One of the most important responsibilities we have when helping families with closely held businesses is to help them realize potential estate planning opportunities and/or problems. A classic example is with the Green Bay Packaging Inc. that was founded in 1933 by George Kress. The firm manufactures corrugated packaging, folding cartons, coated labels, and related […]
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Market centered vs client centered
Fight the perverse human urges to react to market movements. When stock indexes are making new highs, as they did several weeks ago, many feel the urge to get on board. When stock prices are moving down, the all too common impulse is to sell before prices move even lower. The evidence which proves such […]
Read MoreAsk a Trust Officer: Stock Market Highs
Dear Trust Officer: The S&P 500 stock index has reached new highs. Should I consider selling now? — Prosperous but worried DEAR PROSPEROUS BUT WORRIED: Passing a stock index milestone is not a signal to buy or sell. However, it does focus attention on the market, and it may cause some investors to evaluate their […]
Read MoreFundamental Investing
It was reported a record breaking 43,000 people attended Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in Omaha on Saturday. I have not seen a count for this year’s meeting but in 2018, Yahoo Finance, who streams the meeting live, estimated 35 million viewers tuned in to watch the event online. Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger must be […]
Read MoreGuarantee: The Market Will Fluctuate
The recovery from last year’s break down is complete. Stock prices moved higher last week with the S&P 500 closing at a new all-time high of 2,939.88 on Friday. At that point, the index was up 17.27% year to date and 25.04% from the Christmas Eve low. Economic news continued to support the belief that […]
Read MoreNonprofit Service by TCK Team Members
Last week, Stephen A. English, C.T.F.A., Chairman & CEO of The Trust Company of Kansas (TCK), shared information in an article titled Charitable Giving is Growing Nicely. In it, we learned that total gifts to charities exceeded $400 billion for the first time ever, totaling $410.02 billion in 2017. We also learned that nearly a […]
Read MoreEarnings Estimates Adjusted Higher
U.S. stocks were flat to slightly higher in anemic trading in the short week ending Thursday. With roughly 15% of companies reporting, the consensus estimate for composite earnings has improved to a decline of 3.8%. Activity will pick up this week as a much heavier flow of Q1 earnings reports begins. Our advice remains unchanged. […]
Read MoreCharitable Giving is Growing Nicely
The nonprofit sector did very well in 2017, according to the June 2018 report issued by Giving USA. Total gifts to charity exceeded $400 billion for the first time ever, totaling $410.02 billion in 2017. Gifts from individuals are the largest component, and were $14 billion ahead of the 2016 pace. All giving sectors grew, […]
Read MoreExpectations, Near and Far
Stocks were putting together a lackluster week until Friday morning when the first Q1 earnings announcements began with a couple of the big banks who reported better than expected results. The positive results suggested to some that the consensus expectation for a year over year earnings contraction of 4%, may be the floor for this […]
Read MoreA Novel Way to Beat Estate Taxes?
The longest recorded human lifespan is 122 years, 164 days. The record is held by Jeanne Calment, who lived in Arles, France. Born in 1875, Jeanne reportedly had an encounter with Vincent Van Gogh at her uncle’s shop. When Jeanne was 90 years old, she had outlived her daughter and her grandson, and had no […]
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