Do you work at Advocate Aurora Health?
Get expert insights from financial advisors who specialize in helping Advocate Aurora Health employees make the most of their compensation package and benefits.
Looking for a financial advisor who specializes in working with Advocate Aurora Health employees? You’re in the right place. Below, you’ll find advisors who understand Advocate Aurora Health benefits and compensation — along with their answers to common financial questions from Advocate Aurora Health employees.
Whether you recently joined Advocate Aurora Health or you’ve advanced into a leadership role over a multi-year career, making smart decisions about your income and Advocate Aurora Health benefits can have a lasting impact on your financial future. For example:
✅ Do you know the right moves to get the greatest value from the Advocate Aurora Health benefits available to you?
✅ If you’re thinking about leaving Advocate Aurora Health for another job or planning to retire in a few years, are you taking the right steps today to receive all the compensation and benefits you’ve earned?
Key Takeaways
Advocate Aurora’s Deferred Compensation Program Is a Must-Consider for Higher Earners
Not everyone qualifies, and not everyone should fund it, but eligible employees in highly compensated roles should evaluate it alongside the 401(k).
Check Deductibles, FSA Dollars, and Vision Benefits Before Leaving Advocate Aurora
Waiting a month or two can let you use deductibles you’ve already met and remaining flexible spending dollars. Compare health coverage before worrying about your retirement plan assets.
Start the Retirement Transition About Three Years Out
Deferred compensation can create income that complements Social Security or lets you delay claiming it. Employees retiring before 65 also need a plan for health coverage until Medicare.
Why Advocate Aurora Health Employees Work with a Specialist Financial Advisor
Throughout the year, Advocate Aurora Health provides its employees with updates about their benefits, ranging from health insurance and health savings accounts to retirement plans like a 401(k) and, for eligible employees, a deferred compensation plan — along with flexible spending and vision benefits. While the health system offers many useful resources and access to knowledgeable staff who can assist with questions, you’ll also find financial professionals not affiliated with Advocate Aurora Health who specialize in helping Advocate Aurora Health employees make the most of their income and benefits.
Advocate Aurora Health operates hospitals and clinics across Wisconsin and Illinois, with major offices in Milwaukee and Downers Grove, and since 2022 has been part of Charlotte, North Carolina–based Advocate Health following its combination with Atrium Health. Whether you work at a hospital, a clinic, an administrative office, or remotely from home, you may have questions about your compensation package and benefits better suited for a financial professional who can offer unbiased advice and guidance.
Sensitive topics — like the steps you should take before quitting your job at Advocate Aurora Health to work elsewhere, protecting yourself in advance of a corporate layoff, or deciding when you should plan to retire — are all conversations that may be more comfortable with a trusted financial advisor.
Should You Hire an Advocate Aurora Health Specialist or a Local Financial Advisor?
You’ll likely find dozens of nearby financial advisors well-suited to help you reach your money goals with a personalized plan. But it can be harder to find a financial advisor who specializes in serving Advocate Aurora Health employees. Fortunately, many financial advisors offer virtual services, so you can meet online no matter where you (or they) live — which means you can hire a specialist financial advisor who lives hundreds of miles away if their knowledge and experience working with Advocate Aurora Health employees is the better fit for your unique needs.
💡 In the Q&A below, you’ll gain insights from financial advisors who work with Advocate Aurora Health employees to help them make smart decisions, get the most value from their compensation and benefits, reduce their money stress, and prepare for a comfortable retirement.
🙋♀️ Have a question not yet answered? Use the form below to submit your question. You can also contact financial advisors directly to set up an introductory call or contact them with your questions.
Q&A: Financial Planning Tips for Advocate Aurora Health Employees
In this section, you’ll learn how you can make the most of your Advocate Aurora Health employee benefits and gain valuable tips from financial advisors who specialize in working with Advocate Aurora Health employees.
Financial Advisor Q&A · Advocate Aurora Health Employees
Robert T. Dignan, CFP®, AIF®
Highland Investment Advisors · Brookfield, WI · Serves clients nationwide
Building and Sustaining a Life Worth LivingRobert Dignan is a financial advisor based in Brookfield, Wisconsin who specializes in offering financial planning services to Advocate Aurora Health System employees. Robert helps his clients get the most value from their Advocate Aurora Health System benefits and compensation package so they can enjoy life and feel confident about their financial future.
