Welcome to the inaugural Polaris Updates, Powered by Adviser. We’ve launched this monthly newsletter to keep you informed about all the pertinent developments at our organization. From enhanced services and company awards to the latest updates, there’s a lot of exciting news to communicate.
This Month:
- A Message from Mario
- A Quick Recap
- Recent Market Insights Summary
- Operations and Organization Update
- Looking Ahead
A Message from Mario
Welcome to the inaugural Polaris Updates, Powered by Adviser. We’ve launched this monthly newsletter to keep you informed about all the pertinent developments at our organization. From enhanced services and company awards to the latest updates, there’s a lot of exciting news to communicate.
While I’ve been fortunate to connect with many of you, for anyone I’ve yet to meet, my name is Mario Ramos. As CEO of Adviser, I oversee the management team at Polaris Wealth, and I partner with the talented advisers you know well and work with every day. As 2023 progresses, I look forward to getting to know you better and working with your wealth management team to ensure we’re meeting all of your needs.
In the meantime, I want to underscore that this week doesn’t just mark the start of a new year for Polaris Wealth and Adviser. We see 2023 as the dawn of an exciting partnership and an opportunity to provide you with enhanced solutions, support and services to strengthen your financial well-being.
Watch your inbox for each month’s newsletter and let us know what you think. If you have questions or suggestions, reach out to your wealth adviser or email me directly at CEO@adviserinvestments.com.
Thank you for your partnership,
A Quick Recap
- On April 12, 2022, Adviser announced it was joining forces with Polaris Wealth. Our combined advisory team is well positioned to leverage the strengths, best practices and customer-first philosophy of each firm while delivering comprehensive wealth management services, including financial and tax planning as well as investment management.
- Mario joined Adviser and Polaris Wealth as chief executive officer in May 2022. With more than 20 years of industry experience as a leader in financial services, his priorities include expanding the services we provide to clients around the country and helping us to excel as a firm.
- As we begin 2023, we’re eagerly putting the benefits of our partnership to work for you—including expanding our tax offerings (see details below), elevating our estate planning capabilities, and extending our expertise in areas such as alternative investments.
Our combined firm’s dedication to delivering exceptional, personalized support while upholding the industry’s high ethical standards remains unchanged. We’re honored to serve you and look forward to continuing to do so for many years to come.
Recent Market Insights Summary
We’re proud of the thought leadership and analysis our experts deliver to you. In case you missed it, below is a quick overview of December’s market insights.
Has the inflation tide turned?
The latest consumer price index (CPI) report showed core inflation inched up 0.2% in November from the previous month—the smallest advance since August 2021. While prices for goods and services have climbed more than 7% from a year ago, signs that peak inflation may be behind us have fueled hopes that policymakers will enact a less aggressive interest-rate stance in the coming months.
How to describe December’s spike in tax-exempt money market yields? Fleeting.
Tax-exempt money market yields usually spike higher in December only to reverse course in January. Why? Individual investors sell money market funds to cover holiday bills, while institutional investors engage in year-end “window dressing” (temporarily shifting their portfolio from lower-yielding municipal money market funds to higher-yielding taxable bond funds to show a higher absolute yield). When individuals and institutions revert to their normal activities in January, money market yields tend to correct.
Looking to pass a home to the next generation? Consider a QPRT.
How does it work? A qualified personal residence trust, or QPRT, is an irrevocable trust that allows you to pass a home to the next generation in a tax-friendly manner during your lifetime. Often, we pair a QPRT with an intentionally defective grantor trust (IDGT). Both tax strategies become timely when you consider that the current federal estate-tax exclusion of $12.06 million is set to expire on the last day of 2025, when the exemption amount could slide down to about half.
Operations and Organization Updates
Polaris Tax Services. Our partnership is poised to deliver many new services and support enhancements. One of the areas where you’ll see an immediate benefit is tax planning. In addition to tax returns and filing, Polaris Tax Services is ready to help you create a customized financial plan grounded in tax strategy. Email info@polariswealth.com today to request a tax consultation.
Leadership Update. As many of you know, Jeff Powell is no longer with Polaris Wealth or Adviser. With this change in leadership comes a strong and clear promise from us: Our entire team is dedicated to delivering high-touch, high-quality support with integrity and transparency.
Looking Ahead
2023 promises to be an eventful year. We will continue to keep you informed of economic, market and firm updates with this newsletter and other communications. Despite last year’s tremendously trying market conditions, we’re excited about what the future holds. We thank you for the trust you’ve placed in us and we’re eager to unveil the outstanding new initiatives planned for this year.
We value your opinion and feedback as we remain focused on helping you achieve your goals in the best way possible. Please reach out to your wealth adviser or email us anytime at info@polariswealth.com. We look forward to hearing from you and wish you all good things in the new year and beyond.
This material is distributed for informational purposes only. The investment ideas and opinions contained herein should not be viewed as recommendations or personal investment advice or considered an offer to buy or sell specific securities. Data and statistics contained in this report are obtained from what we believe to be reliable sources; however, their accuracy, completeness or reliability cannot be guaranteed.
Purchases and sales of securities listed above represent all securities bought and sold in each strategy during the period stated. Each strategy’s portfolio generally includes more holdings in addition to the transactions listed above and in some cases the securities listed above may only represent a small portion of the particular strategy’s complete portfolio. Further, the securities listed above are not selected for listing based on their investment performance; thus it should not be assumed that any of the securities listed above were profitable or will be profitable, nor should it be assumed that future recommendations will be profitable. Clients and prospective clients should only make judgments about a strategy’s performance after reviewing the strategy’s composite performance information. There is no assurance that each security listed above will remain in the strategy’s portfolio by the time you have received or read this email. Securities are listed for informational purposes and are not intended as recommendations. Existing investor accounts may not participate in all transactions listed above due to each account’s particular circumstances.
Our statements and opinions are subject to change without notice and should be considered only as part of a diversified portfolio. You may request a free copy of the firm’s Form ADV Part 2, which describes, among other items, risk factors, strategies, affiliations, services offered and fees charged.
Past performance is not an indication of future returns. Tax, legal and insurance information contained herein is general in nature, is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal or tax advice, or as advice on whether to buy or surrender any insurance products. We do not provide legal advice, nor sell insurance products. Always consult a licensed attorney, tax professional, or licensed insurance professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation, or insurance needs.
Companies mentioned in this article are not necessarily held in client portfolios and our references to them should not be viewed as a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any of them.
Third-party publications referenced in this article (e.g., Citywire, Barron’s, InvestmentNews, CNBC, etc.) are independent of Polaris Wealth Advisory Group. Opinions and statements contained in third-party articles are for informational purposes only; they are not investment recommendations.
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