Jensen & Associates

10/13/2026

All of us at Jensen & Associates are thrilled to announce that our colleague, Tim Silver , has received the 2026 Five Star Wealth Manager award! Congratulations, Tim , and thank you to all of our clients.

Tim Silver is an Ameriprise Private Wealth Advisor serving the Chicago, IL area. Get the personal financial advice you need to achieve your goals.

09/30/2026

Buying a home?

Selling a business?

Retiring?

Helping a child with college?

Moving?

Making a large investment?

The biggest financial decisions usually benefit from planning long before the decision actually happens.

Ask yourself:

What is the biggest financial decision I’m likely to make during the next 12 to 24 months?

Once you know the answer, you can begin preparing your cash flow, investments, taxes, and overall financial strategy around it.

Planning ahead creates options.
https://bit.ly/4huZbMl

09/25/2026

Saving for multiple financial goals can feel like a balancing act. A systematic savings plan can help you make steady progress by automatically setting aside a specific amount at regular intervals—whether you’re building a cash reserve, saving for a major purchase or preparing for retirement.

The key is to define your goals, consider your timeline and determine how much you can realistically save on a consistent basis. Over time, even smaller contributions can add up and help keep your priorities on track.

Learn more about how a systematic savings plan can support your financial goals at the link below.

Find out how you can consistently make progress toward your different savings goals.

09/23/2026

For many retirees, aging in place means staying in a familiar home surrounded by memories, routines and community. But remaining at home can come with costs that are easy to overlook—from accessibility renovations and ongoing maintenance to transportation, aging appliances and rising insurance expenses.

Planning for these potential costs ahead of time can help create a more realistic retirement budget and provide greater flexibility as needs change. A thoughtful financial plan should consider not only where you want to live in retirement, but what it may take to make that choice sustainable over time.

This Kiplinger article highlights five expenses to keep in mind when considering aging in place.

Think paying off your mortgage means a cheap retirement? From home modifications to maintenance, these sneaky aging-in-place costs can derail your retirement.

09/21/2026

What if the toughest markets are actually the best place to start innovating?

In this episode of the HBR IdeaCast, professors Vijay Govindarajan and Amos Winter explore why designing for constraints such as affordability, portability and limited infrastructure can lead to solutions that work across a much broader range of markets. Rather than developing for affluent customers first and adapting later, they suggest starting with the problem, understanding customer needs firsthand and designing for both performance and cost from the beginning.

The conversation is a compelling reminder that successful innovation isn’t always about having more resources—it can come from understanding constraints, challenging established thinking and solving the right problem.

Listen to the full conversation to learn more about building innovations designed to scale globally.

A conversation with Dartmouth’s Vijay Govindarajan and MIT’s Amos Winter on why designing for emerging markets before developed ones can yield benefits.

09/19/2026

A successful family business transition involves more than preparing the next generation to lead the company—it also means preparing them to be thoughtful, engaged owners.

Without a clear understanding of ownership responsibilities, governance and decision-making, families can gradually lose influence over the businesses they worked hard to build. Intentional planning and ongoing education can help future generations understand their role and preserve alignment as the business evolves.

This Harvard Business Review article explores why family businesses can lose control over time—and what families can do to help strengthen ownership across generations.

Family businesses often fail to prepare the next generation for their most important role—not as executives, but as owners. As a result, families can gradually lose the ability to direct the enterprise, not because of a single crisis but because ownership capability erodes across generations throu...

09/17/2026

There are only a few months left in the year.

Now is a good time to review whether you’re on pace with your retirement savings strategy—especially if your goal is to maximize available tax-advantaged accounts.

Consider asking:

• Am I contributing enough to my workplace retirement plan?
• Am I eligible for catch-up contributions?
• Have my income or expenses changed since I set my contribution rate?
• Could I increase my savings during the final months of the year?

Small increases today can have a meaningful impact over time.
https://bit.ly/4yG3X0z

09/15/2026

Choosing a health insurance plan involves more than comparing monthly premiums. Deductibles, copays, provider networks, prescription coverage and out-of-pocket maximums can all affect what you ultimately pay—and whether a plan fits your health care needs.

It can also be helpful to consider how options such as HSAs or FSAs fit into your broader financial strategy. Taking the time to understand your coverage and anticipated costs can help you make a more informed decision for both your health and your financial well-being.

Learn more about what to consider when choosing a health insurance plan at the link below.

Learn how to evaluate your health care options and pick a plan that supports both your physical well-being and financial future.

09/11/2026

We Remember.

Today, we pause to honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001, and to remember the courage of the first responders, service members, and everyday Americans who showed extraordinary strength in the face of tragedy.

May we never forget.

09/09/2026

For 2026, contribution limits and catch-up rules vary by account type and age, including enhanced catch-up limits for some individuals ages 60–63. Understanding the rules—and how additional retirement savings fit alongside your other financial priorities—can help you make more informed decisions about your long-term strategy.

Learn more about catch-up contributions and whether they may fit into your retirement savings strategy at the link below.

Turn your peak earning years into bigger retirement savings with catch-up contributions.