Community Corner
On October 6th in Brookfield: `Can You Afford to Retire?’
At library, "Packing for Retirement" author & Bentron Financial Group founder Dr. Jim Flanagan helps attendees gauge retirement readiness
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 on Thursday, October 6th at the Brookfield Public Library, 3541 Park Ave. The session begins at 7 p.m.
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Register online at https://tinyurl.com/BrookfieldRetire and for more information, contact Grace Watylyk at 708-485-6917, extension 130 or gwatylyk@brookfieldlibrary.info.
Flanagan 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. 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.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in an additional layer of uncertainty as people approach retirement, he said.
"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?”
For over 30 years, Dr. Flanagan has provided financial guidance to people at or near retirement. Over that time, he has become a nationally recognized expert on financial issues impacting older adults and late-life transitions.
Flanagan, who formed Bentron Financial Group in 2001, 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.
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.
Bentron Financial Group is online at www.bentron.com.
