Our spring edition of Financial Planning Day for 2015 drew record crowds. Dozens of people lined up in front of SIBL before we even opened the door. They quickly made their way downstairs to sign up for 30-minute one-on-one free coaching and consulting sessions that were offered throughout the day.
They included:
- Financial Counseling provided by The Financial Planning Association of NY
- Credit Crisis Coaching provided by The Community Service Society of NY
- Medicare Counseling provided by The Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP)
In addition, hundreds of people filled our classrooms to capacity for the presentations by guest speakers. In some instances we had to project them in another room in order to accomodate an overflow crowd! At least seventy people attended most of the presentations and actively participated in them by asking many (good) questions. Our first set of presentations began at 11:15 am and included:
- Investing Basics: Make Informed Investment Decisions & Avoid Fraud / Alan E. Sorcher, an Assistant Director in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA)
- What Are You Saving For? / Anthea Perkinson, a Certified Financial PlannerTM with Blueprint Financial Planning, LLC,
- Medicare 2015 / Eric Hausman, an Independent Consultant specializing in Medicare Education and Training.
The first round of concurrent database presentations done by our librarians began at 12:30 pm and included demonstrations of:
While the first two demonstrated databases are available only at SIBL, Morningstar can also be accessed from home with your library card.
The second round of classroom presentations began at 1 pm and included:
- Brokers, Financial Advisors & Financial Planners: How To Pick One / David Mendels, CFP®, the Director of Planning for Creative Financial Concepts, LLC, and a member of the FPA-NY, which provides pro bono financial planning year round at SIBL.
- How to Give a Powerful Elevator Pitch / Steven Davis who has worked as Practice Director in global recruiting firms and as a Career Counselor and Coach with JPMorgan Chase Career Services. Steven offers pro bono career coaching at SIBL each week.
- Social Security: What You Need to Know About Retirement / Everett Lo, Social Security Adminstration's regional executive.
The second and final round of database presentations began at 2:15 pm and it included:
Please come to SIBL to use the first two databases listed above while Career Crusing is also available from home with your library card. These database demonstrations were followed by two more rounds of classroom presentations. At 2:45 pm we offered:
- Beyond the Basics: The ABC's Of ETFs VAs & Other Financial Products / Peter Chandler, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s Director of Investor Education,
- The Role of the Federal Reserve in the Economy / Marisa Casellas-Barnes, an associate and program manager in the Outreach and Education department at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York,
- Wills and Advance Directives / Stacey Pramer, a volunteer attorney with the Cancer Advocacy and Elderlaw Projects of the City Bar Justice Center, the non-profit section of the New York City Bar Association.
The last round of classroom presentations was offered at 4:15 pm and included:
- The Importance of Asset Allocation in Building a Diversified Portfolio / Erika Safran, CFP®, the founder of Safran Wealth Advisors.
- Home Buyer Workshop / Rev. Dr. Charles Butler, Vice President of the Equitable Development Department for Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement.
- Taking the Mystery Out of Retirement Planning / Robin Paradowski, Benefits Advisor of the U.S. Department of Labor’s New York Regional Office of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA).
During the day- long Financial Fair, attendees could receive advice and information from representatives of government agencies and NGOs dealing with financial, legal, and labor issues. In lieu of traveling to offices across the city, visitors were able to approach a desk to chat and pick up free literature from representatives of the following:
- AARP Foundation
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- City Bar Justice Center
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Department of Labor
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corp
- Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
- Financial Planning Association of New York
- Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assitance (Medicare)
- New York City Housing Preservation & Development
- NYC Office of Financial Empowerment
- NYS Department of State
- NYPL Job Search Central
- Office of Citywide Health Insurance Access
- Office of New York State Attorney General
- Office of the State Comptroller
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- Social Security Administration
- U.S. Small Business Administration
The next Financial Planning Day will take place in October but you do not have to wait that long to come to SIBL and use our resources, including databases, as well as to participate in our classes, programs and counseling services, including career coaching. See you in October!
