Online Class: Retirement Planning

Retirement for many of us can already be a fact of life. For others, it is looming on the horizon and the closer we get the more uneasy we feel about that next step. We are filled with questions about how to proceed. What will it cost? When should we retire? How do we do it? This course will help answer all these questions and more.

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  • 11
    Lessons
  • 13
    Exams &
    Assignments
  • 1,685
    Students
    have taken this course
  • 7
    Hours
    average time
  • 0.7
    CEUs
 
 

Course Description

Navigating the New Chapter of Retirement

Retirement—once considered the sunset of one’s career—is now emerging as an exciting new chapter, rife with opportunities, choices, and challenges. For many, retirement has transitioned from being a brief respite following a life of work to a significant period, often spanning decades. Contemporary data suggests that retirees today can anticipate a lengthy and active retirement. Given this expanded timeframe, the preparation for retirement is no longer just about finances—it's also about health, emotional well-being, and social connectivity.

If retirement is already your reality, or if it’s a speck on the horizon growing larger with each passing day, questions undoubtedly arise. How will you finance this chapter? What does Social Security provide? What if you aren’t emotionally prepared for this change, or if circumstances push you into retirement earlier than expected?

Our Comprehensive Course Offers Insight and Direction

Financial Acumen: Dive deep into topics ranging from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and insurance choices to optimizing the equity in your home. Whether you're a seasoned investor or a newbie, we shed light on effective strategies to make your money work for you.

Holistic Health: A healthy retirement isn't just about finances. We'll provide tangible recommendations to bolster your physical well-being, ensuring you remain active and vibrant during these years.

Social Connectivity: Social ties often wane with age, but they are the cornerstone of a fulfilling retirement. Rediscover the importance of nurturing family relationships and friendships, which are pivotal for emotional health.

Purpose and Passion: Post-retirement can be an exhilarating phase where dormant dreams awaken. We’ll guide you on leveraging this newfound time, helping you realize aspirations previously shelved due to professional commitments.

Detailed Course Breakdown:

Lesson 1: The Plan for Retirement
An introduction to structured retirement planning, encompassing financial, physical, and emotional aspects.

Lesson 2: Investing
Dedicated to understanding investment avenues, risks, and rewards tailored for retirees.

Lesson 3: More Sources of Retirement Income
Beyond pensions and savings, explore other reliable revenue streams suitable for your retirement phase.

Lesson 4: Other Sources of Retirement Income
Continuation of various income avenues, ensuring a comfortable and stable retirement.

Lesson 5: Unexpected or Unanticipated Expenses
Forewarned is forearmed. Anticipate and strategize for unforeseen financial challenges in retirement.

Lesson 6: Investing In Health
Understand the significance of physical health. Dive into preventive care, fitness regimes, and dietary habits suited for the golden years.

Lesson 7: Family Life
Rekindle connections. Delve into enhancing familial ties, spending quality time with loved ones, and building legacies.

Lesson 8: Silver and Gold
Discover the joys and challenges of aging. Celebrate the silver linings and address concerns typical of this phase.

Lesson 9: Developing Interests and Self-Worth
Reignite passions or find new hobbies. Understand the psychological implications of staying engaged and valued post-retirement.

Lesson 10: Where To Live
Evaluate living options. From downsizing to considering assisted living, choose what aligns with your lifestyle.

Lesson 11: How to Live the Life of Your Dreams
Unleash your aspirations. Whether it’s traveling, learning, or volunteering, find your purpose post-retirement.

Enrolling in this course is not just about preparing for retirement; it’s about embracing it. Whether you’re yearning for tranquility, seeking new adventures, or hoping to create lasting legacies, our comprehensive guide offers you the roadmap to a retirement tailored just for you. Sign up today and steer confidently into this promising chapter of life.

Course Motivation

After working for what seems like forever, we all look forward to that magical goal in our life. RETIREMENT.

However, this begs the question, "What exactly IS retirement?" For many folks, this means that you no longer have to get up to that early morning alarm clock, no long and annoying commute, you do not answer to a boss any more, in other words, you are FREE! Right?

Far too many people have only a vague idea of what retirement is, and therefore simply wait for it to happen and make no plans for it. This is a recipe for disaster.

Did you know that in 1910, the average life expectancy was 50 years and that the average age for retirement was 74 years?  That means most retirees were dead for 25 years BEFORE they could retire.  By 1940, life expectancy increased to 61 and retirement dropped to 70…still a deficit.  By 1970, life expectancy was up to 67 and retirement age dropped again to 65.  

 

This idea of retirement, therefore, is a relatively new one. It has only really been around for a few generations. Small wonder most folks do not know how to plan for it.

What you need to keep in mind is that planning for retirement DOES mean you have to plan for your financial future, and most people are aware of this fact. Make sure that your retirement plans and pension plans are being watched carefully, that you know what to do in terms of rolling over money to avoid huge tax burdens. You all know how to make a budget, see how much it costs you to live today, and make sure that you will have that much money coming in monthly when you retire.

For the most successful retirement experience, you absolutely MUST consider a holistic retirement plan, considering all aspects of retirement, not just the monetary aspect. The statistics do not lie. You can expect to live for quite some time in retirement. Consider the following possibilities.

