'Can You Afford to Retire?' Class Set for October 21st in River Forest

Can you afford to retire?

Depending on your situation, it’s a simple question that you may welcome with a sense of accomplishment or receive with more than a little concern.

That provocative, but urgent, question is also the title of a free presentation delivered by retirement expert Jim Flanagan on Tuesday, October 21st at the River Forest Park District headquarters, 401 Thatcher Ave.

Starting at 6 p.m., Jim Flanagan of Bentron Financial Group will guide attendees through several self-evaluation exercises that help reveal their readiness for retirement. Thereafter, attendees will be introduced to 10 critical questions that every retiree must answer before embarking on a successful retirement.

Students will then discuss the basic need for an estate and/or a financial plan. Flanagan will then walk attendees through an estate analysis questionnaire and provide an example of a balance sheet.

To pre-register for the event, go online at www.rfparks.com or visit the park district office any weekday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Anyone with questions about the program may call Karen Stille at the park district, 708-366-6660, ext. 105.

A River Forest native and lifelong resident, Flanagan is the founder of Bentron Financial Group, based in Naperville. He has been advising people at or near retirement age for more than 20 years. For the past 15 years his specialties have included counsel on how and when to tap into Social Security benefits.

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.