WEST CHESTER, PA / ACCESS Newswire / August 27, 2026 / James Walter Wealth Management has launched "Laid Off in Pennsylvania," a free public resource that compiles WARN Act layoff notices filed with the state and explains the financial decisions workers face during the 60-day notice period. The page is live at www.jameswalterwm.com/pa-warn-system.
Federal law requires employers with 100 or more employees to give 60 days written notice before a plant closing or mass layoff. Pennsylvania publishes every notice it receives, but as raw filings including company name, county, and headcount with no explanation of what the affected worker should do with the time. The new resource pairs those filings, refreshed automatically as the state posts them, with plain-language guidance on the decisions that follow.
Pennsylvania employers have filed multiple WARN notices so far in 2026, and Chester County appears among the current filings: a Phoenixville distribution operation reporting 150 affected workers and a Chesterbrook employer reporting 248.
The guidance covers the decisions that are easiest to get wrong and hardest to undo. Severance paid as a lump sum lands on top of a full year of wages, often in the year income is about to fall. Workers who separate at or after age 55 may be able to draw from that employer's plan without the 10% early withdrawal penalty. That's a benefit generally forfeited by rolling the balance into an IRA. Company stock held inside a qualified plan may qualify for net unrealized appreciation treatment, which disappears if the stock is rolled over with everything else. The page also compares COBRA, a Pennie marketplace plan, and a spouse's coverage during the gap after employer insurance ends.
"A WARN notice starts a clock, and several of the decisions that matter most close permanently on your separation date," said Jake Lown, Executive Director at James Walter Wealth Management. "We built this so people can plan proactively. Far too often people don't realize how quickly 60 days disappear."
The resource is free, requires no account, and collects no contact information.
About James Walter Wealth Management
James Walter Wealth Management is a family-run independent wealth management firm in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The firm serves business owners, corporate executives, and multi-generational families across Chester County and the greater Philadelphia region, with a specialty practice advising college athletes on name, image, and likeness income.
Media Contact
Andrew Beltz, Co-Founder, James Walter Wealth Management abeltz@jameswalterwm.com (610) 731-8066
Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. James Walter Wealth Management and any other entity listed herein are not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS. www.kestrafinancial.com/disclosures
SOURCE: James Walter Wealth Management
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/james-walter-wealth-management-launches-free-tool-tracking-pennsylva-1213210
