Education Planning

Articles and resources related to Education Planning.

Considerations in Honor of 5-29 Day

Jason Kley, CFP^®, AIF^®, MBA

Senior Integrated Wealth Advisor
952.230.6705
Email Jason

We are privileged to walk alongside our clients to help them achieve their financial goals and objectives.

Professional Biography
Jason Kley is a Senior Integrated Wealth Advisor and the Director of Operational Excellence at Carlson Capital Management. As a Senior Advisor, Jason partners with clients and their families providing the firm's fully integrated wealth management experience including investment management, retirement modeling, estate, philanthropic and educational planning and all other aspects of general financial planning and client care. In this role, Jason also connects clients with the firm's specialists for overall portfolio management as well as direct access to expertise in areas such as tax planning and insurance analysis. In addition, Jason is a member of the firm's investment committee, helping to advise on investment practices and strategies. Jason also serves as the Director of Operational Excellence, driving operational consistency in and across advice teams to help ensure proper application of fiduciary standards and risk controls and a high standard for the client experience within the firm.

Jason holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Math and Computer Science from the University of St. Thomas where he graduated magna cum laude in 1998. He went on to earn an MBA with an emphasis in Finance and Strategy from Washington University in St. Louis. As a graduate student Jason was recognized for his strong leadership in being named a Leadership Fellow and Dean’s Special Service award recipient. Jason holds the Certified Financial Planner™ designation granted through the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, as well as an Accredited Investment Fiduciary professional designation, awarded by the Center for Fiduciary Studies. The AIF designation affirms the highest in fiduciary standards of care for CCM clients.

Before joining the CCM team, Jason worked for a Minneapolis wealth management firm where he served as a financial advisor, investment committee member, and 401k plan specialist. Prior to that, Jason worked for Thrivent Financial and Union Pacific, serving in business analyst and strategic operational roles.

Jason serves on the Minnesota Jump$tart Board, which is an organization focused on advancing financial literacy for youth. He is also a member of the Children's Minnesota Foundation Legacy Advisors. In addition, Jason volunteers his time through the Financial Matters program of BestPrep, speaking to high school and college students about financial principles, Angel Foundation, and Urban Ventures. Jason previously served on the Financial Planning Association of Minnesota Board and was President of the organization in 2018. He is a past member of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce DRIVE Emerging Leaders Board, BestPrep’s Minnesota Business Venture Advisory Committee, and the City of St. Louis Park Police Advisory Commission. Jason was awarded the BestPrep Volunteer of the Year in 2016 and named the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce Emerging Leader of the Year in 2009. He has been featured in various publications including Minnesota Business, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Outside of work, Jason enjoys spending time with family, outdoor activities, and traveling. Jason, his wife Sheila, and their two sons reside in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Personal Thoughts
With each passing year, I find that I am placing an increased emphasis on being focused. On the surface, having focus seems to run counter to the priority our society places on multi-tasking. In reality, the more focus one has—the more efficient they really are. When I’m able to focus on a conversation, I can understand more clearly and develop relationships through more attentive listening. When I am truly engaged with someone, it means putting down my mobile device, listening, and asking questions. If I’m focused on a project, I’m more effective, I’m learning more and am producing better outcomes. As I am playing with my children, I’m focused on inspiring their creativity and teaching them life lessons. Nothing else matters at that moment in time. Focus allows me to prioritize the things that are important in life, and allows me to drown out the noise that I cannot control. Focusing on things that are important forces me to move beyond the things that are not.

I enjoy working with our clients at CCM and I appreciate the opportunity to focus on what I can do to help them meet their goals, and allow them to focus on what matters most to them.

Jason and other members of the CCM Advisory Team regularly post articles of interest on financial planning which you can find here.

