  The S&P 500 officially entered bear market territory this morning with losses extending more than 25% from the late February […]

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Interview: Financial expert gives advice as stock markets continue to plunge

Nick Juhle’s interview with Kate Siefert on Channel 3 Kalamazoo has published online and is available here: INTERVIEW: Financial Expert gives advice as stock markets continue to plunge

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Oil Price War – Another Facet of Uncertainty

Happy Monday? Oil prices, already beleaguered by softening demand owing to the coronavirus, opened another 30% lower to $35/barrel after disintegration of the OPEC+ alliance triggered a full blown price war among the world’s biggest oil producers.  The oil price shock adds another facet of uncertainty during a period of instability for the global economy […]

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How to Pay Off Your Debt in Retirement

While stepping into retirement might mean walking away from a job, many Americans are dragging financial baggage into this next stage: debt. In recent years, the amount of debt retirees carry has grown, and the numbers are troubling from both a monetary and emotional standpoint. In 2016, 60% of 65+ households had debt, up significantly […]

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Perspective on Coronavirus Outbreak and Market Response

We have written previously on 01/27/20, 02/14/20 and 02/24/20 offering our perspective on the evolving coronavirus narrative. While the situation in China continues to improve, spread of the virus outside of China has ignited fears and the financial market response has been both swift and severe.  These circumstances are unnerving, but also decidedly transitory – […]

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Update on Coronavirus Outbreak

On January 27, we published a note sharing our perspective on the coronavirus outbreak.  While our views are largely unchanged, we felt it was important to provide an update as the issue continues to evolve. Status of the Outbreak: The coronavirus (COVID-19) manifests as a pneumonia-like illness resistant to standard treatments, and is believed to […]

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Does the coronavirus outbreak matter financially?

The coronavirus manifests as a pneumonia-like illness resistant to standard treatments. The first case was reported on Dec. 31, 2019, in the city of Wuhan located in the Hubei province in central China. As of Feb. 17, there have been approximately 71,500 confirmed cases worldwide with a death toll approaching 1,800. Why should U.S. investors […]

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Coronavirus Outbreak: What Are We Worried About?

We have written twice previously on 01/27/20 and 02/14/20 offering our perspective on the evolving coronavirus narrative.  In light of a recent spike in anxiety and global flight to safety, we attempt to look beyond the headlines and reduce the narrative to its most basic components.  Below, we have done our best to objectively evaluate […]

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The Best We Have

Over the past 12 months, I have read many articles on the topic of CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) technology, and its potential medical uses. This subject is of particular interest because it is a developing genome editing technology that is controversial but yet shows great promise to treat cancers and other diseases. […]

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SECURE Act – What’s Changed?

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act, or SECURE Act, was officially approved by the Senate and signed by President Trump during the final weeks of 2019. While much has been written, discussed and debated about the merits of the new Act, it includes significant provisions that improve access to retirement accounts, prevent […]

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How to Think About Last Year’s Inverted Yield Curve

Regular readers of our Perspectives newsletter know that the investment research team at Greenleaf Trust focuses on leading indicators. One of the better-known leading indicators is the yield curve. In March 2019, the yield curve did something concerning to many investors, it inverted. This article will focus on historical yield curve inversions and highlight our […]

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Best and Brightest

Being recognized for something that you believe in and work hard at is meaningful. We work hard at helping our clients achieve their goals, and along the way exceeding their expectations. In order to do this, we need a talented, highly engaged team. Which means we also work hard at attracting the best of the […]

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February 2020 Perspectives Newsletter

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The SECURE Act’s Impact on Retirement Plans

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was enacted late last year with a January 1, 2020 effective date. It has been publicized as the most significant piece of legislation affecting the US retirement system in more than a decade, and will inevitably affect a majority of Americans saving for retirement. The […]

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Greenleaf Trust Wins Honored as Top 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® in the Nation for 2019

February 7, 2020, Kalamazoo, MI – Greenleaf Trust, a Michigan-chartered wealth management firm with $14 billion in assets under advisement, announced that it has been recognized as a Top 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® in the Nation. Best and Brightest Companies to Work For evaluates employee feedback based on key measures such […]

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A perspective on the new coronavirus outbreak

Concerns over the human and economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak in China have driven a financial market flight to safety in recent days. The outbreak invites anxiety on the heels of a sustained rally in U.S. stocks that occurred despite looming issues, including a presidential impeachment, ongoing global trade negotiations and a flare up […]

