Understanding Today’s Financial Environment
Welcome, I’m Michael Hammen, a financial professional and owner of Advantage Financial & Tax Services in West Des Moines, IA. We understand that individuals and households face increasingly complex financial challenges as we navigate our way through life.
A few questions you may have. For example:
Are we saving enough for retirement? How does retirement savings impact my tax situation? How much can I save each year? What can I expect to receive at retirment in the form of income? How can I save on my income taxes each year? Can I save for my kids/grandkids college expenses? How much life insurance do I need? and other simular questions.
Our professionals have years of experience in financial services. We can help answer many of those questions, and assist you moving forward.
Helpful Content
Estate Management Checklist
Is your estate in order? This short quiz may help you assess your overall strategy.
Donating Art: Taxation Abstraction
The tax rules that govern donating art are complex and confusing. Take a closer look.
The Richest Man in Babylon
In good times and bad, consistently saving a percentage of your income is a sound financial practice.
The Half Million Dollar Baby
The true cost of raising a child may be far more than you expect.
Yours, Mine and Ours: Estate Strategies for Second Marriages
Second marriages are a trigger event to revisit any existing estate strategies.
The ABC’s of Auto Insurance
What kind of auto insurance should you have? Do you know?
Making Sense of U.S. Household Net Worth
A look inside the U.S. government's statistics on household net worth.
Strategies For Managing Student Loan Debt
Five strategies for managing your student debt.
Assess Life Insurance Needs
How to help determine life insurance needs to provide for your family after you pass away.
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What Is My Risk Tolerance?
This questionnaire will help determine your tolerance for investment risk.
Estimate Your RMD
Help determine the required minimum distribution from an IRA or other qualified retirement plan.
Should I Buy or Lease an Auto?
This calculator compares the financial impact of leasing versus buying an automobile.
Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Savings
Use this calculator to compare the future value of investments with different tax consequences.
What Is the Dividend Yield?
This calculator helps determine your pre-tax and after-tax dividend yield on a particular stock.
Annuity Comparison
This calculator compares a hypothetical fixed annuity with an account where the interest is taxed each year.
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Protecting Those Who Matter Most
The importance of life insurance, how it works, and how much coverage you need.
Managing Your Lifestyle
Using smart management to get more of what you want and free up assets to invest.
Tax Management Strategies
Learn more about taxes, tax-favored investing, and tax strategies.
Retirement Plan Distributions
There are a number of ways to withdraw money from a qualified retirement plan.
Long-Term-Care Protection Strategies
The chances of needing long-term care, its cost, and strategies for covering that cost.
Your Cash Flow Statement
A presentation about managing money: using it, saving it, and even getting credit.
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RE: Retirement
How does your ideal retirement differ from reality, and what can we do to better align the two?
The Other Sure Thing
Though we don’t like to think about it, all of us will make an exit sometime. Are you prepared?
What Our Kids Can Teach us About Saving Money
Would you guess that Millennials are effectively saving for retirement? Well, they are.
16 Wall Street Cliches in 60 Seconds
Pundits say a lot of things about the markets. Let's see if you can keep up.
A Bucket Plan to Go with Your Bucket List
A bucket plan can help you be better prepared for a comfortable retirement.
No Cash, No Checks, No Problem
Peer-to-peer payment apps are one of the newest ways to send money.