SECOND QUARTER 2017
Tax Refund: A
Planning Tool
Last year, approximately 80% of all
tax returns resulted in the issuance of
a refund, and the IRS estimated the
average tax refund was approximately
$3,100. For many Americans, this
represents a substantial financial
windfall. For some, however, a
tax refund acts as a forced savings
mechanism. A recent survey in the
state of Vermont, for example, showed
62% of individuals reported they
lacked adequate rainy day/emergency
savings.
Tax time is stressful, but for many it
presents a real opportunity to start
a meaningful savings program. For
more than two-thirds of Americans,
their tax refund is the single largest
payment they’ll receive all year. 
US Population
Declining
The US rate of population growth is at
an 80 year low. Americans are simply
not having as many children, and the
birth rate is now expected to fall to
0.5% by 2040. Even if the millennial
generation were to reverse the current
trend, it would still be 20 years before
those people would join the work
force.
Because Money Matters.®
Wealth Protection Trusts
There are five basic causes of depletion of wealth – excessive spending,
taxes, lawsuits, poor investment management, and divorce. And almost
everyone knows a story about someone who has lost an inheritance for
one of those reasons! However, with a little planning and communication,
a person can protect an inheritance they leave, or receive, from all of those
things.
In the past, “asset
“The goal is not to hide
protection planning” had
the assets, but rather to
some negative connotations,
protect them.”
often invoking images
of a shady courier taking
briefcases full of cash to
deposit in off-shore accounts. However, as litigation becomes more
prevalent, and divorce becomes more common, people are looking for
ways to plan their estate that will protect the assets they have worked hard
to accumulate. The goal is not to hide the assets, but rather to protect
them. Stories of spendthrift children and grandchildren, lawsuits and
divorce are becoming so widespread that people no longer believe that “it
will never happen to my family”.
Traditionally, inheritances are received outright and free of trust. This
may not happen until the beneficiary reaches a certain age (25, 35 and
40 are common choices), but at some point the inheritance becomes the
property of the beneficiary. When the inheritance becomes property of
the beneficiary it also becomes available to the beneficiary’s creditors. If,
however, the inheritance remains in trust for the life of the beneficiary,
the trust can provide protection that prevents anyone other than the
beneficiary from having access to the assets. Because the assets are legally
owned by the trust, and the trust was not funded by the beneficiary, it
is difficult, if not impossible, for the beneficiary’s creditors or a divorcing
spouse to reach the assets.
Discussions of this type of planning often lead to the objection that
clients don’t want to control the money, or the family, “from the grave”.
But proper planning can give these types of trusts great flexibility.
(Continued on page 2)
greatplainstrust.com
Random Facts

Wealth Protection
Provisions can be included to allow for a change of trustee, or for
modifications to the trust itself to adapt to new tax laws or changes in
the family situation. The trustee can be directed to be liberal in making
distributions for the beneficiary, and the beneficiaries can even be given
a certain amount of control over what happens to the property after they
are gone.
Bill Gates told his Harvard
University professors that he
would be a millionaire by age
30. He became a billionaire at
This type of asset protection planning can be done for assets left to
a loved one at your death or you can start funding these types of trusts
for your loved ones now by using the annual $14,000 gift tax exclusion.
You can also protect any inheritance you might receive, by asking your
parents to leave your inheritance to you in trust, rather than outright.
While it can be difficult to bring up the issue of inheritance with your
parents, protecting it from creditors may be an easier way to approach
the topic. It may also provide an opportunity for you to make sure their
estate plan is complete and up to date.
age 31.

The United States generates
more than 20% of the world’s
GDP with about 4% of the
world’s population.

Colgate’s first toothpaste,
Providing protections from divorcing spouses, creditors, taxation,
and poor financial habits does not have to be difficult. A qualified estate
planning attorney can help you identify the goals you value the most and
make sure that your inheritance and, more importantly, the beneficiaries
who receive it, are protected. 
introduced in 1873, was
packaged in a jar. Toothpaste
was first packaged in a tube in
1896.

Legendary investor Warren
Buffett bought a 40-acre farm
at age 14 with $1,200 in savings
from delivering newspapers.

