'Retire with Confidence' course comes to College of DuPage in April
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
Popularized in lyrics by John Lennon, that observation proves to be all too true for many people. In or near retirement, they find themselves without clarity on how to approach the rest of their years-a period that increasingly is measured in multiple decades.
Acutely aware of that scenario through a career advising retirees, Jim Flanagan brings a wide-ranging four-part course to the College of DuPage's Glen Ellyn campus in April.
The series, "Retire with Confidence," offers a thorough blueprint for navigating this phase of life.
Designed for people, age 50 to 70 who are in or nearing retirement, "Retire with Confidence" runs four consecutive weeks via two timeframes: on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m. (April 4-25) and on Saturdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. (April 7-28).
Among other topics, Flanagan will cover maximizing your Social Security benefits and help you gauge your financial preparedness and planning through self-assessments that he administers. In addition, he will share insights on health care in retirement (including an explanation of Medicare Parts A, B, C and D), Medicare supplements, and long-term care insurance.
Estate planning, Independent Retirement Accounts (IRAs), income planning and investment management are also part of the curriculum. As a retirement expert and adjunct professor at Triton College in River Grove, Flanagan has created and teaches the retirement planning curriculum in the school for adult education.
"So many people enter their retirement years with great apprehension," Flanagan said. "I developed 'Retire with Confidence' to provide a straightforward approach to managing the risks and opportunities that come at this crucial stage of life."
Anyone who is within a decade of retiring, or has already retired, is an excellent candidate for the course. The information shared will help students learn how to pay less in taxes, manage planning risks and create the income stream desired in retirement.
Tuition for the course is $79, and spouses may attend at no additional charge. An additional workbook for your spouse may be purchased for $20. You may register at www.bentron.com/RetireWithConfidence or by calling (630) 505-8375.
The founder of Bentron Financial Group, Flanagan has been advising people at or near retirement age for nearly 30 years and has become a nationally renowned expert on financial issues that affect seniors. In 2001, building on his 15 years in the financial services field and his knowledge of risk management, financial planning and business succession planning, he formed Bentron Financial Group, LLC.
In 2005, Flanagan joined the Oak Park/River Forest Township Senior Services Committee, for which he has served as chairman since 2008. In 2010, he founded the Celebrating Seniors Coalition, a not-for-profit organization that, among other services, helps seniors with emergency needs and raises public awareness of issues affecting seniors in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park.
For more information, visit www.CelebratingSeniors.net. Bentron Financial Group is online at www.bentron.com.