On Feb. 4th in Oakbrook Terrace: 'Helping Children and Grandchildren Get Off To a Great Financial Start'

For better or worse, our children and grandchildren inherit many of our traits. And that extends to our handling of finances.

On Thursday, February 4th, a financial expert comes to the Oakbrook Terrace Park District to teach parents and grandparents how to empower the next generation with effective money-management skills.

At 6:30 p.m., Jim Flanagan, founder of Naperville-based Bentron Financial Group, will begin the free session, “Helping Children and Grandchildren Get Off To a Great Financial Start.”

The 30-minute presentation will cover the challenges, opportunities, and strategies used to master basic financial management. In addition, participants will learn how to help young people make financial decisions, such as distinguishing between wants and needs.

“It’s impossible to start too soon in training our kids and grandkids how to approach finances,” said Flanagan. “You are the most influential financial teacher your children or grandchildren will ever have, and this interactive session provides the simple skills needed to help them thrive financially.”

Flanagan began carving out his own financial legacy as a young boy, when his work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit surfaced. As a fourth-grader, he began cutting lawns for $3 per job in his hometown of River Forest. At 21, he was profiled in Inc. magazine for a skincare company he co-founded. For two years, the firm’s all-natural, fragrance-free formula helped make it the top selling line in its category at the iconic Marshall Field’s store on State Street in Chicago.

Flanagan has been advising people at or near retirement age for more than 20 years. 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.

Pointing to the significant need for this session, Flanagan cited a recent survey of affluent baby boomers that found, among other things, that less than one in three is confident their children will be ready for a financial legacy, and that nearly half worry their children do not understand what it takes financially to prepare for retirement.

The session is free for residents and non-residents alike, and the online pre-registration deadline is January 28th. To pre-register, go to www.obtpd.org and complete the form online.

After January 28th, registration is available by faxing, emailing, mailing or dropping off the registration form at one of the park district’s facilities. Anyone with questions may contact 630-627-6100 or info@obtpd.org.

Bentron Financial Group is online at www.bentron.com.

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.