Our Mission
We provide high-quality financial education to help students understand their finances, and make better financial decisions for their retirement.
The Dodd-Frank Act, which fundamentally changed Wall Street, formed a commission to better understand the level of financial literacy among American Consumers. The commission’s findings showed a startling lack of understanding of financial concepts and strongly suggested financial literacy education for adults.
The Educational Courses we offer were developed specifically to educate students about financial terms, concepts, and strategies in a classroom setting giving them the tools they need to make smart decisions about their financial future. Each of the courses is presented in an easy-to-understand format and cover all the bases to help you plan for your retirement. We teach courses all through the year, so be sure to check the Upcoming Events page often for our current schedule.
Maximizing Social Security
The Maximizing Social Security course provides a fundamental working knowledge of the Social Security program as it applies to retirement planning.
The materials cover the history of Social Security, how to qualify for benefits, spousal benefits, widow & widower benefits, taxation of benefits, working while you receive benefits, issues involved in claiming benefits early, and strategies to maximize your benefits while developing an income stream in retirement. You will learn information that will help you decide when to claim your Social Security benefits.
The Truth About Annuities
Many investors have relied upon annuities to provide safety for their investment portfolios, and what most of them don’t realize are the potential consequences this can have. These products can be difficult to understand, and all too often, misrepresented by the salesperson. This meeting will teach you all the critical “must knows” about these complicated products. . The workshop is designed for those that own an annuity or are thinking of buying one. This event is educational, and for those thinking about buying an annuity, a chance to really see how that purchase might impact your retirement plan. So, come on out and enjoy a complimentary dinner after the presentation.
Your Local Instructor
Your local Instructor is an active participant in the financial services industry and has been taught the proper objectivity necessary to raise students’ overall financial literacy about investments and planning strategies. Instructors approved by AFES are dedicated to following the directive of the Dodd-Frank Act which is; to improve the financial literacy of adult Americans.
Jerry Whitley
As your Instructor, I’m devoted to helping improve the financial literacy of adults 50 and over who are concerned about their retirement savings and how to ensure a safe, secure future. Our approach to financial planning differs markedly from the typical Wall Street approach because it considers all available options rather than just the narrow band that is traditionally touted by Wall Street and its representatives. Since circumstances vary by individual, one size does not fit everyone’s investment needs. Therefore, students are taught how to construct a financial plan for investing that fits their exact needs yet can be altered without pain should changing conditions warrant.
In each of our courses we examine and discuss investment choices and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of your options. I do not advocate shortcuts or secrets to wealth or investment gains but rather a conservative approach that fosters predictability, stability and availability to match the current and future needs of the individual. At the end of our courses students will have learned there is no “right” or “wrong” strategy, but rather “suitable” and “unsuitable” investments and “too large” and “too small” percentage allocations to otherwise suitable options for their individual circumstances.