The evolution of technology over the past decade is drastically changing the landscape for advice-centered businesses.  Just look at how Travelocity has displaced the experienced travel agent and Zillow is fast becoming the realtor of choice for millennials.  And now those who peek into the future of financial services are warning that advisors must evolve…

I have been with Legacy Trust now for just over two years and thought I would share some of what I have learned.  I have had a couple different roles since starting. My initial role was focused mainly on the operations side of the business, with some involvement in the investment world. After about a…

When it comes to wealth planning, it is easy for some of us to become consumed with the preservation and accumulation of assets, rates of return and cash flows.  We perceive the more we accumulate, the better prepared and happier our will future be. This story from Marketplace called “My Money Story: Eustace Conway, off…

It seems that I have had an unusually large number of conversations recently about how to choose a trustee for a trust.  Therefore, I felt this might be a good time to discuss some important considerations when faced with this decision.  Since the trustee will manage your assets when you are no longer able, it…

During one of my recent trips to Starbucks, which admittedly is a frequent occurrence, I ordered my usual Grande Americano with just a small amount of room left for cream. The barista then announced a familiar total of approximately $3.00 for the carefully crafted Espresso that is so essential to my day. I then held…

Twice in the past several weeks I have encountered a tax planning opportunity that was missed by families caring for a parent with diminished mental ability or confronting other life changes. In one instance, the children of a gentleman afflicted with Alzheimer’s and requiring skilled nursing care turned to Legacy Trust for help in consolidating…

It seems like all we hear about today from the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and other market media outlets is the attack on active management and the support for passive management (indexing). This conversation really took off last year when the S&P 500, Russell 2000, and other major indices hit record highs while in some…

The International Monetary Fund has been in the headlines recently with the release of its updated world economic outlook, coming on the heels of heightened equity market volatility over recent weeks and geopolitical flare-ups that seem to be simmering on a number of fronts. The IMF report outlines the lingering effects from the 2008 financial…

It has been almost 6 months since I joined the Legacy Trust team and I’d like to reflect on that time for my blog post, and how my role in the company is not unlike the role of running a family office. In order to make each family office successful it must have a set…

In the investment world, risk generally is related to uncertainty. It refers to the possibility that you might lose your investment, or that an investment will yield less than its anticipated return. Every investment carries some degree of risk because its returns are unpredictable. The more unpredictable its returns—the riskier the investment is considered to be. Within this framework, there…