QAs a financial advisor with experience helping Advocate Aurora Health System employees save for their retirement, how do you help them make the most of their employee benefits?
As the spouse of a 30 year Advocate Aurora physician, I’ve had the opportunity to watch the company (Aurora) grow from a leading regional healthcare system into a national healthcare powerhouse. In that growth process, the benefits have evolved as well, resulting in major financial planning opportunities for employees at every level of compensation, whether they be part- or full-time. By integrating company-offered retirement benefits with our clients outside portfolios, we find ways to maximize the opportunities that are provided by the AAH 401(k) and/or Deferred Compensation Plans, without the need to pay for additional “in plan management fees.”
QWhen you first speak with an Advocate Aurora Health System employee, what questions do you like to ask to better understand their unique circumstances and determine how you can best help them achieve their goals?
The most important question for anyone in healthcare today is “How are you doing, and do you still love what you do?” Healthcare today has become a never ending battle to maintain your sanity and life balance, especially for the Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Med Techs, and Physicians on the front lines. First and foremost, we always need to find out how our clients are doing mentally, because the “when and how” of retirement is hugely dependent on “are you doing okay?” We expect these people to give us great care, and they should expect that to be our first concern too.
QIs there a particular benefit available to Advocate Aurora Health System employees you feel isn’t as well utilized or understood by employees as it should be?
For those who qualify, the AAH Deferred Compensation Program is absolutely a “must consider”. Not everyone qualifies, and not everyone should fund it, but it must be discussed, especially for anyone in a more highly compensated role.
QFor Advocate Aurora Health System employees thinking about leaving the company to accept a job elsewhere, what actions do you recommend they take before resigning and shortly thereafter?
While no company is perfect, it’s important to understand what you are giving up before you leave. So many advisors first want to talk about what to do with your retirement plan assets, but that’s incredibly short-sighted. The first questions need to be around the topic of the heath insurance that you’re leaving (and examining where you are in your “paid deductibles” for the year) and what your new situation will be going forward. In a few cases we have recommended waiting for just a month or two to more completely capitalize on making the most efficient use of Flex Spending dollars, health insurance deductibles that were already fully met, and even sneaking in a pair of spare eyeglasses (under the vision plan) before an employee departs.
QFor Advocate Aurora Health System employees approaching retirement age, how do you recommend they prepare to make the transition from living off their salary to relying upon other sources of income?
This isn’t a straightforward transition that applies equally to all employees. If an employee has had the benefit of funding a Deferred Compensation account, in addition to their AAH 401(k), those assets can be triggered to create income in a manner that should compliment their Social Security income, or that may even allow them to defer their Social Security to a later age to maximize their lifetime Social Security payouts. Once an Advocate employee is within three years of retirement (or believes that they are) we begin a transition process that involves a very specific examination of their current expenses, their projected expenses in retirement, the anticipated changes in their personal income tax situation, and the manner in which we will utilize their assets to replicate the equivalent of a monthly paycheck.
Additionally, if that retiring employee is under the age of 65, we will also work with them to ensure that they are positioned to have great health insurance until age 65, when Medicare begins. This can include the use of their AAH COBRA benefits, a referral to a trusted independent health insurance agent, or collaborative assistance with an ACA health plan. And as the client draws closer to age 65, whether retiring or not, we work to connect them with an independent advisor who specialized in Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage policies to assist them in filling in the gaps in their Medicare coverage.
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About the Author
Brian Thorp
Founder & CEO, Wealthtender · Editor-in-Chief
Brian Thorp is the founder and CEO of Wealthtender and serves as Editor-in-Chief. With over 25 years in the financial services industry — including nearly 22 years at Invesco, where he led strategic partnerships with wealth management firms representing more than $100 billion in assets — Brian founded Wealthtender to help people find financial advisors they can trust and make more informed money decisions.
A member of the National Society of Compliance Professionals and its SEC Marketing Rule Working Group, Brian was recognized by WealthManagement.com as one of its “Ten to Watch in 2024” for his work reshaping how financial advisors market their services. He holds a B.B.A. in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin.
Brian and his wife live in Austin, Texas.