education planning

By Maura C. Schauss, CFP®

There are 135 different certifications for financial advisors, and most of them begin with the letter “C”: CFPs, ChFCs, CPAs, CLUs, CFSs, and the list goes on. With an alphabet soup of certifications, how do you find a financial professional who’s right for you?

According to a recent survey, most high-income households want their advisors to have these qualifications:[1]

• 85% find it “very important” or “extremely important” for their advisor to have successfully completed a certification examination.

• 95% believe their advisor should adhere to professional practice standards.

• 97% say it’s extremely important for their advisor to adhere to a professional code of ethics.

That’s a tall order. But—believe it or not—it’s not impossible to find an advisor who meets these qualifications. In fact, certified financial planners (CFP®s) check all these boxes and more.

Read on as we discuss everything you need to know about the importance to you in working with a CFP®.

By Maura Schauss, CFP® 

Have you heard? Right now, Americans owe over $1.5 trillion in student debt.[1] Studies have found that this debt burden is not only preventing young people from financial moves like saving for retirement or buying a home or car, but it is causing them to delay marriage, parenthood, and entrepreneurship as well.[2]

It can be empowering to take actions right in your own home to set the right course for your family’s education savings.  You can start saving for your own kids’ education so that they do not end up saddled with spirit-crushing debt along with their diploma.  

Every year on the 29th of May, we take some time to talk about the 529 Plan, named for Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code which establishes one of the best ways for you to save for college.

By Todd Youngdahl, CFP®

Congratulations! Your baby is graduating from high school and stepping into adulthood.  For your family, that may mean off to college!

You have been saving into your 529 Plan for years in preparation for this life chapter, and the time has finally come. So, how do you actually use the 529 Plan that you have so diligently grown? Let's take a look.

By Maura C. Schauss, CFP®

Do you ever wish your financial life could be more streamlined and organized? There are so many pieces of the financial pie that things can get complicated, or, even worse, fall through the cracks. Creating customized investment and wealth management solutions requires a significant amount of coordination.

By Maura C. Schauss, CFP