Community Corner
On April 17th in Elmwood Park: `Can You Afford to Retire?’
Elmwood Park Public Library hosts free session as Bentron Financial Group founder Dr. Jim Flanagan helps 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 Monday, April 17th. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Elmwood Park Public Library, 1 Conti Parkway.
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To register, visit https://elmwoodpark.librarycalendar.com/event/can-you-afford-retire; anyone with questions can also call the library at 708-453-7645.
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 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 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.
The weeklong series of events this year for Celebrating Seniors is from May 11th to May 18th. Learn more at https://celebratingseniors.net/. Bentron Financial Group is online at www.bentron.com.