You may be surprised by the amount and quality of free financial advice available to seniors.
While there is a lot of information to sort through there are plenty of qualified people available to help. You can take to the web and do your own research or obtain the services of a personal financial advisor.
You can begin your search for free money advice at your neighborhood banking institution.
Many banks employ no-charge financial advisors. An investment advisor will go over your financial history taking your future goals into account. These employees usually make commission off of the investments they sell to you, but it’s worth their while to provide you with sound advice. The better you do financially, they better they do as well.
Seniors’ institutions can help too
If your bank doesn’t offer this service, look to the AARP for help. The AARP (American Association of Retired People) offers free financial advice to its members. Advisors with at least 10 years of experience provide answers to questions about retirement plans, investment vehicles, tax credits and much more.
You can also contact your local Area Agency on Aging to find out about free financial seminars. Libraries, senior centers, universities, and other community buildings often host free financial planning events. Community recreation centers are always looking for ways to benefit the neighborhood, so you may even want to suggest they host a seminar for seniors in your area.
Don’t forget the government
The U.S. federal government provides free tax advice for seniors on a year-round basis. Using highly trained volunteers from non-profit organizations, the government has set up a Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program. Seniors age 60 and older can receive free advice and tax return preparation. The IRS website can lead you to a location near you.
World Wide Web
All of the websites listed below offer free financial advice in the form of articles, calculators and financial tools. Take note that some of these sites may have areas that require membership or have books available for sale, but the free portion of these sites will provide you with plenty of helpful information.
- http://www.aarp.org/money/ – Lots of useful information in the form of budget planners, financial calculators, and up-to-date investment advice for seniors.
- http://www.daveramsey.com/ – Investment help put into layman terms with a lot of life experience antidotes. This is a very robust site with plenty of financial tools and calculators.
- http://www.mint.com/ – Voted as a top financial site by Kiplinger’s, Money Magazine, and PC Magazine. This site works with your copy of Turbo Tax to streamline the tax filing process while also offering sound financial advice along the way.
- http://www.ftc.gov/ – Learn how to get free credit report information while reading the federal government’s credit repair advice.
- http://www.irs.gov/ – Besides providing tax advice, this site also goes into great detail on different retirement plans. There is a whole section dedicated to retirement questions as they relate to taxes.
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