February 7, 2024
February 7, 2024
How We Work
The top five most common adjectives used by teammates to describe the behavior they admire most in teammates were kindness, honesty, supportive, reliable, and helpful.
Read MoreFebruary 7, 2024
Economic Commentary
We’re off to a decent start in 2024. 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 for stocks.
Read MoreFebruary 7, 2024
Build It With the End in Mind
Considerations for Building and Transitioning the Family Business
Read MoreFebruary 7, 2024
Navigating Election Year Volatility
Insights into Market Trends and Strategies for Long-Term Investors
Read MoreFebruary 7, 2024
401(k) Distributions – What Options Are Available Now?
When we think of retirement, we think of reaching that magical age of 65 and living our remaining years on the funds we worked so hard saving.
Read MoreFebruary 2, 2024
January Jobs – Wow… just wow.
Surging job gains and higher wages great for economy and consumers, but likely extend rate cut timing.
Read MoreJanuary 24, 2024
Greenleaf Trust announces two designations
Business Resiliency Analyst, Lyndsay Deery, received her Certified Business Continuity Professional designation. Vice President, Senior Trust Relationship Officer, Karen McNish, received her Certified Trust Fiduciary Advisor
Read MoreJanuary 16, 2024
2023 Review & 2024 Outlook
Chief Investment Officer, Nicholas Juhle and Vice President, Assistant Director of Research, Christopher Burns, present the 2023 year in review and 2024 outlook presentation.
Read MoreJanuary 16, 2024
Greenleaf Trust announces promotions in Northern Michigan
Greenleaf Trust is pleased to share the promotion of Regina Jaeger and Lauree VanderVeen to Vice President, Northern Michigan Market Team Leads and Senior Trust Relationship Officers.
Read MoreGreenleaf Trust announces 27 promotions.
Greenleaf Trust is pleased to share the promotions of the following teammates: Salena Al-Saadi was promoted to Assistant Vice President, Senior CRM Engineer. Peggy Anderson was promoted to Executive Vice President, Director of Operations. Nicole Asher was promoted to Senior Vice President, Senior Wealth Management Advisor. Karen Baldwin was promoted to Chief Human Resources Officer. […]
Read MoreJanuary 11, 2024
December Inflation – Uptick Complicates Rate Cut Timing
Year-over-year, inflation accelerated to 3.4% in December – the highest reading since September.
Read MoreJanuary 5, 2024
Greenleaf Trust named Inclusive Workplace by COLOR Magazine
Best Companies Group, in collaboration with COLOR Magazine, recognized Greenleaf Trust as an Inclusive Workplace in December 2023.
Read MoreJanuary 4, 2024
Recognizing Growth and Impact
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.
Read MoreJanuary 4, 2024
2023 Review and 2024 Outlook
Happy New Year! While 2023 did not lack for drama, it was also a positive year for the economy and markets. After a painful 2022, last year was a welcome period of recovery that exceeded expectations.
Read MoreJanuary 4, 2024
When Divorce and Grantor Trusts Collide
Currently, many married couples are encouraged to establish a trust for their spouse as part of their sophisticated estate plans. They are prompted to utilize their federal transfer tax exemption while it is large, since come 2026, if Congress does not act in the interim, their individual exemptions are set to drop from close to $14 million to about $6 million.
Read MoreJanuary 4, 2024
Survey Says…
Continuous improvement is one of Greenleaf Trust’s core values — it is a pillar of our culture and has become part of our DNA. Every tangible improvement we have made on behalf of our clients stems from a disciplined review of our practices.
Read MoreJanuary 4, 2024
New Year, Same Deadlines for Defined Contribution Retirement Plans
Understand what is happening with your business’s retirement plan. Christie Dando shares some of the most important deadlines you should be aware of for 2024 and beyond.
Read MoreJanuary 4, 2024
January 2024 Perspectives Newsletter
December 28, 2023
Financial Planning: How the election will hit markets and 4 other wealth predictions for 2024
Wealth Management Advisor, Mike Laske, discussed attractive investment opportunities for 2024 with Financial Planning Magazine.
See MoreDecember 12, 2023
November Inflation – Down YoY; Up MoM
Year-over-year, inflation decelerated modestly to 3.1% from 3.2% in October. Month-over-month, inflation ticked up to 0.1% from 0.0% in October.
Read MoreDecember 8, 2023
November Jobs – Stronger Than Expected
U.S. employers added more jobs than expected and the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell in November, underscoring the Federal Reserve’s intent to keep interest rates higher for longer.
Read MoreDecember 4, 2023
The Plan for 2024
Next year will mark the tenth and final year of our long-term strategic plan to be Top of Mind. The goal of the plan has always been to be top of mind with our clients by creating a unique holistic wealth management experience for them through our continuity of care and commitment to continuous improvement.
Read MoreDecember 4, 2023
Economic Commentary
Thanksgiving is over, December is here and the holiday season is in full swing. I’m honestly not sure where the last twelve months have gone, but it has certainly been both an eventful and fruitful year. In what follows, I’ll spend some time covering both the events and the fruits as we wrap up 2023.
Read MoreDecember 4, 2023
Shaking the Capital Gain Blues
While rising markets may lead to more gains than downward trending markets, many funds continue to generate taxable gains no matter the market environment.
Read MoreDecember 4, 2023
Cost-of-Living Adjustments to Retirement Plans for 2024
The IRS recently announced that many of the key retirement plan limits will increase next year. These limit increases are more modest than the 2023 increases, with some limits remaining the same.
