By Bruce Helmer and Peg Webb, Financial Advisors at Wealth Enhancement and co-hosts of “Your Money” on WCCO AM 830 on Sunday mornings. Email Bruce and Peg at yourmoney@wealthenhancement.com. Advisory services offered through Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services, LLC, a registered investment advisor and affiliate of Wealth Enhancement Group. 

Facing unexpected changes as a federal employee? Learn how Voluntary Early Retirement (VERA), Deferred Resignation, and Discontinued Service Retirement (DSR) could impact your pension, health benefits, and future plans. Explore your options and protect your retirement.

We commonly receive the question, “When can I withdraw money from my 401(k)?” While the answer is technically “whenever you want to,” there are penalties you’ll need to look out for if you want to withdraw from your 401(k) before retirement.

Every year, the IRS announces adjustments to tax brackets to account for inflation. Given the blazing rates of inflation in 2021, 2022, and 2023, many taxpayers may have become accustomed to significant bracket adjustments. However, with inflation cooling during 2024, the newly announced adjustments are smaller than those of recent years.

As you get closer to your chosen retirement date, it’s not uncommon to feel a sense of unease. Sure, you’ve been saving and planning, but how can you be certain that you’ve done enough?

You've heard the adage, "It takes money to make money." That is very often true. Similarly, it takes income to pay income taxes. If you are in a position where you are offered deferred compensation, you may have the opportunity to pay less in income taxes and have more money when you need it the most.

An incentive stock option (ISO) gives an employee the opportunity to buy shares of their company’s stock at a specific price, during a specific window of time. ISOs can be a powerful investment tool because they allow you to purchase stock at a discount. However, they also come with risk—and potentially significant tax consequences.

Buying a house, planning a big vacation, picking your retirement date … Most of us don't take these major financial decisions lightly. We build our lives one financial choice at a time, carefully considering the dollars and cents.

The business of giving financial advice has changed dramatically over the past 30 to 40 years. When Peg and I started, the relationship was mostly transactional: investors came to you to help them pick stocks and manage portfolios. At most firms, the emphasis was on “beating the market” and finding the next “hot stock.” Financial planning was nowhere to be found.

Passed in 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made several massive changes to tax laws that were intended to provide millions of Americans with significant tax savings.