Wealth Management FAQs

Wealth Management FAQs

Please contact us at (888) 727-9191, and we will route you to a representative that can work with you. You can also schedule a meeting with an MTC representative directly through our chatbot.

Please contact one of our Portfolio Development Officers:
Jeremy Engelson, (516) 582-2635 or jeremy.engelson@memberstrust.com
Bill Comber, (813) 676-1128 or bill.comber@memberstrust.com

The minimum account size requirement for trust services is $300,000 in liquid/investable assets. Account size requirements for wealth management will vary depending on account type and other factors. Please contact us at (888) 727-9191 with any questions.

No, you’re not required to create a trust. We have retirement accounts (such as IRAs), regular investment management accounts, and other types of accounts as well. Contact us at (888) 727-9191 to learn more about what account is right for you.

Yes, we offer Personalized Portfolio Accounts (PPAs). Members are able to express their specific investment criteria with our portfolio managers, and then we build a custom portfolio. These are accounts that are appropriate for situations when our primary investment strategies are not a good fit. You can download our PPA brochure here.

Yes, our team of professionals manage portfolios for investors of all experience levels.

Yes, we don’t have lock-up periods or charge penalties for withdrawing funds. Clients can request one-time distributions or set up automatic recurring distributions.

Generally, 401(k)s can be rolled over into an IRA with us as long as the 401(k) is from a former employer. We frequently manage IRAs, trusts, and regular investment management accounts.

We primarily use ETFs, which are similar to mutual funds and carry additional benefits. If you already have other investments, we can incorporate those into the portfolio in a tax-sensitive manner.

Generally, we do not. Private equity and hedge funds often are illiquid, have relatively high fees, and performance reporting is not always transparent. Options and futures can be complex and speculative, which we don’t see as necessary to achieve long-term investment goals.

We primarily use ETFs within our main models. For clients in a high tax bracket, on the fixed income side of the portfolio, we may recommend mutual funds with federally tax-exempt municipal bond exposures.

Yes, we offer Personalized Portfolio Accounts (PPAs) that can be customized for tax reasons, affinity for a particular investment, or other reasons. Click here to download our PPA brochure.

Yes, we have Personalized Portfolio Accounts which often incorporate single stock positions for tax reasons.

Some of our Personalized Portfolio Accounts are customized for ESG considerations. These can be developed through communication with one of our Portfolio Managers.

Yes, we have a relatively small number of directed accounts. However, most clients prefer to use our investment expertise. All of our Portfolio Managers are required to have the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and significant experience.

Your risk tolerance is both your willingness and ability to take risk. Helping clients appropriately determine their risk tolerance is one of the most important ways we add value as part of the investment process.

Yes, while mutual funds often distribute capital gains, the ETFs we use tend to be highly tax-efficient as they generally do not distribute capital gains. We can also use federally tax-exempt municipal bond exposures on the fixed income side of the portfolio to minimize tax liability.

An Investment Policy Statement is an agreement between the investor (you) and the manager (us) that must be signed before you begin investing. It defines your investment allocation and our duties and responsibilities for the management of your account.

The internal expense ratios, or fees for the underlying investments, are 0.1% or less depending on the model. These relatively low fees are one reason why we generally prefer ETFs over mutual funds, which often charge higher fees.

Members Trust Company only uses third-party ETFs to have a non-biased and transparent investment strategy.

The principal of an estate or trust is the amount originally received, plus capital gains and less debts, expenses, and capital losses. The income is the interest, dividends, and other income earned by the principal.

The USA stock market is open from 9:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. ET on weekdays (excluding stock market holidays: New Years Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day).

Two days, when the market is open.

Yes. You may not be able to offset them with a mutual fund, which is another reason we prefer ETFs. You can use a maximum of $3,000 of capital losses each year as a write-off against income other than capital gains. If your losses are greater than your gains by more than $3,000, the extra losses above the $3,000 limit can be carried forward to future tax years.

The annual gift tax exclusion for 2023 is $17,000 ($34,000 per married couple).

Unfortunately, we cannot operate 529 plans. You will need to work with a licensed Financial Advisor or Broker for this particular account.