Laurel Wealth Planning

08/31/2026

Your 40s and 50s are often when you come into your own. You know yourself better, understand what matters to you, and may feel more confident making financial decisions.

But these years can also bring costly wealth management mistakes.

Common mistakes include underutilizing retirement contributions, failing to diversify tax exposure, and not adjusting your strategy as your income increases. Some people also focus too heavily on short-term priorities without considering the long-term impact on retirement income and taxes.

Working with the Laurel Wealth Planning team can help you identify these gaps and create a more intentional wealth management strategy that makes better use of your peak earning years: laurelwealthplanning.com/contact-us

08/24/2026

In the middle of a divorce and completely overwhelmed by all the financial decisions you have to make?

You're not alone. One way to make the process feel more manageable is to stop looking at everything at once. Instead, focus on what needs to happen over the next two weeks, then the next 30 days, then the next 45 days.

Breaking the transition into smaller milestones can help you stay organized and make steady progress without feeling like you have to solve everything today.

08/18/2026

The advice grandparents got about paying for college is out of date. Under the old FAFSA, a grandparent paying tuition from a 529 could cut a grandchild's next aid package by up to 50 cents on the dollar. Advisors told families to wait until senior year or route the money through parents.

That rule is gone. Under the 2026–27 FAFSA, distributions from grandparent-owned 529 plans are not reported as student income at all. Federal aid formulas look past these accounts entirely.
Our new article covers what changed, how 529s and direct tuition payments compare, and the Minnesota tax benefit that applies regardless of who owns the account. Link in the comments.

Learn how Laurel Wealth Planning in Edina, MN, can help you structure financial gifts for grandkids using 529s and MN tax rules.

08/17/2026

You’re holding on to that one stock in your portfolio with a value that has gone down (way down) from when you originally bought it, hoping it will rise again.

But instead of relying on wishful thinking, consider tax-loss harvesting.

For individuals with significant investments outside of retirement accounts, tax-loss harvesting can help improve after-tax returns.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀:
- Selling investments at a loss
- Using those losses to offset capital gains
- Potentially offsetting up to $3,000 of ordinary income annually

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲:
Realized gain: $20,000
Harvested loss: $15,000
Net taxable gain: $5,000

This reduces the immediate tax impact while allowing you to reinvest the proceeds into similar, but not identical, investments to maintain market exposure.

Over time, consistent tax-loss harvesting can create tax savings, especially for those actively managing large portfolios.

08/10/2026

Early in your career, contributing enough to your 401(k) to receive the company match may have been a good start. By mid-career, it's time to pick up the pace.

In 2026, employees can contribute up to $24,500 to most 401(k) plans. With a $10,000 employer match, that could mean $34,500 invested each year.

For high earners, maximizing retirement plan contributions can help reduce taxable income and build long-term retirement assets.

08/03/2026

"There are a lot of good wealth managers in the cities, but few are this good. Not only are their actual planning services very tailored to you personally, but they really know what they are doing and can answer any question. If you are looking for service, comfort, and results, I would call them.”

We're so grateful you took the time to share your thoughts, Wendy!

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵'𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘭. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭.

07/30/2026

Congratulations to Mallory Kretman, CFP®, on her promotion to Senior Wealth Manager I. Fifteen years with Laurel Wealth Planning, from client service associate to shareholder and Chief Compliance Officer. Link in the comments.

Congratulating Mallory Kretman on her promotion to Senior Wealth Manager I. Laurel Wealth Planning is a financial planning firm based in Minneapolis, MN.

07/27/2026

Your mid-40s and 50s are often your highest-earning and your most financially complex.

Competing priorities like retirement savings, tax efficiency, and college funding can make it hard to know where to focus first.

A clear strategy during this window can make a significant difference in long-term outcomes.

If you're in this age group, lets talk: laurelwealthplanning.com/contact-us

07/20/2026

Wealth management goes beyond managing investments; it focuses on keeping every financial decision working together toward the life you want to live.

At Laurel Wealth Planning, that means integrating retirement planning, investment management, tax strategy, and estate planning into one cohesive approach tailored to you.

Whether you're navigating a life transition, approaching retirement, or building a legacy, the right plan makes the difference.

See how we can help:

Explore Laurel Wealth Planning’s full range of financial services in Minneapolis, including wealth management, retirement, investment, and legacy planning.

07/13/2026

You've just lost your husband, and the grief is overwhelming, but you still have to handle the financial matters that need taking care of.

Contacting Social Security, insurance companies, and attorneys. You don't have to do it alone.

Laurel Wealth Planning can help: laurelwealthplanning.com/contact-us