“Wine and investing are more similar than you think”, Bryce Sanders tells financial advisors, suggesting they use wine-related analogies to create “aha” moments in conversations with their clients. Interestingly, several of the analogies Sanders mention apply to the estate planning conversations we have with our Indiana clients.
Diversification
The red wines from Bordeaux are usually a blend of five grape types. If one type did not have a good year, the winemakers can increase the percentage of the other grape types and still produce good wine.
Sanders’ “lesson” as it applies to investing: A diversified large cap growth or value mutual fund has a lot of flexibility. If one sector isn’t doing well, the managers can increase their weighting in other sectors.
Estate planning works in a similar way. “Diversification is a core estate planning strategy, extending into asset protection, tax management, and liquidity,” Guardian Life explains. When it comes to establishing trusts, there are many different varieties, each serving a different estate planning goal, including irrevocable life insurance trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, spousal lifetime access trusts, and generation transfer trusts.
Geyer Legal Group is a full-service firm with decades of experience representing the families and business owners of central Indiana.
Values abound, if you know where to look
Wine is heavy and fragile, and a new vintage comes out every year. Wine producers, distributors, and wholesalers need to clear the shelves to make room for the latest vintage.
Sanders’ takeaway: In the world of investing, some sectors are outperforming and others under-performing at any moment. A good advisor knows to look for opportunities.
From an estate planning perspective: “The legal framework governing estates, trusts, and wealth transfer continues to evolve, with significant changes taking effect in 2026 that will reshape how families approach their long-term financial security,” waytolegal.com explains.
Changes in Indiana law inevitably affect our work with Geyer Legal Group’s estate planning clients, sometimes requiring an update to documents or even a shift in strategy.
Professional advice has value
When picking wine, they say “a little knowledge is dangerous.” It makes sense to get help from someone who has made wine or wine investing their career. Regardless of whether the cost is built into the product or you are paying a fee, professional guidance has value.
The same is true for estate planning: Securing a trusted legal resource means finding an advocate for your personal and business interests who understands your unique situation and can tailor your estate plan for your specific goals.
Bryce Sanders tells financial advisors that wine and financial planning are more similar than they think. At Geyer Legal Group, we know that wine and estate planning are more similar than most clients think!
– by Nicole Eckert, Attorney with the Geyer Legal Group
