Community Corner
On March 7th in Aurora: `Can You Afford to Retire?’
Aurora Public Library hosts free session as Bentron Financial Group founder Dr. Jim Flanagan helps you gauge your 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 free presentation by retirement expert Dr. Jim Flanagan on Tuesday, March 7th. The program begins at 7 p.m. and is being hosted by the Eola Road branch of the Aurora Public Library District, 555 S. Eola Road.
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To register, visit https://www.aurorapubliclibrary.org/event/7752299. For more information, or if you prefer to register in another manner, please e-mail contactus@aurorapubliclibrary.org or call 630-264-4117.
Flanagan, founder 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. In addition, the session will cover the basic need for an estate and/or a financial plan, as Flanagan provide 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 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.
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.