Find a Financial Advisor in Marathon County

Marathon County at a glance: who pays the bills here

Marathon County is one of the larger counties in central Wisconsin, and its economy is unusually mixed. Manufacturing and wood and paper products have long been part of life along the Wisconsin River, and the Mosinee and Rothschild area still carries that history. Wausau has a long association with the insurance business. Hospitals and clinics employ a great many people, and outside the cities, dairy farms and cropland fill the map. Marathon County is also well known for ginseng, a specialty crop that few other places in the country grow at scale.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, the county has about 139,432 residents, a median age of 41.3 and a median household income of $77,884. Per capita income is $41,413, the median home value is $219,600, and median gross rent is $999 a month. About 73.3% of households own their home, 28.1% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the unemployment rate is 2.9%.

Those numbers describe a place where a steady paycheck and a paid-for or nearly paid-for house are common. The planning questions that follow are practical ones. How do you turn a good income into savings that last? What happens to the farm or the shop when the owner retires? How do two spouses protect each other if one dies first? The sections below take those questions one service at a time. If you want background first, our guide to choosing a financial advisor covers the basics.

Wealth management in Marathon County

Wealth management is aimed at households where investments, taxes, property and family arrangements all need to work together. In Marathon County that usually means one of a few situations.

• Business and farm owners. A manufacturer’s founder, a dairy operator or a ginseng grower often holds most of their net worth in land, buildings and equipment. A wealth manager helps plan how to take money out of that asset over time without forcing a rushed sale.
• Employees with equity pay. Managers at larger employers may receive stock awards or deferred compensation. These payments have their own tax timing and can leave too much of your net worth in a single company.
• Inheritors. Families who have held land or a family business for generations sometimes receive a lump sum or a share of property that has to be divided fairly among brothers and sisters.
• Recent sellers. Someone who has sold a business or a rental property needs a plan for the proceeds before the money sits in a checking account for a year.

A good wealth manager works alongside your accountant and your attorney instead of replacing them. Ask whether the firm will coordinate with both, and ask how often you will meet. Wisconsin is a marital property state, so a wealth plan for a married couple has to consider how assets acquired during the marriage are treated. An attorney who knows Wisconsin law should handle the legal side, and the advisor should make sure account titles match the legal documents. Our estate planning guide explains the documents involved.

Investment advisors in Marathon County

An investment advisor builds and manages a portfolio. The question for most Marathon County households is not which stock to buy but how much risk to carry and how to hold the money in the right accounts.

Consider a pair of machinists in their early forties in Rothschild, each with a workplace retirement plan and a little extra in a savings account. Their real investment decisions are how much to put into stocks versus bonds, whether to use Roth or traditional contributions, and what to do when the market falls by a fifth. A competent advisor answers those in writing, picks low-cost funds, and sets a schedule to rebalance.

Farm families have a different problem. Their largest asset is illiquid, so the financial portfolio often needs to be more conservative, because a bad crop year or a milk price slump can mean pulling money out at the wrong time. An advisor who understands that can keep a reserve in safer holdings to cover the lean years.

When you interview an investment advisor, ask these four things:

1. Do you act as a fiduciary on every account you manage for me?
2. How are you paid, and what would I owe in a typical year?
3. What do you do when markets drop sharply?
4. Who holds my money, and can I see statements directly from that firm?

Our investing guide explains index funds, diversification and fees in plain language, so you can follow the answers.

Retirement planning in Marathon County

With 19.2% of residents age 65 or older, retirement is not a distant topic here. A few local features shape the plan.

First, Wisconsin generally does not tax Social Security benefits at the state level, though federal rules may still apply. The state also has its own treatment of other retirement income, and those rules can change, so confirm current details with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue or a tax professional before you decide how to draw money.

Second, public employees such as teachers and municipal workers often belong to the Wisconsin Retirement System. Their planning centers on choosing a pension option, deciding how a surviving spouse is protected, and filling the gap before Social Security begins.

Third, many residents retire close to home. Winters are long, but the family is nearby, the lakes and trails are close, and a median home value of $219,600 means a retiree can often downsize without leaving the area. Retirees who stay should plan for a roof, a furnace and a snow-removal bill that arrive on someone’s schedule other than their own.

