Find a Financial Advisor in Lancaster County

Lancaster County at a glance: the capital, the campus and the companies

Lancaster County is mostly Lincoln, with a ring of small towns and farm ground around it. Three groups of employers set the rhythm of local work. State government fills the Capitol area downtown with legislators, agency staff and the people who serve them. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, along with Nebraska Wesleyan University, Southeast Community College and Union College, makes education a major employer and brings many young residents. Health care, led by Bryan Health and CHI Health St. Elizabeth, adds steady jobs, and the city is also home to financial and insurance companies, including Ameritas and Nelnet, along with manufacturing and technology firms.

The result is a stable economy with a younger population than the national average. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, the county looks like this.

That low unemployment rate and high education level reflect the public and institutional employers. The lower owner-occupied share, about 59 percent, reflects the many students and young professionals who rent.

Wealth management in Lancaster County

Wealth in the Lincoln area often comes from three sources: a long career with a stable employer, ownership of a local business, or land. A university department chair with decades of retirement contributions, a Haymarket restaurant owner, and a family that holds an eighty-acre farm in the southern part of the county are all common figures. Each calls for something different from a wealth manager.

For the career saver, the work is about order of withdrawals, tax planning and the choice between pension and lump sum. For the business owner, it is succession, valuation and building savings outside the company. For farm families, it is deciding who gets the land, who farms it and how to treat heirs who live elsewhere. Nebraska’s inheritance tax applies at the county level, and the rate depends on how closely related the heir is to the person who died, so land passing to a nephew costs more than land passing to a child. Read our estate planning guide for the documents involved.

Wealth management usually carries a percentage fee and an asset minimum. If your portfolio is still growing, a flat-fee planner may serve you better for now.

Investment advisors in Lancaster County

Investors here often hold a mix of accounts that differ by employer. State employees may have a pension plus a supplemental plan. University staff often have a retirement plan with a few investment choices. Private-sector workers rely on a 401(k) and an IRA. An investment advisor looks at all of them together and chooses an allocation that matches your timeline.

A young couple in their early thirties with student loans, a new house in Waverly and a baby on the way faces a different question than a pair of retiring professors. The first needs to balance loan payoff against retirement saving; the second needs to turn savings into steady income. Ask any advisor how they are paid, whether they are a fiduciary and the full yearly cost. Our investing guide is a good primer.

Retirement planning in Lancaster County

People who work for the state or the university often have public retirement benefits that follow specific rules. Some plans pay a lifetime income; others are account balances you manage yourself. The details of when you can retire, how your benefit is calculated and what survivor choices you have are worth reading well before your last day. Your plan administrator can provide an estimate.

Consider a retiring state employee, 62, and her husband, 64, a small contractor. Her pension covers the basics. His income is irregular and he has no workplace plan, only an IRA. Their plan has to decide when each claims Social Security, how to handle health insurance before Medicare and whether they stay in their Lincoln home. Nebraska has been phasing down the tax on Social Security benefits and offers some relief for retirees, but rules shift, so confirm with the Nebraska Department of Revenue. Our retirement planning guide gives a structure.

Life insurance in Lancaster County

Life insurance is part of the local economy, since several insurers have large offices in Lincoln. That does not change what you need. Young families with a mortgage, small children and student loans should consider term coverage that lasts until the youngest child is independent. Single people with no dependents may need little beyond a policy to cover final expenses or a co-signed loan.

Farm and business families have special needs. A policy can supply cash to buy out a sibling who does not want to farm or to cover the tax bill from Nebraska’s inheritance tax so land does not have to be sold. Permanent coverage can also fit in an estate plan. Employer group coverage is useful but usually ends with the job. Our life insurance guide explains the types.

Financial planners in Lancaster County

A planner pulls the budget, debts, savings and insurance into one plan. In a county with so many students and recent graduates, that often means a plan for paying down student loans while starting a retirement account and saving for a first home. Housing here is cheaper than in many metro areas, so a purchase may be within reach sooner than you think.

Nebraska families can save for education through the state’s NEST 529 plan, and contributions may qualify for a state tax benefit within limits, so check current details. Our college savings guide walks through the options. Many planners charge a flat fee or an hourly rate, a good fit if you want advice without moving your investments.

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Financial advisors in Lancaster County: what to expect on fees

Advisors are paid by a share of assets, a flat fee, an hourly rate or commissions. The asset model often runs near one percent a year, lower for large balances. Flat and hourly fees suit people who want a plan. Commissions come from selling products and need clear disclosure. Ask each advisor to state the cost in dollars for your situation. Our guide to financial advisors lays out the differences.

Hail, wind and the cost of a Nebraska roof

Eastern Nebraska sits in an active storm belt. Hail and straight-line wind regularly damage roofs, siding and cars in and around Lincoln, and tornado warnings come most springs. Many insurers now apply a separate, higher deductible for wind and hail, sometimes as a percentage of the home’s insured value. A household that has never read that part of the policy can be surprised by a bill of several thousand dollars after a storm.

Check your deductible, confirm whether your roof is covered at replacement cost or depreciated value, and keep savings set aside for it. Photograph your home and belongings each year. If you rent, a renters policy is cheap and covers your belongings.

County inheritance tax and other Nebraska money rules

Nebraska does not have a state estate tax, but it does have an inheritance tax collected by the county where the person who died lived. The rates and exemptions depend on the heir’s relationship to the deceased; a spouse is generally exempt, children are treated more favorably than distant relatives and unrelated heirs pay the most. If you plan to leave money to a niece, a friend or a charity, ask an estate attorney how the tax applies.

Property tax matters as well. Valuations have risen and so have bills, particularly for farmland, and the state offers a homestead exemption for some older and disabled homeowners. Confirm current rules with the county assessor or the Nebraska Department of Revenue.

Moving to and from Lancaster County

Lincoln draws graduates who decide to stay, state workers who relocate for a job and families who want a mid-sized city with lower housing costs than the coasts. It also sends people away: students who leave after graduation, retirees who head to a warmer state and workers recruited to Omaha or beyond. Each move has a money side.

If you are arriving, update your will and beneficiary forms to match Nebraska law, shop for auto and home insurance with hail in mind and set a savings target for the down payment. If you are leaving, check how the move changes your income tax residency, where you will hold a driver license and vote, and whether an out-of-state estate plan still works. Retirees who keep a Nebraska farm or rental property after moving still face Nebraska rules on that land, so tell your advisor about every asset you own here.

How to choose a financial advisor in Lancaster County

Begin with the problem you want solved, then look for advisors who work on it daily. Ask how they are paid, whether they act as a fiduciary and what the first year will cost. Check their record on the SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site or FINRA BrokerCheck, and confirm with the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance that they are registered in the state. Beware of any advisor who promises a return or pressures you to decide on the first call.

Since advisors who serve the area work by phone or video, a meeting does not require a drive across Lincoln. Gather your statements, pay stubs and insurance policies first; our budgeting and saving guide gives a short list.

Areas we serve in Lancaster County

Advisors who serve the area work with households across the county by phone or video, including Lincoln, Waverly, Hickman, Bennet, Firth, Raymond, Malcolm, Roca, Denton, Davey and Hallam. Lincoln holds most of the people and jobs, with neighborhoods around the campus, downtown and the Haymarket, and newer subdivisions on the edges. Waverly and Hickman have grown as commuter towns, while the smaller villages toward the south and west keep a farm-town character. Whatever your address, an advisor can tailor the plan to your local costs.

Frequently asked questions