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On March 25th: `Can You Afford to Retire?’ in Homer Glen

Retirement expert Dr. Jim Flanagan, founder of Bentron Financial Group, leads session that helps you gauge your retirement readiness

Dr. Jim Flanagan helps people at or near retirement through investment advising, estate planning, risk management and looking out for their overall financial well-being. His free March 25th presentation is hosted by Homer Township Public Library.
Dr. Jim Flanagan helps people at or near retirement through investment advising, estate planning, risk management and looking out for their overall financial well-being. His free March 25th presentation is hosted by Homer Township Public Library. (Bentron Financial Group)

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 presentation by retirement expert Dr. Jim Flanagan at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25th at Homer Township Public Library, 14320 W. 151st Street.

Find out what's happening in Homer Glen-Lockportfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

To register, visit https://www.homerlibrary.org/event/can-you-afford-retire-89554. You can also call the library at 708-301-7908.

In the session, he will guide attendees through several self-evaluation exercises that help reveal their readiness for retirement.

Find out what's happening in Homer Glen-Lockportfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Thereafter, attendees will be introduced to 10 critical questions that every retiree must answer before embarking on a successful retirement. In addition, the session will cover the basic need for an estate and/or a financial plan, as Flanagan provides an estate analysis questionnaire and an example of a balance sheet.

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in an additional layer of uncertainty as people approach retirement, he noted.

“In a real practical way, this program helps people assess whether they are ready to retire,” Flanagan added. “And if not, what steps do you need to take to get there?”

Flanagan founded Bentron Financial Group in 2001. He has provided financial guidance to people at or near retirement age for over 30 years. In that time, he has become a nationally recognized expert on financial issues impacting older adults and late-life transitions.

Flanagan is the author of Packing For Retirement: A Practical Guide to Prepare for Retirement at Any Age, which offers a comprehensive overview of the myriad facets of retirement planning. In addition, he has attained certification as a Master Registered Financial Consultant, a distinction that reflects integrity and transparency in business and is achieved by fewer than one percent of financial professionals.

Dr. Flanagan also has a series of financial pointers, dubbed My Generation Minute, that air regularly on the radio at 87.7 METV FM in the Chicago area.

He has served on the Oak Park/River Forest Township Senior Services Committee since 2008. In 2010, he founded the Celebrating Seniors Coalition, a not-for-profit organization that provides seniors with emergency services and raises public awareness of issues affecting seniors in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park.

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

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