Business & Finance   

Risk mitigation is an important concept for retirees to consider. The goal is to be able to weather various life events without suffering major adverse effects. Retirees face a number of risks that need to be planned for including longevity risk (i.e., an unknown life expectancy), market risk, sequence of return risk, and a variety of potential spending shocks including rising health care costs, long-term care needs, inflation, death of a spouse, "gray divorce," unexpected family responsibilities, and frailty. This class will cover these topics and more.

As Master the Possibilities celebrates America’s 250th birthday in 2026, it is fitting to tie class content to this important milestone. This special thematically prepared class will describe dozens of financial guidelines and calculations that use the number 250 or derivatives thereof (think 2.5, 25, 2,500, etc.) that can be used to set financial goals and make financial decisions. Examples include the $2,500 Savings Challenge, the Rule of 25, the 50/25/25 budget rule, 2.5 by 65, and the 25% penalty for missed required minimum distributions (RMDs).

This presentation will be taught by a financial educator who holds the certified financial planner® designation but does not sell consumer financial products or services. The session will discuss special financial considerations for women and a wide variety of personal finance topics including values and goals, managing cash flow, calculating net worth, credit, insurance, investing, and estate planning. The last 20-30 minutes will be devoted to answering general personal finance questions posed by participants.

Many older adults have used credit for 40 or more years although likely in different ways now than when they were younger. Credit is an aspect of personal finance that people manage their entire adult lives. From a suggestion made by a student, this class will cover the basics of credit and debt including terminology, credit reports and scores, credit card features and fees, stages of credit difficulty, debt metrics, strategies to reduce debt, types of bankruptcy, and credit resources such as knowledge and behavior quizzes and debt reduction acceleration tools.

This class was requested by a MTP student at the May 2024 Curriculum Kick-off. She noted that many older adults have both paper and electronic documents and are looking for better ways to manage their finances, organize their financial records, and not leave a mess for their heirs.

This class will discuss topics including debit vs. credit card use, online bill payment, creating an automatic payment inventory, automatic vs. one-time online bill payments, digital assets, two-factor authentication, e-filing taxes, and record-keeping recommendations for important papers. It will also discuss strategies to have a "good financial ending” to your life.

During the past four years, as a result of supply chain issues, labor shortages, interest rate increases, and increased consumer demand, prices have risen significantly for many items that consumers buy. Examples include food, utilities, a nd insurance. Inflation has pinched the budgets of many older adults, especially those living on a fixed income. A hack is a work-around strategy to overcome an obstacle or challenge. This webinar will describe dozens of hacks to cope with inflation.

The SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) Program provides free and unbiased health insurance counseling to elders and individuals with disabilities, their families, and caregivers. SHINE wants to remind you about the importance of planning for long-term care. Researching your options, choosing the type of care desired, preparing financially and informing/involving your loved ones will make your transition much more smoothly. Long-term care services involves skilled nursing, custodial and hospice or palliative care. Did you know that long-term care activities of daily living in a home, community, or facility will not be covered by Medicare?

Having a great checklist is helpful; and understanding all of the resources available will be key to the planning process. Did you know there are Federal or State programs such as: VA, Federal & Uniformed Services; the CARES, Ombudsman, and partnership programs; along with other resources that can guide a beneficiary and loved ones through the process. There is a self-assessment guide, a consumer guide; steps on choosing a nursing home or other long-term care providers, a shoppers guide for choosing long term care insurance and ideas on how to use your home to stay at home. It is also important to share your wishes with family members about future medical care, therefore, having advance directives, living wills, health care proxies, Five Wishes, and POA's in place are key to preparing for future health care needs.

Resources are available at your fingertips, all you need to know is where to find it. Let us be your resource connection!

Many older couples avoid talking about “the elephant in the room;” i.e., death and widowhood. In some situations, one spouse “handles the bills” and the other knows little about family finances. As couples get older, the likelihood of widowhood increases. However, many surviving spouses are unprepared for financial challenges that lie ahead. This class will discuss steps that couples can take to prepare financially for the inevitable first death and steps to take afterward. Topics to be covered include financial record-keeping, estate tax portability, communication about finances and changes in income and income taxes.

