On April 13th in Orland Park: `Understanding Social Security'

Orland Park IL

24 March, 2022

2:30 PM

Description

Are you or is someone you know ready to begin receiving Social Security? If you are going to collect Social Security benefits in the next 10 years, invest an hour on Wednesday, April 13th for a session led by a retirement expert. Greg Kurinec of Bentron Financial Group leads the session, which begins at 2 p.m. at Orland Park Public Library, 14921 Ravinia Ave. The program is open to Orland Park residents as well as anyone else who registers in advance. The session will help people gauge where their unique circumstances fit into the bigger Social Security picture. To register, visit the library registration page here: https://orlandpark.librarycalendar.com/events/understanding-social-security-look-bigger-picture-money-smart-week Anyone with questions can also contact Duke Phelps at 708-428-5113 or [email protected]. Kurinec's talk covers a range of topics, including the benefits of taking Social Security, when to begin taking them to maximize your return, how the benefits are affected when you work while receiving them, taxation of Social Security benefits, and spousal/widow benefits. The session is for those who have not yet begun receiving Social Security benefits. Whether you are 10 years shy of eligibility or are eligible already and mulling when to begin the process, the interactive meeting will span a range of relevant issues. One of the biggest reasons for the session, said Kurinec, is to correct flawed counsel that has permeated the industry for years: "The thinking used to be, `Who knows how long you're going to live? Get the money as quick as you can,'" he noted. But that strategy flies in the face of the population's increasing longevity. Those in their 60s, he said, should anticipate living another 30 years. "People are living so much longer than they ever have before," Kurinec noted. "And unlike your investment accounts, your social security check stays the same or goes up over time. It's a check that you can never outlive and it's vital that you look hard at your best strategy to get the biggest check for the longest period of time." Currently, the earliest age you can collect Social Security is 62. However, your benefit is reduced by 25 percent if you begin taking Social Security that early—and by the time you are 72 to 75, the advantage of early benefits has evaporated. The presentation is being held in conjunction with Money Smart Week, a public awareness campaign from April 9-16 that is designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. The campaign was launched in 2002 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; more information about the week is at http://www.moneysmartweek.org/ A Certified Financial Planner and a Master Registered Financial Consultant, Kurinec joined Downers Grove-based Bentron Financial Group in 2004. Since then, he has helped people at or near retirement through investment advising, estate planning, risk management and watching out for their overall financial well-being. In 2012, after his mother, Jeanne, lost her life to cancer, Greg and his two siblings founded "Jeanne's Journey for Hope" to help other families battle the disease in its many forms. Over the next decade, the foundation raised over $150,000 to help families pay hospital and medical bills or as income replacement if the disease has resulted in a loss of employment. The founder of Bentron Financial Group is Dr. Jim Flanagan. He has been advising people at or near retirement age for nearly 30 years and has become a nationally renowned expert on financial issues that affect seniors. Bentron Financial Group is online at www.bentron.com.