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SEC considers modernizing accredited investor definition

Lucas Mansberger, senior manager selection analyst and investment strategist at Greenleaf Trust in Kalamazoo, notes the “very strong” divergence in public comments to the SEC between the investment industry and investor advocates and protection organizations. When people are moving from public to private capital markets that have less oversight, “we view that it’s much more likely that abuses will […]

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Perspective on Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak

Concerns over the human and economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak in China have driven a financial market flight to safety in recent days.  The outbreak invites anxiety on the heels of a sustained rally in U.S. stocks that occurred despite looming issues including a presidential impeachment, ongoing global trade negotiations, and a flare up […]

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Greenleaf Trust’s Year In Review: A Seminar on Financial Markets and Our Outlook for 2020

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Change-Ups

Kalamazoo-based Greenleaf Trust announced the promotions of Daniel Baker to senior vice president, director of business development and trust relationship officer; Sarah Johansson to senior vice president, director of marketing; and Nicholas Juhle to senior vice president, director of research. Read more in the Grand Rapids Business Journal

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Talk to Your Patient Advocate!

A durable power of attorney for health care, sometimes called an advance directive, is an important instrument that assures patient autonomy and ensures that a patient’s wishes with regard to their health care decisions and treatment will be followed. Overlooked, and sometimes misunderstood, is the right of autonomy of medical providers not to provide treatments […]

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A FAST Track to Keeping the Family Together

A significant amount of time is spent with clients focusing on their current wealth plan and discussing strategies for passing wealth to the next generations. Often, the more challenging conversations center on identifying clients’ qualitative goals for passing family values over generations and keeping the family together after the oldest generation dies. Our Senior Trust […]

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Higher Retirement Plan Contribution Limits for 401(k)s and More in 2020

The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced cost-of-living adjustments to the maximum amount of earnings that are subject to the Social Security tax, as well as a 1.6% increase to monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits. This is good news for the nearly 69 million Americans receiving benefits, though this is a modest number […]

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2019 Review and 2020 Outlook

What a difference a year makes. In our 2018 year-end seminar we recapped a period where almost every major asset class posted disappointing returns as investors grew increasingly concerned by the prospect of a global economic slowdown. To the pleasant surprise of most observers, 2019 unfolded as a year characterized by stronger-than-expected returns across most […]

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Happy New Year

Welcome to 2020 and the start of a new decade! As I sit at my desk writing my first article of the new year, the Kalamazoo office of Greenleaf Trust is relatively quiet. The hustle and bustle of wrapping up end of year matters ahead of year end deadlines has been replaced with a more […]

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January 2020 Perspectives Newsletter

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Experiences at WMU serve HR executive well in professional life

Business alumna Karen Feller Baldwin pauses with emotion when she speaks of her experience as a WMU summer orientation leader. The relationships she forged with incoming students as they passed through the program continued during the school year and had a profound impact on the human resources professional she is today. Read more about Karen’s […]

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Jeff Hoekstra

Since earning his degree in sales and marketing years earlier, Jeff Hoekstra had played successful roles at Dominion Systems and Capital One Bank. He believed that knowledge is power, but that knowledge without action is useless. We had heard great things about Jeff , so when a business development position opened on our retirement plan […]

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Perspective on U.S./Iran Escalation

What happened? The tone in global financial markets turned cautious this morning after a U.S. airstrike in Iraq ordered by President Trump killed one of Iran’s most powerful generals, fueling concern over escalating tensions.  According to the Defense Department, the U.S. military took “decisive defensive action” by killing General Qaseem Soleimani who was “actively developing […]

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WWJ Newsradio 950 Radio interview with Nicholas Juhle, CFA

Senior Vice President, Director of Research Nicholas Juhle, CFA offers his perspective with WWJ Newsradio 950 on market response to global geopolitical events in 2020, and how the global playing field could impact consumer markets as well as the larger economy: https://greenleaftrust.com/wp-content/uploads/NJ-on-WWJ950-1-1.mp3  

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Vote with your ballot, not your portfolio

With the 2020 Presidential election less than 12 months away, many of our clients have been asking how we think about investments during an election year. As human beings, each person on our team has their own set of political preferences, but as research analysts, we try to approach polarizing topics (like politics) in the […]

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Lifting Up Diversity in the Finance Industry