Hewlett-Packard was
started in a garage in Palo
Alto, CA in 1939. Bill Hewlett
and Dave Packard flipped a
coin to determine whether the
firm would be called HewlettPackard or Packard-Hewlett.
Packard won the coin toss
but chose to go with Hewlett-
A Preference for Plastic
Gallup reports that just under a quarter of people (24%) make some
or all of their purchases with cash, down from 36% five years ago. The
Federal Reserve recently released a
survey which showed Americans are
reaching for their debit cards often,
generating an astonishing number
of total transactions – 69.5 billion
in 2015. That represented $2.56
trillion in transactions.
Credit cards were in second place
as a method of payment totaling
33.8 billion transactions. Credit and debit cards together accounted for
more than two-thirds of all non-cash payments made by consumers in
the U.S. Checks have seen their popularity steadily decrease over the last
decade, although the trend has slowed. 
Packard.
2
(continued)
Great Plains Trust and Asset Management
Federal Tax Rate History by Year, Top Bracket
Tax reform continues to be a hot topic in both political and financial arenas. Corporate tax reform has been
very high on the Trump administration’s agenda as well as the potential impact on Wall Street.
Given the uncertainty of tax reform, we felt this historical chart of the top tax bracket and rate in the U.S.
dating back to the 16th Amendment in 1913 would be of interest.
1913
Tax Rate:
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
15.0%
67.0%
77.0%
73.0%
7.0%
7.0%
7.0%
$500,000
$500,000
$500,000
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
Tax Rate:
73.0%
73.0%
Top Bracket: $1,000,000 $1,000,000
58.0%
$200,000
58.0%
$200,000
46.0%
$500,000
25.0%
$100,000
25.0%
$100,000
25.0%
$100,000
25.0%
$100,000
25.0%
$100,000
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
25.0%
$100,000
25.0%
$100,000
1940
1941
Top Bracket:
1920
Tax Rate:
Top Bracket:
1921
$2,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000
63.0%
63.0%
63.0%
63.0%
79.0%
79.0%
79.0%
79.0%
$1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $5,000,000 $5,000,000 $5,000,000 $5,000,000
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
Tax Rate:
79.0%
81.0%
Top Bracket: $5,000,000 $5,000,000
88.0%
$200,000
88.0%
$200,000
94.0%
$200,000
94.0%
$200,000
91.0%
$200,000
91.0%
$200,000
91.0%
$200,000
91.0%
$400,000
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
91.0%
$400,000
91.0%
$400,000
92.0%
$400,000
92.0%
$400,000
91.0%
$400,000
91.0%
$400,000
91.0%
$400,000
91.0%
$400,000
91.0%
$400,000
91.0%
$400,000
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
91.0%
$400,000
91.0%
$400,000
91.0%
$400,000
91.0%
$400,000
77.0%
$400,000
70.0%
$200,000
70.0%
$200,000
70.0%
$200,000
70.0%
$200,000
70.0%
$200,000
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
Tax Rate:
Top Bracket:
70.0%
$200,000
70.0%
$200,000
70.0%
$200,000
70.0%
$200,000
70.0%
$200,000
70.0%
$200,000
70.0%
$200,000
70.0%
$203,200
70.0%
$203,200
70.0%
$215,400
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
Tax Rate:
Top Bracket:
70.0%
$215,400
70.0%
$215,400
50.0%
$85,600
50.0%
$109,400
50.0%
$162,400
50.0%
$169,020
50.0%
$175,250
38.5%
$90,000
28.0%
$29,750
28.0%
$30,950
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Tax Rate:
Top Bracket:
28.0%
$32,450
31.0%
$82,150
31.0%
$86,500
39.6%
$250,000
39.6%
$250,000
39.6%
$256,500
39.6%
$263,750
39.6%
$271,050
39.6%
$278,450
39.6%
$283,150
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Tax Rate:
Top Bracket:
39.6%
$288,350
39.1%
$297,350
