The financial world, especially as to how it relates to retirement, has changed dramatically over the last two decades, and will continue to change. Thus, proper knowledge, education and updated information has never been more important. Unfortunately, obtaining this is not easy.
True up-to-date retirement education is severely lacking in America. Retirement planning is not taught in high schools or colleges. The internet is loaded with information, but much of it is outdated and/or inaccurate, and of course not related to your specific situation. So, you have to be careful of where you go for information.
The Prepare Institute is a national 501©3 non-profit educational institution that provides tuition based college style retirement education courses and classes for adults between the ages of 40-80. By attending a Prepare Institute class, you’ll learn unbiased information on all areas of retirement and estate planning, including taxes, health care, insurance, legal documents, asset protection, wealth management and income planning. You will also learn the value of working with a fiduciary advisor.
This education is taught in an interactive-classroom setting for proper learning to give people the information and education needed to help them have a successful retirement plan. The courses and classes are for general, non-commercial education only.
John F. Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
This is certainly true of preparing for retirement. If we continue to expect that the ways of the past will see us through to our futures, we will be left behind. Many of the methods, strategies and principles that helped prepare us for retirement in the past are quickly disappearing and/or just simply ineffective in today’s financial world.
Gone are the days of being able to rely on the government and an employer to take care of you. Traditional pension plans, which gained prominence in the 20th century, are rapidly disappearing because of the high costs involved in funding them. Some corporations are defaulting on their plans, and an increasing number of companies have underfunded or at-risk plans. Even companies with healthy plans may decide that defined-benefit plans are not worth the cost. In addition, some companies are also eliminating health and life insurance benefits at retirement. This can be a big loss if you retire before Medicare benefits begin.
Unfortunately, pension plans and company life and health benefits are not the only things being cut.
Social Security is heavily underfunded and facing many issues. Even though Social Security should remain in the future, many changes to the system are happening and more will be coming in the future. Thus, not only do you have to adapt to the new financial tools and strategies, you also have more responsibility on yourself now to save properly for retirement.
So, what do you need to do? Well, it is very simple – attend a Prepare Institute retirement course or class to get the proper education that you need.
