Join us for a CE course for estate planning attorneys and CPAs. A poorly conceived or sloppily designed estate plan can actually cause more problems than it solves. Fortunately, under the laws of most jurisdictions, various judicial and non-judicial options exist with which to remedy estate planning problems after-the-fact. A well-rounded estate ... Read More›

"…If you try to book an airline ticket, it's still quite expensive, and that's why it doesn't feel like a recession yet. Hopefully we don't get there. Technically, we may be in one, but it doesn't really feel like it because nominally things are still inflating ... and jobs levels are still quite healthy at 3.5%,” stated Jerry Braakman. Jerry ... Read More›

“What you don’t want to do is panic and harm your long-term finances by making portfolio moves driven by fear and emotion that will put you deeper in a hole. What’s past is past. Your job is to minimize the damage of the market downturn and look ahead. You want to position your portfolio for the market’s next phase,” says Jerry Braakman, president ... Read More›

Join us for a CE course for estate planning attorneys and CPAs. Outside the context of outright gifts of cash to a public charity, charitable giving can be complicated. Familiar examples of charitable giving techniques that can present challenges include charitable gift annuities, split-interest charitable trusts, farm or residence remainder ... Read More›

Our tax laws are in a state of flux. Among many potential changes is the possibility of losing a large portion of the $12.06 million (or the $24.12 million for a married couple) estate and gift tax exemption along with other tried and true gifting strategies. If you have been hitting the snooze button on your estate plan, your window of ... Read More›

The first half of 2022 was the worst stretch for markets in almost 50 years, with a significant sell-off in stocks and bonds. All major asset classes are down for the year except commodities, although signs of commodity weakness are also beginning to materialize. Despite year-to-date losses, most asset classes are still higher than pre-pandemic ... Read More›

“You can’t just raise rates and reduce the balance sheet without it doing the opposite of what it did before,” said Jerry Braakman, chief investment officer of First American Trust. “When you do the reverse, you can expect it will do the opposite as well.” Read more about the current stock market and jobs report in this article by the Washington ... Read More›

Jerry Braakman and our executive guest speaker, Mark Doyle, discuss the importance of estate planning for business owners and high-net-worth individuals and provide additional insight on the following topics: Read More›

Join us for a CE course for estate planning attorneys and CPAs. Planning and maneuvering to reduce or eliminate taxes aren’t just for the living. Numerous opportunities exist to minimize taxes relating to the transmission of an individual’s property even after he or she has died. A fiduciary (or the fiduciary’s advisors) must have comprehensive ... Read More›

“One of the biggest money mistakes that investors make in a bear market is thinking they can pick the bottom,” says Jerry Braakman, President and Chief Investment Officer. He also states, “another big mistake that investors make in a bear market is moving to cash. In earlier bear markets, it took years for investors who moved to cash to come back, ... Read More›

Join us for a CE course for estate planning attorneys and CPAs. The technical intricacies of estate planning are tough enough, but the challenge becomes still more intimidating when the identity of the person(s) to whom the planner owes legal and ethics-based duties is unclear and when the period during which such duties are owed is amorphous. ... Read More›

“...It's obviously a difficult time for the markets and part of that is our economy is a little bit in transition...not just our economy, but a global economy as well...,” stated Jerry Braakman. Jerry Braakman, President and Chief Investment Officer, and Jason Nerio, Director of Investment Research & Strategy, share their insight on current ... Read More›