Programs Will Help to Prepare Omahans for Retirement

Retirement is a dream for most, but getting to it can seem more like a nightmare without sufficient planning and preparation. This is why Omaha Public Library is partnering with Sequent Planning, LLC, opens a new window, an Omaha-based investment advisory and financial planning firm, for the eighth consecutive year to offer programs to help prepare Omahans for retirement.

Joe Elsasser, Certified Financial Planner and managing partner of Sequent Planning, LLC, combines his experience with financial planning and insights to create programming for the the Retirement Transitions Series. Looking at frequently asked questions from clients Elsasser is able to identify areas of retirement planning that people inquire about most and offer programs that address these topics.

This spring, the Retirement Transitions Series, opens a new window will cover the following topics:

• Social Security Strategies, opens a new window - Learn how to make the most of your Social Security decision and how to integrate it with your other retirement income sources.
• Tax-Efficient Retirement, opens a new window - Learn to coordinate IRA withdrawals with savings and Social Security to make your retirement money last longer.
• Medicare 101, opens a new window - Learn the ins and outs of Medicare including its four parts, costs, coverage, important dates and more.
• Estate Planning, opens a new window - Discuss planning strategies for potential incapacity and death, as well as the importance of having a will, trust agreement and powers of attorney for your finances and health care.
• Minding Investment Risk, opens a new window - Learn to assess the impact of your investment choices and pitfalls to avoid in discussing investment risk with your advisors.

The recently-passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will also be discussed in the tax-efficient retirement sessions, because “parts of that have implications for people who are retiring or will be soon,” said Elsasser. 

Coming from a middle-income family himself, Elsasser said that this series of programs is important because many programs are offered for under-served populations, and there is competition in the industry to serve high-income earners. "What’s left are the middle-earning people who have a lot of questions," said Elsasser. While the events are open to everyone, Elsasser says they're designed to best serve people who are within five years of retirement.

Offering these programs in a neutral territory like the city's libraries makes them accessible to everyone and allows attendees to ask any questions they have without worrying about potential repercussions, Elsasser said. Through the years he recalls talking with several attendees who left his sessions with a greater understanding of their financial situation and a more optimistic outlook on their retirement. "It’s shocking how complicated a lot of the things that people take for granted are and how understanding the nuance is so valuable to people who don’t know about them," said Elsasser.

This series of five, hour-long sessions will take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at four OPL locations, March 1-April 24. Click here, opens a new window for a complete schedule of events and registration information.