Wealthy families don’t succeed by accident. Planning is necessary for a family’s wealth and values to persevere through many generations. However, the best wealth management plan cannot succeed if the pieces are planned in isolation.
Sentinel Trust takes a holistic view of tax, estate, investment, family business, governance, and philanthropic goals to develop and manage each highly customized wealth management plan. It begins by getting to know you, your spouse, and if appropriate, your children and their children.
While we must defer to practicing attorneys and accountants to draft documents and prepare tax returns, our experience with many families of extraordinary means allows us to assist in the development of formalized plans. Because we are chartered as a trust company, we are able to serve as corporate fiduciary and effectively administer complex planning vehicles.
Know also that we can speak in plain English, without acronyms or legalese. We are warm. We are engaged. We are smart. We consider even the smallest details – both financial and interpersonal. We are passionate about this work and it shows.
Perhaps, for the first time, your family will love it too.
On Watch – September 2023
The latest edition of On Watch is now available for download. This issue features articles about S corporation strategy, decoding Medicare, and how to help teenagers build credit. Contributors to this issue are By Ross W. Nager, MPA, CPA, Yasmin Zarrinkelk, CPA and Brandon D. Harsell, CPA. To receive email alerts about future issues of…
Recent Credit Ratings Downgrades
Moody’s, S&P and Fitch are still the big three credit rating agencies that rate a borrower’s ability to pay back debt. These agencies rate everything from US Treasurys to riskier high yield corporate debt. A AAA rating generally suggests a bond has a very low probability of default. CCC rated debt on the other hand has about a 20% probability of defaulting in the next year. We’ve recently seen credit rating downgrades outpacing upgrades with a few downgrades garnering headlines.
Takeaways from the 2023 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting
We attended the annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting again this year. We came away with many pages of notes and summarized our key takeaways from Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett below: We are leaving the incredible 2020-21 period where the government poured money into the economy. Inventories are now building, sales will likely come, and they…
On Watch – April 2021
The latest edition of On Watch is now available for download. This issue features articles about special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), the benefits of selecting an effective corporate trustee, and a discussion of the role hedge funds can play in a well-diversified portfolio. Contributors to this issue are Dennis A. Montz, MBA, CFA, CAIA; D….