Comprehensive financial education for retirees attracts well-qualified prospects

Tedd Bradley • Lakeville, MN
Vantage Point Wealth Management • LPL Financial

My niche as a financial advisor has always been in retirement distribution planning and helping people plan for retirement. When thoughts of retirement start to surface, most people are at the very high point of their lives in terms of earning power. They start to contemplate a future without that job income, when they are not adding to their investments, and, instead, will start depleting their lifelong savings and investments. That can be a scary scenario.

I see my challenge as helping clients unravel an equation that doesn’t seem to be working in their favor. I want to help provide the financial education for retirees and potential solutions that will help them face retirement and their financial future with more confidence than they thought possible.

I conduct regular seminars and workshops for the public on the topics of retirement planning and Social Security strategies. These are usually held in coordination with Minnesota State University–Mankato, located in Edina, Minnesota. There is a modest fee charged by the university for the two-session course, which runs for three hours on different nights. The workshop is often taught jointly by two instructors. The students, who primarily range in age from 50 to 70, receive a 224-page textbook with examples, illustrations, and work sheets that they use in the course and can take home to study later.

We cover topics such as life planning for retirement and thinking about objectives; determining retirement needs, expenses, and income; identifying common retirement mistakes; managing distributions; estate planning; investment alternatives; and risk management and asset protection.

This comprehensive course helps pre-retirees and retirees see the big picture in planning for their financial future. It examines many aspects of personal finance and how they can work together to create an integrated retirement plan. This course is educational and noncommercial, and no branded financial products are discussed. If an individual or couple would like to schedule a no-obligation consultation with an instructor, that is something they can schedule outside the course. This has proven to be an excellent source for well-qualified potential clients, and it is something that I truly enjoy doing.

Disclosure: Tedd Bradley is a registered representative with, and securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advice offered through VPWM Advisors, a registered investment advisor. Vantage Point Wealth Management and VPWM Advisors are separate entities from LPL Financial. Investing involves risk, including potential loss of principal. Asset allocation and diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss.

Photography by Steve Lucas