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 y name is Bill Corcoran and I'm a Professional Institute of the Public Service Of Canada (PIPS)staff member, working in the Communications Section. I’ve had the opportunity, along with my wife Colleen, to attend the three-day Comprehensive Retirement Planning Seminar offered by the Retirement Planning Institute (RPI), one of our Service
Plus
partners. I’ve put my thoughts on paper for the benefit of others who might be, or perhaps
should
be, contemplating this seminar.
I must start by saying the experience was such a positive one that I came away wishing we had attended the seminar sooner so that we could have benefitted more. While we had done a good job on our own while working with some expert help, it became clear to us we could have done a better job of planning for our "golden years" if we had started sooner and done so under the guidance of the pros. Make no mistake, we still came away with all kinds of useful information, tips and, yes, some concerns we need to address.
First impressions
The pre-seminar contact, the RPI Web site, the free parking, the facilities, and the creature comforts all combined to create a favourable first impression and were a pre-cursory testimonial to the excellence of the material and presenters we would come to know.
Top-notch presenters and reference material
With a comprehensive binder of take-away material minimizing the need to keep notes, we were able to pay closer attention to what was being said and, thus, obtain maximum benefit. Unlike some courses where tomes of material are presented at breakneck speed, the content of this seminar was delivered at a pace that made it easy to understand and provided lots of opportunity for questions. The presenters were competent and knowledgeable. Their relaxed and often humourous presentation style enhanced the learning process.
We delved into five major areas associated with retirement planning:
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Estate Planning - Wills and Power of Attorney
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Public Service Superannuation Plan
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Health in Retirement
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Financial Planning
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The Psychology of Retirement
Financial Planning accounted for one full day (an afternoon and the following morning to provide a break) and a half day was devoted to each of the other four topics.
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Questions and tips
While much information is provided on the do's and don'ts of retirement planning, there are also many thought-provoking questions and tips covering a broad range of topics. For example...
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why you must develop interests other than work
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why you should list more than one person to look after your affairs should you become unable to do so and how you should list them
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how delaying your retirement by even a few days could pay off in big pension bucks
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managing the aging process as it affects health
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money-saving tax tips
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investing versus paying down debt
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some of the things you might need to be concerned about if you decide to make your home in Florida
I expect that everyone attending this seminar will discover
there are many things they didn’t know nor plan for. Consequently, I recommend
this course to everyone. If you’re considering retirement planning, it’s an
excellent way to learn the do’s and don’ts
before making the important decisions and commitments that affect the
rest of your life. If you already have a retirement plan or strategy, the
seminar is an excellent tool to evaluate what you've done and to learn about
things you
probably
overlooked.
Free consultation and free attendance
Another very important part of the seminar is the availability of a free consultation with either or both the financial advisor, to discuss your personal financial situation, and the lawyer, to review your existing will and power of attorney.
Typically, most government departments will cover the cost of this seminar for their employees. To get the ball rolling, all you have to do is visit the Retirement Planning Institute Web site at www.rpi-ipr.com to get the required details then speak to your manager.
While
Oxford
defines the
word
planning as
deciding on and arranging in advance, the Retirement Planning Institute clearly defines the
how-to
of planning through its Comprehensive Retirement Planning Seminar.
(billc@pipsc.ca)
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