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.

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Build It With the End in Mind

Considerations for Building and Transitioning the Family Business

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Navigating Election Year Volatility

Insights into Market Trends and Strategies for Long-Term Investors

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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.

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January Jobs – Wow… just wow.

Surging job gains and higher wages great for economy and consumers, but likely extend rate cut timing.

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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

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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.

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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.

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Greenleaf 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. […]

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December Inflation – Uptick Complicates Rate Cut Timing

Year-over-year, inflation accelerated to 3.4% in December – the highest reading since September.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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January 2024 Perspectives Newsletter

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Gladiators of the Market: Exchange-Traded Funds

This article delves into the history of ETFs, their operating mechanics, adoption, and their benefits.

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December 2023 Perspectives Newsletter

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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November 2023 Perspectives Newsletter

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 […]

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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.

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Greenleaf Trust announces addition of three team members

Greenleaf Trust continues to grow with the addition of three teammates

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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.

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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.

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October 2023 Perspectives Newsletter

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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.

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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.

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The Greatest Gift

One of the most important tasks we frequently do with our clients is to review their estate planning documents in the context of changes in tax law, fiduciary law, assets, goals and objectives, and family changes.

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Plan Sponsors Should Focus on Plan Governance and Plan Outcomes

Solid retirement plan governance process helps protect fiduciaries from liability.

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