FOL Adult Education Program: Financial Foundational Series
by Margaret McGhee-Sufke
Most folks are far too busy earning money to actually “think” about money, let alone plan ahead. Regardless of age, the topic of foundational financial planning tends to fall to the bottom of the list for many of us. As more and more folks are looking towards transitioning from the daily grind to something more interesting, everyone starts asking some basic financial questions only to discover that they should have paid far more attention far sooner.
That said, here’s your chance to jump start your basic financial learning experience. The Friends of the WB Library are working with a variety of professional folks to put together a Financial Foundational Series. The intent of the program is to host a series of topics that provide the educational building blocks for each of the key financial planning components.
FREE! Everyone reacts quickly when there is a deal to be had. There is NO cost for this series. Nothing will be sold during the classes. What you will gain is increased financial knowledge in areas where you may be lacking. All you have to invest is a little bit of your time and effort to attend the various sessions. Your result will be a better understanding of how the individual financial components work together to create a successful long term financial plan. The initial topics include:
Session 1 (FEB 23rd): Social Security (New Rules), younger folks should attend for future planning – or if you have an older family member who may not know about the recent changes
Session 2 (MAR 30th): General Financial Planning Topics (Tools, Tips, Resources)
Session 3: Insurance as a Financial Resource, there’s more to insurance than you think
Session 4: General Tax/IRS Strategies (property tax topics, managing deductions & more)
Session 5: Family Law/Estate Planning (what to do when and why; what happens if you don’t)
Session 6: Manage Your Information / Protect Your Identity (protect what you have worked so hard to establish)
The plan for this educational series is to host one session each month. The time and dates will vary based on the availability of the speakers. The sessions will be short, 90 minutes is the target and will be presented either in the evening or on the weekend. The first session is confirmed. Please look for additional information on the sites: wbfriends.org, facebook.com/wbfol, wbna.us and facebook.com/WBNA-Wells-Branch-Neighborhood-Association, the neighborhood Google groups and elsewhere.
The program organizers are also going to canvas the community prior to each session to ensure that the information presented is relevant to our community. Look for surveys and “class prep notes” prior to each session. Come prepared to learn.
Session 1: Social Security: The new rules and how they apply to you
Thursday, February 23, 6:30–8:00pm
WB Community Center, 2106 Klattenhoff
- How the new laws “change the game”
- How to avoid making poor choices early in the game that impact the overall pay out
- Maximize lifetime benefits
- Delayed retirement credits
- Key point to help manage tax impact on social security income
Session 2: General Financial Planning Topics (Tools, Tips, Resources)
Thursday, March 30, 6:30–8:00pm
WB Community Center, 2106 Klattenhoff
While you are executing your current plan of hoping to win the lottery, make plans to start attending this informative series of educational programs. Either way you can’t lose if you increase your basic financial knowledge.