About the Instructor
Travis Echols tackles the challenges facing today’s retirees. He reveals the most common mistakes people make before and after retirement, and how to avoid them. Travis applies 24 years of critical analysis to the financial planning industry. You may be surprised by the results.
Travis is a financial educator and consultant, and the owner of Echols Financial Services. He is a Registered Investment Advisor and Certified Senior Advisor. As an engineer, Travis worked for companies such as Rockwell International and Boeing. As a financial consultant, he has worked with American Express Financial Advisors and Wachovia Securities. Travis lives in Cumming with his wife and daughter.
Course Outline
This course covers the complex issues of retirement income planning, estate planning, tax planning, life insurance, long term care insurance, portfolio management, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, index funds, ETFs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, IRAs, Roth IRAs, Money Markets, CDs, fixed annuities, index annuities, variable annuities, dividends, and capital gains.
Successful Retirement Today is designed to sort through the complexity and make retirement planning simple to understand. This is accomplished by focusing on the important financial strategies that you can easily apply to improve your financial situation and assure your financial freedom.
1. Creating your Retirement Dream
- Clarifying your Values
- Visualizing your Future
- Establishing your Priorities
- Crystallizing your Goals
2. Facing Today’s Retirement Challenges
- Navigating around “The Perfect Storm” (i.e., Avoiding the Looming Retirement Crisis)
3. Achieving True Financial Freedom
- Knowing Your Financial Freedom Number (When Can You Quit Working?)
- Customizing Your Roadmap to Financial Freedom
4. Protecting Your Family from the Unexpected
- Preparing for Yourself and Your Family in the Event of Illness
- Leaving More to Your Family/Charity (and Less to the IRS) at Your Death at no Cost to You
5. Making Sure You Have Enough Income for Life
- Replacing Your Paycheck after Retirement
- Battling Inflation and Taxes over a Longer Retirement
- Balancing Investment Growth, Liquidity, Withdrawal Rates, and Market Risk
6. Investing for the Long Run
- Calculating Your Target Rates (Return and Savings)
- Investing in Companies Aligned with Your Goals (growth or income, value or growth, individual or funds, foreign or domestic, small or large cap, passive or active management)
- Reducing Your Risk in the Market (five key strategies to help you sleep better at night)
7. Putting Your “Safe Money” to Work
- Understanding Your “Guaranteed Savings” Options (Money Market Accounts, CDs, Bonds, Fixed Annuities)
- Analyzing Banks and Insurance Companies
- Shopping for Yield and Upside Potential
8. Reducing Unnecessary Taxes
- Taking Advantage of Recent Tax Law Changes
- Taking Action to Keep More from the IRS (Simple strategies such as maximizing your tax-free and tax-deferred investing, allocating stocks and bonds in the appropriate accounts, harvesting losses, etc.)
- Eliminating the Taxes You’re Paying on Your Social Security Income
9. Detecting the Early Signs of Self-Sabotage
- Recognizing behavioral problems such as failing to plan (procrastination), letting the fear of the unknown paralyze you from acting, keeping losers too long in order to “break even”, taking too much risk to make up for past losses or lost time, chasing past performance, trading too often, under-diversifying, etc.
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Sponsored by Cumming Recreation & Parks Department
This 4- hour course with a workbook included will show you how to:
- Understand the new rules of retirement
- Determine when you can quit working
- Make sure you have enough income for the rest of your life
- Protect your family from the unexpected
- Invest your money for the long run
- Put your “safe money” to work for you
- Reduce unnecessary taxes (including taxes on Social Security)
- Detect the early signs of self-sabotage
Location: Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce Event Facility
513 West Maple Street, Cumming, GA 30040
Times: To be announced
Tuition: $49 registration (advanced registration is required)
(spouse or guest at no additional charge)
Directions to the Chamber’s Event Facility:
513 West Maple Street (directly behind the Chamber)
Take GA 400 to exit 15, Bald Ridge Marina Road, go west toward Cumming (if going north turn left at light, if going south turn right at the stop sign). As you approach the 4th traffic light on this one way street get into the left lane. As you approach the next traffic light go straight (cross GA 20) which puts you on Kelly Mill Road. Stay on Kelly Mill Road turn left on the first street to the left (Tolbert Street), then go one block to West Maple Street and turn right onto West Maple Street. Take the second drive to the right to enter the event facility parking area.