At the end of each calendar (tax) year, taxpayers lose most opportunities to reduce their taxable income and lower their tax bill. Thus, time is of the essence to take action to save money on taxes before each year ends. This class will describe over a dozen actions that people can take before December 31 including early RMD withdrawals during financial "gap years," preparing a draft tax return to estimate potential taxes, comparing current and prior year income and expenses, tax loss harvesting, qualified charitable deductions (QCDs), Roth conversions, bunching deductions, donor advised funds, safe harbor rules for tax withholding, deferring income and capital gains, and contributing to tax-deferred savings plans if still working.

This one-hour presentation provides a practical, plain-language overview of the legislative and regulatory systems that affect the equine industry. The session focuses on clarity, real-world examples, and how government decisions translate into day-to-day impacts at the barn and business of horses.

Participants will gain an understanding of how local, state, and federal laws are created, who enforces them, and why they matter to the equine community. Topics include zoning and land use, agricultural exemptions, animal welfare regulations, environmental and water-use rules, transportation and sales considerations, and the role of industry organizations in advocacy and lobbying. Special attention is given to Florida-specific agencies and legislative processes, as well as national regulations that influence breeding, racing, sport horses, and farm operations.

The presentation also explains how individuals can stay informed, engage effectively with policymakers, and protect the long-term viability of the equine industry in Marion County and beyond. No prior legal or political background is required.

One of the most challenging financial aspects of retirement, especially for people who have been diligent savers throughout their working years, is taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from their tax-deferred retirement savings accounts (e.g., 401(k)s/403(b)s, TSP, SEP, Traditional IRA) beginning at age 72. RMDs can have a significant impact on a retiree’s income tax liability. New RMD tables went into effect in 2022. This workshop will discuss basic facts about RMDs, the new IRS life expectancy tables, tax implications, tax withholding for RMDs, tax penalties for incorrect RMDs, ways to reduce the tax impact of RMDs, and options for using money that is withdrawn from tax-deferred retirement savings accounts.

The late New York City mayor Ed Koch was known for his trademark query "How am I doing?" as he asked people for feedback on his progress at the helm of America's largest city. Some people feel the same way about their finances and are looking for personalized assessments of their strengths and weaknesses and/or comparisons to other people in similar circumstances as themselves. This class will discuss 25 resources, techniques, and metrics to assess clients’ individual/household financial health. It covers a wide variety of personal finance topics that are linked together because they are all associated with some type of financial progress assessment or measurement of financial health. 

This class was requested by a MTP student at the May 2024 Curriculum Kick-off. He noted that his wife and other older women are too dependent on their husbands to make investment decisions and need a basic investing class. While many people start investing during their working years, some “newbie” investors are older adults, often widowed and divorced people who deferred investment decisions to others for decades.

This class will provide a basic introduction to investing for late starters. Topics to be covered include investment terminology, investment risks, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, investment fraud, and investor resources.

Most people today, especially young adults, have an active “digital life” with dozens, sometimes hundreds, of electronic records that include URLs, usernames, passwords, PINs, and other authentication protocols. What happens if their computer crashes, gets destroyed in a fire or natural disaster, or they pass away without leaving any instructions about how to access their accounts? This class will define digital assets and discuss key questions to consider about them. It will also describe different types of digital assets, review strategies to inventory and protect digital assets, and outline a five-step digital asset planning process. In addition, it will briefly describe RUFADAA, the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, and digital asset planning resources.

Every year, new trends, events, financial products, and government policies and legislation affect our personal finances. This presentation will recap 2026 through a personal finance “lens” by reporting noteworthy personal finance news items and their implication for personal financial planning. The session will also include results of important 2026 research studies about financial topics and a preview of announced changes related to income, estate taxes, and Social Security for 2027.