Document text
Prime Times Weekly publication of the Mail Tribune , Medford, Oregon Planning for your... Financial future Photo by Jim Craven Paulette Marin advises a client at the Medford agency where she works. Marin and her husband got some helpful monetary advice of their own from the Women's Financial Information Program, which is about to start another seven-week run. Seminar can help seniors get monetary house in order By MARK FREEMAN If you go The Women's Financial Information Program workshop is a series of basic money-management programs designed to increase self-confidence in women through increased financial knowledge. But it works for everyone. When -- The seminars run from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. each Thursday from Oct. 7 through Nov. 18. Snacks are served at 5:15 p.m. Where -- First Christian Church, 1900 Crater Lake Ave., Medford. Topics -- Individual seminars include basic financial organization, managing cash flow, credit, insurance and Medicare, estate planning, banking and investments, taxes and housing. Format -- Seminars begin with a general session, then break into group discussions. Cost -- $18 for entire workshop. Cost includes workbook and handouts. To learn more -- Telephone the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point, at 776-7371. Or telephone the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Southern Oregon at 779-2273. Registration will be taken through Wednesday. Like many couples, Paulette and Orlando Marin rarely let a frank and honest discussion about finances into their lives. "We never talked about money," Paulette Marin says. "It would cause an argument." But dreams of a comfortable retirement, complete with goals of a trip to Hawaii and an Alaskan cruise, encouraged the couple to take a risk and learn about finances together. Together, they took a seven-week workshop last year that helped break down the barriers to their communication about money, and created a plan that will help make their dreams reality. Now their financial life is on track as they look toward retirement. Insurance and other documents are now well-organized in a fireproof safe that has come to symbolize the tidy program the couple built. The Marins are just one of many Rogue Valley senior families and individuals who have stabilized their retirement plans through a special lecture and discussion series meant to empower women in their financial lives. The Women's Financial Information Program series, which resumes Thursday, is a seven-week primer on everything from managing credit and getting a grip on cash flow to investments, estate planning and handling wills, powers of attorney and estate taxes. The workshops are aimed primarily at women, particularly senior women who may not have had a strong role in their family's finances. It's so helpful that Marin is considering re-enrolling. "There are a multitude of things to help people organize their financial lives," says Paulette Marin, a 59-year-old office manager/case worker for a Medford civic agency. "It makes you realize where you're at, and how to do things to set yourself up for the future," she says. The series, in its 10th year, is sponsored by the Oregon State University Extension Service, which is joined by several local co-sponsors. The course costs $18, which includes workbooks, handouts and snacks. Registration is open through Wednesday. The 2-hour seminars do not promote any specific products or services. The seminar grew a decade ago out of a realization that many couples -- particularly those now in their middle age or senior years -- have rarely shared or planned daily money matters, let alone their financial futures. "There are lots of couples out there who never talk about their finances," says Barbara Rumer, who helps organize the seminars and teaches one of the sessions. "And there are some people who have never even written a check, let alone made any financial decisions." The financial program has branched into assistance for men and couples. Often, they find the program just as meaningful as singles do, Rumer says. Many can relate to the experience of Loretta Klaus. A legal secretary for 25 years, Klaus often worked with clients planning their estates but took a casual attitude about her own. By taking last year's seminar series, Klaus learned to take control of her finances and plan for her future. She changed her life insurance from 10-year to 20-year term and cut her payments in half, shored up the health-care programs for her and her husband, started an Individual Retirement Account and drew up documents to ensure that her wishes will be heeded in terms of a health crisis. Like the Marins, her documents are also arranged neatly in a fire-proof safe -- the storage locker of choice for planners. "These are all things you know you should do," Klaus says. "People don't realize how important all these things are." Prime Times front page Mail Tribune front page Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA