For workers affected by the Twist Drill closures

Laid off from Twist Drill? Here's what to do in the first 30 days.

A free field guide for Range workers affected by the Chisholm and Hibbing plant closures. 401(k) rollover timing, MN Dislocated Worker benefits, COBRA vs MNsure, severance tax planning — written by a Range-based, fee-based CFP®.

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Written by a CFP® Iron Range roots Fee-based fiduciary No product sales

On April 14, Walter Surface Technologies filed a WARN notice to permanently close Minnesota Twist Drill in Chisholm and Triumph Twist Drill in Hibbing. Seventy-seven jobs — 73 hourly, four salaried — are gone by mid-August.

If you were one of them, the first 30 days carry decisions that will shape your family's finances for a decade: whether to roll over the 401(k), how to time severance pay, how to bridge health insurance, and how to use the Dislocated Worker Program without leaving money on the table.

Nobody hands you a checklist for that. So I wrote one. This guide is plain-English, Range-specific, and written the way I'd explain it over coffee — rollover, severance, health insurance, Dislocated Worker benefits, and the deadlines that actually matter.

What's inside the guide

Chapter 01
Don't Cash Out the 401(k)
The single most expensive mistake laid-off workers make. Why "I need the cash" almost always costs more than it saves, and what to do instead.
Chapter 02
Severance Tax Timing
If your separation lump-sum lands before year-end, here's how to plan for the tax bill that shows up in April. The two moves that cost almost nothing but save thousands.
Chapter 03
Health Insurance Bridge: COBRA vs MNsure
COBRA is usually the wrong answer. A plain-English walkthrough of MNsure subsidies, special-enrollment windows, and why the 60-day clock matters.
Chapter 04
MN Dislocated Worker Program
Training dollars, retraining credits, and the Range CEP (Community and Education Partners) contacts who will actually call you back. What to ask for and when.
Chapter 05
Unemployment Filing, Week One
The MN DEED filing walkthrough, with the four fields people get wrong and a week-by-week schedule so your benefits don't stall.
Chapter 06
The 30-60-90 Day Checklist
One page. Every deadline that matters between your separation date and the end of the year. Tear it out, stick it on the fridge.
Dr. Adam Link, CFP

Dr. Adam Link, CFP®

Iron Range roots · Doctorate in Computer Science · Fee-based

I live on a lake on the Iron Range with my family. Doctorate in Computer Science, leadership career at Coinbase, now a CFP® running a fee-based practice. I wrote this guide because the decision checklist should already exist for anyone getting a WARN notice — and it doesn't. If you want a second set of eyes on your specific numbers, I do a free 30-minute call.

Common questions

What happens after I enter my email?
You'll get the PDF in your inbox within 60 seconds. That's it. Unsubscribe any time — no hoops.
Is this actually free? What's the catch?
Yes, free. The guide is free and the 30-minute call I offer at the end is free. I get paid if you decide later to hire the advisory practice for ongoing planning — and only then. No pre-pay, no trial, no hidden anything.
I'm not a Twist Drill worker — is the guide still useful?
Most of the decisions (401(k) rollover, severance timing, health-insurance math, unemployment filing) apply to any laid-off Minnesota worker. The plant-specific details — the June 14 first wave, Dislocated Worker Program contacts, Range CEP numbers — are specific to this closure. If you're outside that, the 30-day framework still works.
Why should I trust you with this?
I'm a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with a Doctorate in Computer Science. I live on the Iron Range with my family and run the advisory practice as an IAR of Portfolio Medics, a SEC-registered adviser. Fee-based — no commissions on investment advice. Regulatory detail is in the disclosures below.

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Delivered to your inbox in under a minute. Written the way I'd explain it to you over coffee at the Chisholm Community Building.

  • Don't cash out the 401(k) — the 30-day math
  • Severance tax timing moves
  • COBRA vs MNsure decision tree
  • MN Dislocated Worker Program contacts
  • Unemployment week-one checklist
  • 30-60-90 day fridge-worthy checklist

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Disclosures

Dr. Adam Link provides advisory services as an Investment Adviser Representative of Portfolio Medics, LLC, a SEC-registered investment adviser (CRD# 145958). Fireweed Capital is a separate, licensed insurance agency. The two entities are not affiliated. This guide is educational and does not constitute personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. Not an offer of employment, benefits, or any affiliation with Walter Surface Technologies, Minnesota Twist Drill, or Triumph Twist Drill. Check the background of your financial professional on FINRA's BrokerCheck.