Historically, populations in business schools and the financial industry have underrepresented minorities (URM). To change the diversity of the financial industry Greenleaf Trust established a scholarship program for URM majoring in finance or financial planning at Western Michigan University’s Haworth School of Business. Read more at Aim2Flourish

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Greenleaf Trust exec: “Good case” for more stock volatility in 2020

Investors approach 2020 with a little anxiety from concerns about the future of the U.S. economy that moved into a record period of expansion this past summer, plus the presidential election and other issues that create uncertainty. Nick Juhle, vice president and director of investment research, says investors view the stock market much as they […]

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10 concerns for 2020

While the economy is much larger than the stock market, it can have an effect on consumer confidence, both positive and negative. As the market has become more reactionary in recent years, that’s led to large swings tied to news about tariffs and Federal Reserve decisions on interest rates. Read more in MiBiz

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‘Tis the Season to Be Bunchy

December is a busy time of year…holiday parties, shopping for gifts, and family gatherings. It is also a busy time of year for charitable giving. In fact, approximately one-third of charitable gifts occur in the month of December. As an advisor, it is very enjoyable to see the generosity of clients in support of charitable […]

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Estate Planning in Low and High Interest Rate Environments

Some estate planning or wealth transfer strategies work well in a low interest rate environment, like the one we are in now, while others are more effective when rates are higher. It may be advantageous to implement those strategies that are most effective in a low interest rate environment now while preparing to implement other […]

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What It Means To Be a Fiduciary

The term fiduciary is used regularly in communications, but seldom do individuals actually know what it means to be a fiduciary. Often fiduciary refers to the role in which one serves another, such as the personal representative of an estate, a funeral representative, a conservator, a guardian, or the trustee of a trust. A deeper […]

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2019 Greenleaf Notables

It’s hard to believe that 2019 is almost over. Time sure does fly, and it seems even more so for me considering the late submission of this article. I ask forgiveness from our newsletter editor as it has been a busy year for Greenleaf Trust. By many measures, this has been a successful year for […]

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December 2019 Perspectives Newsletter

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Year-End Tax Planning Strategies for Charitable Giving, Capital Gains

It’s hard to believe, but the end of 2019 is quickly approaching. The end of the year brings focus to year-end tax planning. One of the first steps is ensuring applicable required minimum distributions (RMDs) are made to avoid steep IRS penalties. Read more at Newsmax Finance

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Expert sees no recessionary signs for next 12 months

U.S currently in longest period without a recession in history. Nov. 22, 2019 | By Danielle Nelson The United States is in the midst of the longest period without a recession in history, and there is no sign of the economy yielding in the near future, according to a financial expert. Nicholas Juhle, vice president […]

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Cyberattacks: An Evolving Threat to Your Retirement Account

On top of the various other challenges retirement savers already face, you now have another concern to consider: the possibility of a cyberattack. Imagine if the life savings you set aside in your nest egg were drained with a couple of phone calls and control of your email account. Read more at NewsMax Finance

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Greenleaf Trust announces three new hires and two promotions

November 2019, Kalamazoo and Traverse City, MI – Greenleaf Trust announces three new hires and two promotions Greenleaf Trust is proud to announce the addition of three new team members: Jan Crossman joins the Traverse City location as a team service coordinator. She is responsible for providing administrative support, day-to-day servicing of account needs and […]

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Year-End Tax Planning Strategies

It’s hard to believe, but the end of 2019 is quickly approaching. For most Americans, the season is filled with time with family and friends, last minute online orders with the hope Amazon’s two day delivery doesn’t fail you now, and for those lucky enough to call Michigan home, dusting off the snow blower for […]

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Avoiding Probate with Proper Asset Titling

A common question I get asked by clients and prospects is, “How do I avoid probate?” Probate is the process that a state uses to settle the estate of a deceased person, referred to as the decedent. One of the main objections many people have with the probate process is that it often violates their […]

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Capital Gains Distributions: A Seasonal Affair

As the last vestiges of summer quickly fade, people throughout the region begin turning their attention to winter activities and the impending holiday season. Accompanying every change in seasons is a unique set of to-do items, and one such activity that Greenleaf Trust advisors actively anticipate this time of year is the emergence of annual […]

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The Advance

We believe diverse, critical thoughts and candid discussions are necessary components of the decision making process. Decisions at Greenleaf Trust are made with these components, especially when it comes to strategic decisions. And since the focal point of our strategic planning process is our Advance, diverse critical thoughts and candid discussions are required. Our Advance […]

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November 2019 Perspectives Newsletter

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