Minnesota has a lot of large publicly traded employers. United Health, Target, Best Buy, Medtronic, US Bank, General Mills, are some of the biggest. Typically, these companies will use other forms of compensation to attract and retain employees. Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) are one of the most common.
Read MoreWhether you just got fired, are planning to leave your employer to pursue another opportunity, or ready to retire, you need to make sure you understand what happens with your employee stock options as this could have a huge impact on your tax situation and your retirement plans.
Read MoreThose with charitable inclinations along with substantial employer stock positions have a unique planning opportunity to reduce taxes, risk, and fund future charitable goals. Utilizing a Donor Advised Fund in conjunction with employer stock sales can help accomplish this.
Read MoreHave you accumulated substantial employer stock in the form of RSUs over the years? Does this employer stock position represent a substantial portion of your overall net worth? Are you trying to understand the tax impact of selling these to reduce risk and diversify the proceeds? If you have answered yes to any of these questions below are three sales strategies when it comes to selling your RSUs.
Read MoreWeather you just started receiving employer stock as part of your compensation package or have been receiving it for several years, having a plan in place for managing this critical component of your income and net worth is essential.
Read MoreEarly retirement is a goal for many Americans but accessing Social Security prematurely can cost retirees thousands of dollars annually. There are some important reasons to consider waiting until you are 67 or older before tapping into your Social Security benefits, even if you plan to stop working and retire well before then.
Read MoreIf you hang out long enough on personal-finance discussion forums, you’re bound to see this question posed: Will Congress ever repeal the Roth IRA?
Before we explore possible answers, let’s review the features and benefits of the Roth.
Read MoreConfused by the U.S. tax code? You’re not alone. Figuring out deductions, credits, and exemptions rank as some of the most complicated aspects of understanding taxes.
Read More“Save as much as you can for retirement.”
That’s the message that has been drilled into the mind of every American worker for decades. There’s something to be said for that, of course. Financial security is important to all of us.
Read MoreWhat does “SPY”, engineering during WWII, and spiders have in common?
If you have no idea, you are not alone. This is a tricky question. And the answer is a name you probably won’t recognize.
Read MoreOur culture and society may change slowly, but they do change. More families today feel less social pressure for both spouses to be employed outside the home. With the cost of childcare climbing ever higher, some begin to see the decision to stay at home as a strategic choice that makes financial sense.
Read MoreThere are two big problems with “nanny tax”.
One, most people who hire a babysitter don’t believe that they could be affected by “nanny tax”. It seems like it should only apply to families that have a live-in au pair or a full-time nanny. You just have a sitter cover an occasional date night and take care of the kids during the summer break. That doesn’t call for dealing with taxes, does it?
Read MoreHaving too much appreciated stock in your portfolio may look like a great problem to have. It validates your good sense for having chosen those investments in the first place. It gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling when you open the quarterly account statements. Why is that a problem, exactly?
Read MoreLet’s face it – no one likes to pay insurance premiums. While we may experience moments of gratitude for having health insurance coverage, fire and flood insurance, or car insurance, many people dream about the day when they will finally be wealthy enough to just forget about insurance altogether. After all, if you have enough money in the bank to take care of life’s curveballs, why give any of it to the insurance company?
Read MoreIt is that time of the year again when our team is fielding questions from clients and prospects who are confused about Required Minimum Distributions (or RMDs). As with anything that needs an abbreviation and relates to government regulations, misunderstanding abound.
Read Moret’s tax time, you’ve just completed your taxes and are now just noticing the enormous tax bill you’ve paid over the past year. You start thinking, did you make a mistake? Is there something you can do this year to lower your upcoming tax bill?
Read MoreWhen should you start talking to your kids about money?
As parents, we know that it’s our job to teach our kids about the world. We talk to them about making friends, staying away from drugs, and looking left and right before they cross the street.
Read MoreSometimes, parents need a guide for when to rescue their kids from money problems – and when to hold back.
If a car were barreling down the street towards your child, would you push him or her out of the way?
Read MoreThe tales of financial advisor fraud are like a car wreck: terrible to observe and impossible to look away. Here are 5 tips for avoiding your own financial wreck.
What is it about the stories of financial advisors gone rogue that captivates the imagination? Take this recent story in the news: a former New Jersey-based financial advisor was convicted of fraud for stealing his clients’ money and using it to pay his own mortgage, dine out, and buy sporting event tickets. In retrospect, the warning flags were there.
Read MoreBudgeting has a bad rep. Let’s try to rescue it.
What is the single best predictor of your ability to, someday, retire with a measure of financial stability?
If your guess is high income levels or winning the lottery, guess again. Research has demonstrated that consistent saving behavior is the ultimate key.
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