38.6%
$307,050
35.0%
$311,950
35.0%
$319,100
35.0%
$326,450
35.0%
$336,550
35.0%
$349,700
35.0%
$357,700
35.0%
$372,950
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
35.0%
$373,650
35.0%
$379,150
35.0%
$388,350
39.6%
$450,000
39.6%
$457,600
39.6%
$464,850
39.6%
$466,950
Tax Rate:
Top Bracket:
Tax Rate:
Top Bracket:
Tax Rate:
Top Bracket:
Because Money Matters.
3
COLLECTIVE FUND PERFORMANCE
NET PERFORMANCE (3/31/2017)
YTD
ANNUALIZED
1 YR.
ANNUALIZED
3 YR.
ANNUALIZED
5 YR.
ANNUALIZED
10 YR.
ANNUALIZED
15 YR.
ANNUALIZED
20 YR.
ANNUALIZED
25 YR.
GPTC Large Cap Fund
8.42%
17.43%
11.18%
13.01%
7.79%
N/A
N/A
N/A
Russell 1000 Growth Index
8.91%
15.76%
11.27%
13.32%
9.13%
N/A
N/A
NA
GPTC Growth Fund*
7.93%
12.58%
7.12%
10.68%
8.08%
6.79%
7.58%
N/A
PENSION FUNDS
Russell 1000 Growth Index
8.91%
15.76%
11.27%
13.32%
9.13%
7.21%
7.15%
N/A
GPTC Small Cap Fund
10.03%
23.71%
3.34%
9.91%
6.94%
8.04%
11.62%
N/A
Russell 2000 Growth Index
5.35%
23.03%
6.72%
12.10%
8.06%
8.00%
7.05%
N/A
GPTC Equity Fund
0.69%
11.84%
1.00%
6.48%
6.07%
9.00%
11.65%
11.48%
S&P 500 Index
6.07%
17.17%
10.37%
13.30%
7.51%
7.09%
7.86%
9.52%
GPTC Discovery*
8.35%
16.60%
9.19%
12.72%
10.57%
9.05%
N/A
N/A
Russell Midcap Growth Index
6.89%
14.07%
7.88%
11.95%
8.13%
8.57%
N/A
N/A
GPTC Mid Cap Fund
4.62%
12.78%
4.45%
8.08%
7.18%
7.75%
N/A
N/A
Russell Midcap Growth Index
6.89%
14.07%
7.88%
11.95%
8.13%
8.57%
N/A
N/A
GPTC International Fund
10.34%
13.25%
3.45%
6.03%
3.83%
N/A
N/A
N/A
Russell Global Ex-US Index
(Net-USD)
8.24%
13.67%
1.48%
5.40%
2.31%
N/A
N/A
N/A
GPTC Fixed Fund
-0.36%
10.16%
-2.88%
3.95%
5.20%
7.15%
6.96%
8.23%
BofA Merrill Lynch HY Master
II Index
2.71%
16.88%
4.62%
6.85%
7.34%
8.25%
7.07%
7.90%
*The GPTC Growth Fund was formerly the GPTC USA Global Fund. The GPTC Discovery Fund was formerly the GPTC Science and Technology Fund.
*Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investments are not insured by the FDIC, are not deposits or other obligations of Great Plains
Trust, and are not guaranteed by Great Plains Trust. Investments are subject to risk, including possible loss of principal invested. Performance for
the GPTC Pension *Funds are net of the 1% annual fee and include the reinvestment of interest and dividends.
CONTACT US
When you work with Great Plains, you’re putting
your wealth in the hands of real professionals, not
just some algorithm. Real people who have built real
wealth. Real businesses. Not just for our customers,
but for ourselves. We know firsthand the hopes, fears,
ambitions and challenges that individuals and small
business owners in Kansas City and nationwide face.
It’s what makes Great Plains the first name in wealth
management. And it’s always on a first-name basis.
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
7700 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 101
Overland Park, KS 66202
P 913.831.7999 | TF 888.529.2776 | F 913.831.0007
[email protected]
FLORIDA TRUST SERVICE OFFICE
Sarasota, FL | 913.831.9221
ATLANTIC REGION TRUST SERVICE OFFICE
Charlotte, NC | 704.552.3885
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
To be a premier provider of investment and trust
services to the business owner and high net worth/
income individual. We shall deliver responsive, reliable
and informed service combined with a commitment
to achieve superior long-term investment returns
for our customers. We shall at all times deal honestly
and respectfully with all clients and associates.
GREAT PLAINS TRUST OF SOUTH DAKOTA
Sioux Falls, SD | 605.271.5141
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