Jason Kley, CFP^®, AIF^®, MBA
Senior Integrated Wealth Advisor

May 29 is 529 College Savings Day—a day to raise awareness about the value of planning and saving for higher education expenses with 529 plans. With that in mind, we have some insights and reminders for you about this important savings vehicle. Education expenses represent one of the largest financial commitments that people make in their lifetime. Pairing that with earnings potential derived from education, it is also one of the most important purchases that many people will make. In ... [Continue Reading]

Published May 23, 2022 Topics: 529 Plans, College Savings Plans, Education Planning

Five Little-known Facts About 529s

Andy Hauskins, CFP^®

Senior Integrated Wealth Advisor
507.321.4024
Email Andy

I thoroughly enjoy working with clients – listening to their stories, hearing about their backgrounds, trying to learn what drives them and what is ultimately important to them.

Professional Biography
Andrew Hauskins is a Senior Integrated Wealth Advisor for the Carlson Capital Management team. As a Senior Advisor, Andy leads the firm’s Carlson Portfolios platform. Andy partners with clients and their families, providing investment management, retirement modeling, and other aspects of general financial planning and client care that are custom to client needs. In this role, Andy also connects clients with the firm's specialists for overall portfolio management as well as direct access to expertise in areas such as estate planning, tax planning and insurance analysis.

Andy began his career in financial services at Life Investors Insurance Company of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1998. While at Life Investors, Andy worked in the marketing department training new agents on life insurance, annuities, and basic financial planning techniques. Andy’s career then led him to the Director of Field Services position with CA Marketing, a medical insurance marketing firm in the Twin Cities. While there he gained extensive knowledge of individual health plans, small employer group health plans, short-term medical, and Health Savings Accounts. Andy holds the Certified Financial Planner™ designation granted through the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

Andy graduated from Iowa State University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree. In addition to his studies at Iowa State, Andy was a four-year letter winner in track and field. He was recognized as an Iowa State Scholar Athlete for excellence in academics. Andy is an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church and volunteers time with both the Northfield Area Family YMCA and St. Dominic School. Andy enjoys coaching his children’s sports teams and playing on the Northfield Millers baseball team. Andy, his wife Annie, and their three children live in Northfield, Minnesota.

Personal Thoughts
“Steel started out as simply a lump of iron,” my father used to say to me, and “only through the relentless work of a blacksmith did it become a critical commodity.” When I was younger, I wasn’t sure why he would share such things with me, though I knew that in this case, he was passing along a quote from his own father. Then, one day during high school track practice, his words became quite valuable for me. I envisioned that the work of a blacksmith was very repetitive, difficult, and required focus in addition to physical discipline. I realized that success might mean continuing to “pound away” at something, as my coach was requiring me to do in sprints. I was ultimately rewarded for my hard work with success on the track, but even more, I was rewarded with discipline as a core value that I continue to carry with me. I certainly don’t claim to practice this perfectly, it is something toward which I strive, and that I try to impart to my own children.

The importance of being disciplined can demonstrate itself in multiple aspects of our lives. It is central to what we do at Carlson Capital Management as well. When the financial markets are challenging, it requires us to practice the discipline we speak of in theory when the markets are working in our favor—that is “staying the course.” We also integrate discipline into the educational, retirement and estate plans we work with clients to create. It is a key element in driving these plans to success.

I thoroughly enjoy working with clients—listening to their stories, hearing about their backgrounds, trying to learn what drives them and what is ultimately important to them. This greatly motivates me in my work in helping them meet and exceed their goals.

Members of the CCM Advisory Team regularly post articles of interest on financial planning which you can find here.

Andy Hauskins, CFP^®
Senior Integrated Wealth Advisor

With springtime comes graduation season, a time when many parents and grandparents examine their educational savings strategies and take action—discussing them as a family and, in many cases, redoubling their efforts to save funds for future college-bound graduates. Although 529 college savings plans are growing in popularity, roughly 66% of investors 1 are unaware of them and their benefits. A recent study suggests that, on average, a child is seven years old when a 529 account is ... [Continue Reading]

Published April 22, 2021 Topics: 529 Plans, College Saving Plans, Education Planning, Financial Planning, Financial Planning for Young Adults