Only DFCU Financial offers a full spectrum of educational programs to help our members and the community overcome financial challenges and achieve important milestones.
Thousands have attended and been helped by DFCU’s Financial Education Seminar Series since the program was created in 1999. Budgeting/credit expert Charles Hoff, AFC--our Financial Literacy Counselor--has a no-nonsense, easy-to-understand approach to this often confusing subject matter.
All seminars are free to members and potential members, and are scheduled from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. For a complete schedule and seminar descriptions, check out the sections below. Then just click the accompanying links or call 313.322.8476 to reserve your spot today!
After you register for a webinar, you will receive a confirmation email containing a link to join the presentation. If you don't receive the confirmation email in your inbox within a few minutes of registering, please check your 'junk email' folder as it may have been routed there.
Medicare planning can be stressful. There are a lot of plans to choose from and a lot of advice being offered.
This presentation will go a long way in helping you understand your options. We start by reviewing the basics and then walk you through the entire Medicare system and process. We cap off the presentation with a valuable Q&A session where you can have your questions answered by a Michigan-based insurance agency that works exclusively in the Medicare space. We'll discuss:
- Original Medicare OR Medicare Advantage: Real life examples of getting it wrong
- The difference in coverage under both plans and the costs
- Besides Medicare what other types of coverage will I need?
- Things to know about pre-existing conditions
- Missteps related to transitioning from workplace coverage to Medicare
Register for Medicare 101
During our Medicare Missteps seminar, we'll build upon the information presented in our Medicare 101 seminar.
Medicare is a complex topic with plenty of opportunities for the average consumer to take a wrong turn. In this presentation we'll expand the discussion beyond what is presented in Medicare 101. We will cover some of the most common missteps people make with Medicare and how to avoid them. We'll discuss:
- The enrollment process: do I even need to enroll at age 65?
- Original Medicare OR Medicare Advantage: Real life examples of getting it wrong
- The difference in coverage under both plans and the costs
- Things to know about pre-existing conditions
- A better understanding of the differences between workplace coverage and Medicare
- How to address dental cost
Register for Medicare Missteps
Retirement comes with a lot of questions, many of which are about how retirees should handle their Social Security benefits. During this seminar, we’ll answer the following questions:
- Taking it early vs later: Detailed rationale behind both approaches
- How to maximize the all-important survivor benefits for a remaining spouse
- Potentially missed opportunities to maximize tax strategies by drawing too early
- The impact working will have on your benefit
- Tax implications
Register for Social Security
So you're retired (or getting ready to). What now? Is the lifestyle you've grown accustomed to a thing of the past? Attend our Wealth Retention webinar to learn how to plan for, and live, a sustainable lifestyle throughout retirement. We’ll discuss:
- Challenges – current and future – facing today’s retiree
- Common financial mistakes people make after retirement
- Closing financial gaps in retirement
- Financial tools at your disposal that can help preserve your pre-retirement lifestyle
- How to strategically approach current economic conditions by taking advantage of tax savings opportunities
- Roth conversions: what they are and how they are used to reduce taxes
- Types of annuities and how they might be useful as part of the larger financial plan
Register for Wealth Retention
Thanks to the miracles of modern medicine and technology, many seniors enjoy an invigorating lifestyle, full of travel and excitement. Unfortunately, as the years pass these questions begin to arise:
- If I’m unable to care for myself, how can I achieve the greatest quality of care without bankrupting myself, my spouse or my children?
- What can be done legally to protect my assets?
- What are the differences between alternative care options: home care, assisted living, adult day care, and senior apartments?
- What options are there to pay for traditional or alternative care?
Fortunately, care alternatives to the traditional nursing home have emerged. To pay for these services, however, many seniors quickly go through their entire life savings and assets—
unnecessarily. Whether you are concerned about preserving your own assets, or those of an aging or ill parent, our Elder Law seminar will help you understand how to mitigate or eliminate these costs.
Register for Elder Law
Estate planning is a task we often avoid for too long or until it’s too late, but the right time to start planning for your future is now. Whether you’re in your 20’s or nearing retirement, you’ll benefit from our Estate Planning Seminar as we explain the process and how you and your family can most effectively navigate it.
This doesn’t have to be a gloomy process and, in fact, it’s quite fulfilling to know you’ve taken the necessary steps to take care of loved ones. Not having an estate plan could leave personal decisions concerning your assets to be determined by the state in which you live, leaving your beneficiaries to face possible legal obstacles and unwelcome tax burdens.
- When to update an estate plan
- What to look for in an attorney
- Misconceptions about estate planning
- Dangers of not planning
- Probate Court avoidance
Register for Estate Planning
Many people mistakenly believe the secure retirements that prior generations enjoyed will naturally translate into one of their own. In fact, there is a new retirement reality we all must face. If we’re to adapt to this new reality, we have to take control of our own financial futures. Put yourself on track to enjoy a sustainable retirement. During this presentation, we'll discuss:
- Long-neglected financial goals pre-retirees should achieve before they retire
- The “forgotten approach” prior generations used to achieve a sustainable retirement
- Financial tools at your disposal to reach financial goals
- Roth conversions: what they are and how they are used to reduce taxes
- Financial mistakes made pre-retirement that can set you back financially when you reach retirement years
Register for Retirement Readiness
Building and maintaining a solid credit score is important and often difficult without a road map to guide you. This seminar will teach you:
- How to obtain your “true” FICO credit score
- Little-known facts about credit scores
- How your credit score impacts everyday life beyond loan approval
- Common consumer mistakes
- Strategies to raise your credit score
- How to dispute credit report errors
Register for Healthy Credit
The foundation of any successful financial plan is a sound, realistic budget. During this seminar, we’ll discuss how to create a budget as well as how to most effectively plan for unplanned expenses to dig--and keep--yourself out of debt. Other topics include:
- How to use a budget to reach financial goals
- How to position yourself to live on less income
- Methods to determine the amount of credit you can afford
- How to stop creating new debt
- How to incorporate a systematic approach to retirement saving
Register for Debt-Free Living
There’s a lot to take in when it comes to student loans. Whether you’re getting ready to start your college career, currently enrolled, or a graduate paying on your student loans now, our newest seminar will provide you with the information you need to make informed financial decisions. A college degree can dramatically influence your earning potential – but if you’ll be financing it with a student loan, don’t go in blind. Make sure you understand the impact it can have on your financial future. Topics explained:
- The difference between good and bad debt
- Learn about the different public and private programs
- The impact student loans can have on your financial future
- Loan repayment options and scenarios
- Practical steps to paying off student debt
Register for Student Loans & Financial Freedom
The mortgage process can be a lot to understand and take in. With the help of our Home Buying webinar, you can gain a better understanding of the stages and steps involved from start to finish. Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions in most people's lives - it pays to make sure you have the information you need to make an informed financial decision. During the webinar, our mortgage experts will explain:
- What you need to prepare to buy a home
- What can you afford
- What to look for
- How to make an offer
- What are the steps of your mortgage loan
- What to expect at closing and after you close
Register for Home Buying