BC FORUM News - From The Advocate, Autumn, 2019

Page 14

Retirement planning workshops

By Sam Wiese

Vice-President, BC FORUM

For the majority of us, getting close to and choosing to retire is a major life change. What should be a time for celebration, often turns into a stress filled period. We question what we’ll do with our time; how will we maintain the relationships we’ve built with our co-workers; what if those work friends were simply tied to the work we share; how will I develop new friendships; and the big one, what about my finances.

Worksites that have pension plans in place often provide “retirement seminars” which, for the most part, inform individuals of what to expect of their pension benefits, but fail to answer other issues. That’s where BC FORUM is here to assist. “What’re You Doing After Work?” is a workshop developed by the Congress of Union Retirees of Canada and presented by trained volunteer member facilitators of BC FORUM. This two day workshop can be tailored to participants’ needs, highlighting their areas of main concern. Unlike employer driven seminars, we encourage the participation of spouses and partners.

If your union is interested in helping members to:

• Have a general knowledge of the range of issues to be considered in planning retirement.

• Have set major goals for retirement, in consultation with a spouse or partner where there is one.

• Know what questions to ask to gain the knowledge needed to pursue the goals set.

• Know where to seek the answers to the questions. Then our workshop is the first step in retirement planning. Contact BC FORUM for further details.

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