A retirement planner will usually work through the same short list: when to claim Social Security, which accounts to draw from first, how to handle health coverage before Medicare at 65, and how to keep income steady through a market dip. Our retirement planning guide walks through each step.

Life insurance in Marathon County

Life insurance protects the people who depend on your income, and the right amount varies a lot from one household to the next.

A two-income couple in Weston with young children and a mortgage often needs level term coverage that lasts until the youngest is grown. A farm couple needs something different: enough money to pay off operating loans and keep the land in the family if one spouse dies, or to buy out a sibling who is not farming. A small business owner may need a policy tied to a partnership agreement.

Term insurance is the simplest and least expensive type, and it fits most working families. Permanent policies such as whole life or universal life can make sense for estate liquidity or for a business, but they cost more and should be compared carefully. Ask any agent to show you the cost of each option side by side, and ask what happens if you stop paying.

Do not skip the coverage you already have. Many employers offer group life insurance, but it usually ends when you leave the job and is rarely enough alone. Our life insurance guide explains how to size a policy and what the main types do.

Financial planners in Marathon County

A financial planner looks at the whole picture and puts it on paper: income, spending, debt, savings, insurance, taxes and goals. The result is a plan you can follow and update.

Planners are especially useful at certain turning points. A couple buying their first home in Kronenwetter or Rib Mountain wants to know what monthly payment is comfortable. A mid-career worker wants to know whether to pay down a loan or add to a 401(k). A parent starts thinking about a child’s college costs and wonders how a 529 plan fits. Our college savings guide covers those accounts.

Planners are often paid by a flat fee for a plan, an hourly rate, or a percentage of assets they manage. Each model suits a different household. A flat or hourly fee is common when you want a plan and plan to carry it out yourself. A percentage fee is common when the planner also manages your investments. Our budgeting and saving guide is a good first step if you want to tidy up your cash flow before meeting anyone.

Financial advisors in Marathon County: what they cost

The title financial advisor is broad, and the price depends on what you buy.

Whatever the model, get the full fee in writing before you sign. Ask for a dollar figure for a typical year, along with the percentage. Our matching service is free to you, and the advisor you meet sets their own terms.

How to choose a financial advisor in Marathon County

Start by naming the one problem you most want solved. A farm transition needs a different person than a first-time investor. Then speak with at least two advisors, by phone or video, since advisors who serve the area do not need to sit in a Wausau office to help you.

Check each person on the public regulator databases for licenses and complaints. Ask whether they are a fiduciary at all times. Ask who your contact will be when your question comes up in the middle of the year. Finally, pay attention to how they explain things. If you leave a call with fewer questions than you came with, that is a good sign.

Weather, farms and forests: the local risks to plan for

Central Wisconsin winters are hard on buildings and budgets. A heavy snow load, ice dams and burst pipes lead to claims, so review your homeowner’s policy for the deductible and what it excludes. Standard policies generally do not cover flood damage, and the Wisconsin River and its tributaries can rise in spring, so ask an insurance agent whether flood coverage is worth buying for your address.

Farm and rural landowners face a separate set of risks: equipment loss, liability on the property, and crop or livestock shocks. Wisconsin offers use-value assessment for farmland and a managed forest program for woodland owners, which can lower property tax. The rules have conditions and change over time, so confirm them with the county or the state before you rely on them.

Moving in, moving out: relocating to or from Marathon County

People move to Marathon County for jobs in manufacturing, healthcare and insurance, and for housing that costs less than in larger Wisconsin metro areas. If you are relocating here, review your workplace retirement plan, update your beneficiaries and your will to meet Wisconsin rules, and find out how property taxes will work on the home you buy.

People also leave, often for family or warmer weather in retirement. If that is you, ask an advisor about state income tax rules in the place you are heading and about selling a home you have owned for decades. A sale can produce a capital gain, and some of it may be excluded when the home is your main residence, subject to federal rules.

Planning a move or a sale

Compare advisors who help with relocation, home sales and business transitions.

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Areas we serve in Marathon County

Advisors who serve the area work with residents by phone or video across the county, including Wausau, the county seat, as well as Mosinee, Schofield, Rothschild, Weston, Kronenwetter, Marathon City, Edgar, Athens, Stratford and Spencer. Whether you live in town or on a farm outside it, you can meet without a drive.

Frequently asked questions