Starting October 1st, Finance & Retirement Expert Holds Trio of Saturday Classes for the Public at Triton College

Does your retirement picture look more than a little fuzzy? Ever feel overwhelmed by all the factors to take into account as you try to gauge when is the right time to transition into your golden post-employment phase of life?

You're far from alone. So join the crowd-the one that is gathering at 9 a.m. Saturday, October 1st at Triton College to enroll in a three-hour class designed by retirement and finance expert Jim Flanagan, "The New Retirement Reality and Retirement Rescue Strategies."

The session is open to the public, as are two related classes the next two Saturdays, on October 8th and 15th: "Healthcare in Retirement" and "Saving Smart & Investing for Retirement."

All of the classes are open to the public, and the fee for each one is $10, with all material provided on the day of the class. To register, please call 708-456-0300, extension 3500. Each class can be taken independently of the others; students are not required to attend all three.

Flanagan, a Triton adjunct professor and founder of Naperville-based Bentron Financial Group, will cover the changing landscape of retirement in each of the three classes.

In "The New Retirement Reality," Flanagan will outline the current and likely future changes in retirement and then advise attendees on how to take control of them. Students will emerge with a better knowledge of how to create a comfortable, virtually stress-free retirement experience.

"Healthcare in Retirement," on October 8th, will help attendees navigate the complexities of Medicare Parts A&B, Medicare Supplements, Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage, Medicaid and Long-Term Care insurance. Flanagan will ease the intimidation factor of these health-care options by educating students on the basics of each insurance plan.

Flanagan acknowledged that the details are so numerous that "people can get discouraged quickly" about their prospect of making sense of it all.

"As complicated as all of the options are, as daunting a task as it can be, if you break it into pieces, it becomes very manageable," Flanagan said. "That's what my session will do."

In Saving Smart and Investing for Retirement, on October 15th, he will address how saving and investing near or during retirement is dramatically different from any other type of financial concern. For example, income, less risk and lower volatility in investments all become necessary components, yet too few people adjust their portfolios to align with these changing needs.

Against the backdrop of the economic crisis of recent years, it has become more crucial than ever before for retirees to maximize their fixed income, he says.

The "Saving Smart & Investing for Retirement" class will provide an in-depth look at various savings vehicles and investment products. Flanagan will teach attendees how to analyze income potential, risk and liquidity of various investment products. He will also advise students on tax favored retirement accounts such as IRA's, 401(k) plans and Roth IRAs.

"I'm giving tools for a new and different retirement than any generation has ever experienced before," Flanagan said. "This type of education hasn't existed in the mainstream before."

For nearly 30 years, Flanagan has provided financial guidance to people at or near retirement. Over that time, he has become a nationally recognized expert on financial issues that affect seniors.

The father of three, he is a strong proponent of community service, particularly on behalf of senior citizens. In 2005 he joined the Oak Park/River Forest Township Senior Services Committee, for which he has served as chairman since 2008. And in 2010, Flanagan founded the Celebrating Seniors Coalition, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to celebrating, educating and protecting older adults in Forest Park, Oak Park and River Forest.

Flanagan is also a member of Illinois FAST (Financial Abuse Strike Team), a multidisciplinary unit of financial, legal, law enforcement and adult service providers that intervenes to safeguard older adults from financial abuse and exploitation.

Flanagan's company, Bentron Financial Group, is online at www.bentron.com. Celebrating Seniors is online at www.celebratingseniors.net.