Read MoreDecember 4, 2023
The Season of Giving
This is the traditional time for gift-giving, but there can be many advantages to making financial gifts earlier in the year, to both family and charity.
Read MoreDecember 4, 2023
Gladiators of the Market: Exchange-Traded Funds
This article delves into the history of ETFs, their operating mechanics, adoption, and their benefits.
Read MoreDecember 4, 2023
December 2023 Perspectives Newsletter
November 28, 2023
Greenleaf Trust announces two designations on client centric team
Senior Estate Settlement Officer, Alexandria Solis-Mullen, receives Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor designation, and Senior Wealth Management Advisor, Corbin Donaldson, receives Chartered Life Underwriter designation.
Read MoreNovember 21, 2023
Yahoo! News: How to take advantage of year-end gifting and avoid holiday scams
Managing Director – Grand Rapids, Thomas DeMeester’s interview with Wood-TV was syndicated to Yahoo! News.
Read MoreNovember 21, 2023
WoodTV8: How to take advantage of year-end gifting and avoid holiday scams
Managing Director – Grand Rapids, Thomas DeMeester spoke with WoodTV8 with money tips ahead of the holiday season.
Read MoreNovember 18, 2023
Greenleaf Trust Named Winner of Top Workplaces Culture Excellence National Awards in Four Categories
Greenleaf Trust has received national recognition for DE&I Practices, Employee Appreciation, Employee Well-Being and Professional Development
Read MoreNovember 16, 2023
Greenleaf Trust Announces Promotions and Role Change in Operations Division and Research Team
Greenleaf Trust is pleased to share the promotion of Theresa Loucanides and Brittany Szymczak to tax officers, and the addition of Patrick Bruining to the research team.
Read MoreNovember 14, 2023
October Inflation – Broad Slowdown, Good Sign for Policymakers
Despite volatility in recent months, inflation has declined substantially from a 40-year high of 9.1% reached last year.
Read MoreNovember 10, 2023
Annual and Lifetime Gifts for 2023 and Beyond
With the holiday giving season and year-end quickly approaching, many clients are planning their gifting strategies for 2023. For those families with larger estates, it is not too early to talk with your trusted advisors to develop a plan to take advantage of the larger current lifetime gift tax exemption scheduled to sunset at the end of 2025.
Read MoreNovember 10, 2023
November 2023 Perspectives Newsletter
November 10, 2023
Succession Planning and Recognition
In order to achieve our goal of serving clients from generation to generation, we need to ensure we not only have the financial strength and stability to do so, but equally critical is making sure we have the right talent in the right roles. That is why as we have matured and grown over the last 25 years, so has our focus on thoughtful succession planning.
Read MoreNovember 10, 2023
Economic Commentary
The fourth quarter is underway and somehow the end of the year is in sight. While economic momentum remained robust in the third quarter, the markets, forward looking as they are, began pricing for a new set of risks as the fourth quarter approached.
Read MoreNovember 10, 2023
Surprise! Your Irrevocable Trust May Still Be Revocable
When an individual creates an irrevocable trust, often the drafting attorney will remind the trust’s creator, “You understand, this is an irrevocable trust that cannot be changed, right?” That is often the impression left with the trust’s creator — once their trust is signed and assets are transferred to it, it’s “locked in place.” Right or wrong, that conclusion may not entirely be accurate.
Read MoreNovember 10, 2023
Temporary Landing – Money Market Mutual Funds
Money market mutual funds are a type of mutual fund that invests in cash, cash equivalents and short-term debt securities.
Read MoreNovember 11, 2023
Beware of Holiday Scams: Protect Yourself During This Joyful Season!
During the holiday season, scammers prey on online shoppers, urgent delivery deadlines, and our generosity. The most prevalent scams are non-delivery and non-payment scams, where buyers pay for items or services online, but never receive them, or the seller is never paid for their goods or services.
Read MoreNovember 3, 2023
October Jobs – Cooling but Not Freezing
Cooling, not Freezing. After an unexpected surge in September, U.S. hiring cooled by more than expected in October and the unemployment rate inched slightly higher. The U.S. labor market added 150K jobs, the unemployment rate increased to 3.9%, and wages grew slightly less than expected. Of note: the UAW strike accounted for a 33K decline […]
Read MoreOctober 17, 2023
September Retail Sales – Stronger Than Forecast
U.S. retail sales came in better than expected in September underscoring the resiliency of consumer demand exiting the third quarter. In real terms, retail spending increased 0.3% compared to August and 0.1% year-over-year. The advance showcases an American consumer that continues to spend money in spite of a recent energy-driven increase in inflation.
Read MoreOctober 14, 2023
Greenleaf Trust announces addition of three team members
Greenleaf Trust continues to grow with the addition of three teammates
Read MoreOctober 17, 2023
Greenleaf Trust announces master’s degree and two designations
Greenleaf Trust is pleased to share the continued development of teammates with a recent master’s degree and two professional designations.
Read MoreOctober 12, 2023
September Inflation – Another Brisk Month
Underlying inflation came in at a brisk 3.7% (year-over-year) pace for a second straight month in September underscoring how a resilient labor market continues to support consumer demand which threatens to keep inflation levels above the Fed’s 2% target.
Read MoreOctober 9, 2023
October 2023 Perspectives Newsletter
October 9, 2023
Two Heads Are Better Than One
I have experienced many times the value that diversity of background and thought have added to the work we do on behalf of our clients and how we collaborate with teammates. It’s the main reason we serve clients with three-person client-centric teams supported by the larger team.
Read MoreOctober 9, 2023
Economic Commentary
After two big steps forward in the first half of the year, the third quarter was arguably a half step back for the markets.
Read More