Michael Stutzman CFP, CHFC, CLU, RICP

Michael Stutzman CFP, CHFC, CLU, RICP Securities and Insurance Products are offered through Cetera Investment Services LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

My name is Michael Stutzman and I am a Wealth Manager, CFP® in Omaha, NE with Cetera Investors


Cetera Investors is a marketing name of Cetera Investment Services. Advisory services are offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Securities and insurance products are offered through Cetera Investment Services LLC (doing insurance business in CA as CFG STC Insurance Agency LLC), member FINRA/S

IPC. Neither firm is affiliated with the financial institution where investment services are offered. Advisory services are only offered by Investment Adviser Representatives. Investments are: *Not FDIC/NCUSIF insured *May lose value *Not financial institution guaranteed *Not a deposit *Not insured by any federal government agency.

Something we’ve noticed lately. A lot of people feel financially "stuck" right now and its not because things are going ...
06/02/2026

Something we’ve noticed lately. A lot of people feel financially "stuck" right now and its not because things are going badly.

Most are actually doing a lot right:
• good careers
• decent savings
• low mortgage rates
• growing assets

But almost every decision feels harder than it did a few years ago:
• Move or stay?
• Keep the house or rent it out?
• Invest more or hold cash?
• Retire soon or work longer?

It feels like people are trying to make the “perfect” financial decision in an environment where every option has tradeoffs.

Most of the time, good financial planning isn’t about finding the perfect answer. It’s about creating flexibility in your initial decisions so you can pivot when life happens, tax laws change, estate rules evolve, or markets pull back.

This mindset shift alone can reduce a lot of financial stress.

Something we’ve been noticing as we review 2025 tax returns.There are a number of planning opportunities showing up that...
05/04/2026

Something we’ve been noticing as we review 2025 tax returns.

There are a number of planning opportunities showing up that simply weren’t there in previous years.

A lot of that is tied to recent tax law changes, but more importantly—it’s how those changes are interacting with real-world situations.

What’s interesting is that many of these opportunities don’t come from doing something new.

They come from:
• timing income differently
• using accounts more intentionally
• coordinating decisions across tax, investment, retirement planning, and estate.

In other words, the rules didn’t just change, the planning window changed.

So for the next OWM Planning Guide, we pulled together a few areas where we’re seeing the most opportunity right now.

A situation that’s coming up more often lately.You bought a home a few years ago and locked in a great interest rate…Now...
03/31/2026

A situation that’s coming up more often lately.

You bought a home a few years ago and locked in a great interest rate…

Now you’re thinking about moving — but instead of selling, you’re considering keeping it as a rental to take advantage of the low interest rate for longer.

There’s one tax rule worth knowing before making that decision.

If you lived in the home for at least 2 of the last 5 years, you may still qualify for the capital gains exclusion when you sell it.

That creates a planning opportunity:

In some cases, you can move out, rent the home for a few years, and still sell it while preserving that tax benefit.

A common strategy is to keep the rental period under ~3 years, so you stay within that 5-year window.

But timing is everything.

Wait too long, and that opportunity can disappear.

So what looks like a real estate decision often becomes a planning decision:

• Keep it as a rental for a period of time
• Sell within the eligibility window
• Balance rental income vs. potential tax savings

There isn’t one right answer.

But this is one of those situations where understanding the rules before making the move can make a meaningful difference.

Something that surprises many people when we start talking about retirement taxes.Two retirees can have the exact same p...
03/24/2026

Something that surprises many people when we start talking about retirement taxes.

Two retirees can have the exact same portfolio balance…

…but pay very different amounts in taxes.

Often the difference isn’t how much they saved.

It’s where the money is located.

Over time, retirement assets tend to fall into three different tax categories.

Understanding those “buckets” can make a big difference when planning withdrawals, managing taxes, and creating retirement income.

So for the next OWM Planning Guide, we put together a simple framework we often use when discussing retirement tax strategy.

OWM Planning Guide:
The 3 Tax Buckets of Retirement

Something I’ve noticed over the years working with people approaching retirement.Most spend decades focused on one quest...
03/17/2026

Something I’ve noticed over the years working with people approaching retirement.

Most spend decades focused on one question:

“How much do I need to retire?”

But once retirement gets close, the better question often becomes:

“How will everything actually work once the paychecks stop?”

Retirement planning shifts from accumulation to coordination.

Income sources.
Taxes.
Social Security timing.
Market volatility.

Because of that, we put together a simple framework we often think through with people preparing for retirement.

OWM Planning Guide:
5 Questions to Ask Before Retiring.

One of the most common planning mistakes isn’t picking the wrong strategy.It’s looking at everything in isolation.A tax ...
03/10/2026

One of the most common planning mistakes isn’t picking the wrong strategy.

It’s looking at everything in isolation.

A tax decision affects investments.
An investment decision affects retirement income.
Retirement income affects estate outcomes.

Pull one lever, and something else moves.

That’s why good planning usually isn’t about finding a single “right” move.
It’s about understanding how the pieces interact.

The most effective plans tend to come from stepping back and looking at the full picture — not just the individual parts.

One of the quiet tradeoffs in financial planning is this:Pay taxes now… or pay them later.A lot of financial decisions c...
03/03/2026

One of the quiet tradeoffs in financial planning is this:

Pay taxes now… or pay them later.

A lot of financial decisions come back to that simple tension.

Traditional retirement accounts often defer taxes.
Roth-style strategies shift taxes earlier.
Brokerage accounts usually fall somewhere in the middle.

None of these are automatically better than the others.

What matters is how they fit into:
• Your current income years
• Your retirement timeline
• Future tax uncertainty

Good planning isn’t about avoiding taxes altogether.
It’s about deciding when and how you want to deal with them.

That decision tends to ripple forward for years.

When people think about retirement, they usually focus on how much they’ve saved.What gets less attention is where the m...
02/24/2026

When people think about retirement, they usually focus on how much they’ve saved.

What gets less attention is where the money comes from once they start spending it.

Pulling from the wrong account at the wrong time can quietly increase taxes, affect Medicare premiums, or reduce flexibility later on.

There isn’t one “right” order that works for everyone.

The way withdrawals are handled depends on things like:
• The mix of pre-tax, after-tax, and tax-free accounts
• How much income is needed
• How taxes may change over time

Retirement income planning isn’t just about cash flow.
It’s about managing taxes along the way.

Small decisions here tend to add up.

One thing that comes up constantly in tax planning conversations:Not all dollars are created equal.A dollar in a traditi...
02/17/2026

One thing that comes up constantly in tax planning conversations:

Not all dollars are created equal.

A dollar in a traditional IRA
A dollar in a Roth
A dollar in a brokerage account

They may look the same on a statement—but they behave very differently once taxes enter the picture.

Where your money is held often matters just as much as how much you have.

That shows up when:
• You start pulling income in retirement
• You’re deciding which accounts to tap first
• You’re thinking about what assets go to which heirs

Good planning isn’t about just looking at your account statement.

It’s about understanding how different account types work together—over time, and across tax brackets.

Small decisions here tend to compound, for better or worse.

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