WELCOME TO MERTZ WEALTH STRATEGIES, A FINANCIAL ADVICE CENTER.
We believe great advice comes from individuals, not large companies.
14 year Five Star Wealth Manager*award winner.
Mertz Wealth Strategies Inc. is a comprehensive retirement planning firm. We combine our knowledge of investments with our knowledge of the income tax laws to look for ways that help protect and grow your money efficiently.*
"It is not what you earn, but what you keep that matters."
Click here for Monthly articles
Our mission is to help create and maintain wealth for our clients through long-term, effective, asset management. We will build client relationships based on trust, competent professional service, continual communication, and prompt personal service. We will assist our clients in setting financial goals, monitoring these goals, and keeping them informed of the process and achievement of the goals.
We have equipped our business with quality financial services technology and utilize our capabilities to the fullest. These investments in our business have allowed us to give our clients intensely personalized asset analysis, asset allocation, and investment services. Our success is based on research and personalized service. It is for these reasons that new clients come to us and current clients stay with us.
Thank you for visiting our virtual office. If you’d like a face-to-face, no-obligation appointment to see what we can do for you, please give us a call at 952-831-5660 or contact Jim at Jim@mertzwealth.com.
*The FIVE STAR Wealth Manager list is created by Crescendo Business Services LLC. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2024: 4,789, 624, 13%, 2023: 4,080, 633, 16%, 12/1/22, 3/14/22 - 10/18/22; 2022: 4544, 622, 14%, 12/1/21, 3/29/21 - 10/8/21; 2021: 4004, 630, 16%, 12/1/20, 3/30/20 - 10/23/20; 2020: 3606, 589, 16%, 12/1/19, 3/1/19 - 10/25/19; 2019: 3504, 671, 19%, 12/1/18, 3/23/18 - 10/23/18; 2018: 2622, 591, 23%, 12/1/17, 2/23/17 - 10/13/17; 2017: 2304, 836, 36%, 11/1/16, 2/25/16 - 10/14/16; 2016: 2083, 854, 41%, 11/1/15, 4/17/15 - 10/14/15; 2015: 2673, 825, 31%, 12/1/14, 4/17/14 - 10/14/14; 2014: 1931, 844, 44%, 12/1/13, 4/17/13 - 10/14/13; 2013: 2151, 863, 40%, 12/1/12, 4/17/12 - 10/14/12; 2012: 1256, 624, 50%, 11/1/11, 4/17/11 - 10/14/11.
Award candidates are identified by one of three sources; firm nomination, peer nomination or prequalification. Wealth managers were evaluated across ten criteria: (a) Credentialed as an investment advisory representative or a registered investment advisor; (b) Actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years; (c) Favorable regulatory and complaint history review; (d) Fulfilled their firm review based on internal firm standards; (e) Accepting new clients; (f) One-year client retention rate; (g) Five-year client retention rate; (h) non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; (i) Number of client households served. (j) Educational and professional designations. Favorable and unfavorable evaluations are included in the score.
Each wealth manager is reviewed for regulatory actions, civil judicial actions, and customer complaints. A favorable regulatory and complaint history is defined by Five Star Professional to mean that the wealth manager has not: *Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; *Had more than a total of three settled or pending customer complaints filed against them with any regulatory authority or through Five Star Professional’s consumer complaint process; *Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint filed with a regulatory authority; *Filed for personal bankruptcy; *Been convicted of a felony. Five Star Wealth Managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. Scores reflect an average of all respondents and are not representative of any one client's evaluation.
The Five Star award is not indicative of the wealth managers’ future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. Working with a FIVE STAR Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by Five Star Professional in the future. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by Five Star Professional or the magazine. Five Star Professional is not an advisory firm. For more information on the Five Star award and the research/selection methodology, go to: fivestarprofessional.com.
Helpful Content
Buying vs. Leasing a Car
Whatever your relationship with your car, it may eventually come time for a new one. Familiarize yourself with your options.
Starting a Roth IRA for a Teen
This early financial decision could prove helpful over time.
How Cash Apps Work
Peer-to-peer payment apps are one of the newest ways to send money.
Reviewing Your Life Insurance Needs
Learn how the review process works and how it may help you better understand your Life Insurance.
Your Social Security Roadmap
Help clients navigate their Social Security claiming decisions with our interactive roadmap.
Do Your Kids Know The Value of a Silver Spoon?
You taught them how to read and how to ride a bike, but have you taught your children how to manage money?
Dog Bites Neighbor. Now What?
Even dogs have bad days. So, what happens when your dog bites a neighbor or passing pedestrian?
Assess Life Insurance Needs
How to help determine life insurance needs to provide for your family after you pass away.
Financial Strategies for Women
Some may leave their future to chance but in the world of finance, the effects of the "confidence gap" can be apparent.
View all articles 
How Much Do I Need To Retire?
How much is enough to retire? It depends on your lifestyle, timeline, and more. Use this calculator to get a personalized est
How Compound Interest Works
Explore how compound interest can grow your money over time with this interactive tool.
Debt vs. Investment
Weigh the potential outcomes of paying off debt versus directing those dollars elsewhere.
Roth 401(k) vs. Traditional 401(k)
Compare Roth and traditional 401(k) options to see which may work better for your situation.
My Retirement Savings
See how your current savings rate and contributions may grow into retirement income.
Long-Term-Care Needs
Estimate potential long-term care costs and what coverage may help address them.
View all calculators 
Rightsizing for Retirement
What does your home really cost?
Jane Bond: Infiltrating the Market
Agent Jane Bond is on the case, cracking the code on bonds.
Bursting the Bubble
Tulips were the first, but they won’t be the last. What forms a “bubble” and what causes them to burst?
Should You Ever Retire?
A growing number of Americans are pushing back the age at which they plan to retire. Or deciding not to retire at all.
Finding the Balance
The sandwich generation faces unique challenges. For many, meeting needs is a matter of finding a balance.
Forecast
This short video helps explain why markets can be as unpredictable as the weather.