Free Financial Topics in Chicago

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  • Your Prosperity Picture – A Five Step Program to: Manage your Money, Design Your Life, Create Your Future

    Karen L. DeRose, Certified Financial Planner, DeRose Financial Planning Group

    Women are often conflicted about money. On one hand, they're more financially powerful than they ever have been, according to the Federal Reserve, controlling 51% of all wealth in the United States.1 On the other hand, 60% of them describe their investing and planning skills as "below average."2 MORE >

    "Your Prosperity Picture" seeks to help financial advisors build assets by bridging that divide with an entertaining, interactive, and inspirational approach rarely seen in the industry. Attendees are introduced to the key steps to creating prosperity, participate in five interactive discussions, and work with a unique hands-on visualization tool to help them connect their money with their lives. They leave armed with tools to potentially see personal financial management as a powerful means to a desirable end, see themselves as worthy, capable managers, and see their financial advisor as a valuable partner in helping them get there.

    1. Financial Advisor magazine, "Financial Advisors Need to Focus More on Female Clients," by Mike Byrnes, December 2012. Used with permission.

    2. Real Simple magazine "Women and Money," by Geraldine Sealey, September, 2012.

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  • Women and Investing – Financial Strategies for Women Today

    Ted Buckley, Mooney Lyons Financial Services

    Financial Strategies for Women Today: Every woman, single or married, widowed or divorced — needs to plan ahead for personal and financial security. Women today have careers, start businesses, run households, raise children, and help aging parents. The workshop is designed to help you strengthen your financial future. I’ll have specific information for women who face divorce or widowhood, as well as many other concerns that could directly affect your family’s finances. The presentation offers sound, practical strategies that you can use immediately. MORE >

    We will focus on six key action items designed to help you:
    • Get your financial house in order - Prepare for the unexpected
    • Put your money to work by investing
    • Build a healthy nest egg for retirement
    • Face financial hardship
    • Understand your Social Security options
    • Address estate and legacy issues

    Workbook that contains a wealth of information, including exercises that are designed to help you assess your current situation.

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  • Wills, Trusts and What Every Family Needs To Know About Estate Planning

    Robert J. Varak, Law Offices of Robert J. Varak

    *COVID-19 Update* I have conducted several online webinars and Zoom-based conferences for small groups and would be happy to do so for your organization as well. Most people know that they should have a will, but why? When should you have your first will drafted? What is the difference between a will and a trust? How do I make sure that my children will be taken care of in the event of a family tragedy? What is probate and how does it work? I will give direct, understandable answers to these questions and any others you might have about the world of estate planning. MORE >

    Attendees will leave this talk knowing all the basics of the estate planning process, how to go about finding a qualified attorney, what is involved on their part and how much the process should cost them. It's the perfect one-stop primer to learn about wills, trusts, guardianship, powers of attorney and other sometimes intimidating but universally important topics.
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  • What Happens After the Paychecks Stop? A Retirement Income Primer Seminar

    Roger Smith, Financial Advisor, Edward Jones

    Examine how to budget for retirement expenses, potential sources of retirement income and potential risks such as LTC and health care costs.

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  • Understanding Social Security: A Look at the Bigger Picture

    Gregory Kurinec, CFP®, Certified Financial Planner

    Are you or someone you know ready to begin receiving Social Security? If you are going to collect Social Security benefits in the next 10 years you should attend this educational session. In this session, you will learn: MORE >

    • When to take benefits - sooner or later?
    • Working while getting benefits
    • Taxation and Social Security
    • Spousal Benefits

    Learn what you need to know to maximize the benefits you have earned!

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  • The Retirement Transition Window: Don’t Get Shut Out!

    Tom Kedzie CFP®, MBA, Financial Planner, RetireWell

    The "transition window" is from age 62 to 70. During this period of your life, you will need to make a variety of decisions- some of which are irrevocable. A wrong decision will follow you throughout retirement! These decisions include Social Security elections, Medicare enrollment, and company retirement distributions options, to name a few. Learn how to manage this "transition window" so you will have a successful retirement. MORE >

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  • The Myths & Facts about Reverse Mortgages: What You Need to Know

    Mike Wyrostek, Regional Account Manager, Reverse Mortgage Funding

    As reverse mortgages grow in popularity, so have the misconceptions or myths about these unique loans. This presentation will review these myths, discuss the facts and go over the benefits a Reverse can have in keeping people financially secure through retirement.

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  • The Last Tax Shelter Standing

    Sanford J. Prizant, President, The Prizant Group, Ltd.

    ERISA qualified retirement plans (i.e. Profit Sharing/401(k)/Cash Balance-Defined Benefit) are really the only "IRS Blessed" tax shelters still available to the common person. The Alternative Minimum Tax has taken away most deductions except for mortgage interest, real estate taxes, and charitable deductions. MORE >

    A business owner, law partner, or medical professional can "shelter" an extraordinary amount of taxable income by funding an ERISA approved plan for their business entity. Of course, if one has employees, they must receive a certain level of contribution. Thus, it is always a questions of does the benefit to the owner(s) outweigh the costs to the "rank and file."
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  • The Fee Evolution

    Sanford J. Prizant, President, The Prizant Group, Ltd.

    Over the past 35 years, the 401(k)/403(b) have replaced the traditional pension plans as the main source of retirement income for the populace. Unfortunately, due to the greed of Wall Street, Insurance Companies, Mutual Fund Purveyors and Investment Advisors; the paycheck by paycheck contributions made by the workers have been "Eaten Up" by excessive fees. MORE >

    For example, you have your 401(k) with an insurance company and quietly, every day that vendor is nipping at your account for close to 2.5% annually in fees. Thus, your S&P 500 Index fund returns 4% instead of 6.5% and that goes on year after year. The participant has no clue and the plan sponsor is not paying attention. New ERISA fee disclosure rules enacted in 2012 (408(b)2/404(a)5) were supposed to have solve this problem. Alas, the providers have made sure that figuring out your plan's cost is about as easy as learning a new foreign language (My apologies to Roseatta Stone!).

    After my presentation, you will know what they are, how they are hidden,and how to remedy the situation.

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