 

  • What will you do with yourself? Are you the type of person whose identity is defined by your work? If so, who will you be when you retire?
  • Do you know your wife or husband? Your family? Have you spent all your time working to provide for your family, but now do not know who they are? It is time to change this.
  • Friendship is critical, keeping old friends and learning how to make new friends. For many of us, the art of making friends ended in the elementary school playground.
  • Some of you might want to continue working, but NOT in your former job.
  • You might have a passion you have never been able to pursue before.
  • Perhaps you have not finished a degree in something, or you want another degree. More and more retirees are attending college and completing upper level degrees.
  • Some people have dedicated themselves to raising a family, and now want the opportunity to go out and start a business, make a contribution to society, somehow make a difference in our world.

Retirement can be the most exciting part of your life, one where YOU define what you will do and who you are. However, if you do not plan for this, years could be wasted while you wait for retirement to happen to you. Who are you? What do you REALLY want to be when you grow up? Where do you want to live? What have not you done yet and MUST do before you leave this world? Start now by taking good care of your health, both physical and mental. Forge new relationships and friendships, and certainly take care of the ones you already have. Retirement should be the most GOLDEN period of your life!

Where You Are Today

Regardless of your age, planning for retirement can start today. It is time to consider you financial situation, your age, how long you have been working, how long you plan to continue working, what pensions, IRA's or other retirement vehicles you have established, and what your dreams of retirement are.

To create a reasonable retirement plan it is vital that these questions are considered and answered. If you are 55 and have put nothing toward retirement and yet you plan to live out your Golden Years traveling and golfing, you could be in for a bit of a surprise. Retirement does not automatically hand you a life of luxury on a platter.

On the other hand, even if you ARE 55 and have done little to prepare for retirement, it is not too late. Learning to live a full and yet frugal life will allow you to retire well. It is all about perception and expectation.
 
  • Completely Online
  • Self-Paced
  • 6 Months to Complete
  • 24/7 Availability
  • Start Anytime
  • PC & Mac Compatible
  • Android & iOS Friendly
  • Accredited CEUs
Universal Class is an IACET Accredited Provider
 

Course Lessons

Average Lesson Rating:
4.3 / 5 Stars (Average Rating)
"Extraordinarily Helpful"
(827 votes)

Lesson 1. The Plan for Retirement

Far too many people have only a vague idea of what retirement is, and therefore simply wait for it to happen and make no plans for it. This is a recipe for disaster. Additional lesson topics: Retire Happy 13 Total Points
  • Lesson 1 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Are You Ready?; Reasons for Taking this Course
  • Complete Assignment: An Introduction
  • Assessment: Lesson One: The Plan for Retirement

Lesson 2. Investing

The last third of our lives can be spent in that state commonly referred to as "retirement". 11 Total Points
  • Lesson 2 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson Two: Investing

Lesson 3. More Sources of Retirement Income

Social Security was initially established in 1935 as a social insurance plan to provide supplementary income for retired or disabled individuals. 12 Total Points
  • Lesson 3 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson Three: More Sources of Retirement Income

Lesson 4. Other Sources of Retirement Income

The first piece of real estate to consider in your retirement is your own home. If you have owned your home for years and not tapped into the equity for any reason, you could realize a great deal of money from it. 12 Total Points
  • Lesson 4 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson Four: Other Sources of Retirement Income

Lesson 5. Unexpected or Unanticipated Expenses

Taxes have been a constant, examples include sales tax, property tax, income tax, and others. Most Americans have managed to handle taxes without becoming intimately involved. 12 Total Points
  • Lesson 5 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson Five: Unexpected or Unanticipated Expenses

Lesson 6. Investing In Health

Now that we have given you a good understanding of your financial retirement responsibilities, it is time to address the other vital concerns to help ensure a terrific retirement phase of your life. Additional lesson topics: Live Long, Live Healthy 11 Total Points
  • Lesson 6 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson Six: Investing In Health

Lesson 7. Family Life

Retirement is when you reap what you have been sowing all these years. Only this lesson is about family and not about money. 11 Total Points
  • Lesson 7 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson Seven: Family Life

Lesson 8. Silver and Gold

Any social relationship is typically based on proximity and convenience. They arise out of our daily activities, school, church, and work. Look at your own social circle. 12 Total Points
  • Lesson 8 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson Eight: Silver and Gold

Lesson 9. Developing Interests and Self-Worth

Many of us envision retirement as that long awaited endless summer vacation. We have been vigilant about preparing ourselves financially and when the big day finally arrives, many of us are disappointed. 12 Total Points
  • Lesson 9 Video
  • Assessment: Lesson Nine: Developing Interests and Self-Worth

Lesson 10. Where To Live

Retirement often brings to mind places of infinite sunshine, and a number of retirees sell everything and move to Florida or Arizona. For some, this is like moving to paradise. 12 Total Points
  • Lesson 10 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Dream Locations
  • Assessment: Lesson Ten: Where To Live

Lesson 11. How to Live the Life of Your Dreams

By now you will have discovered that retirement is not a short period where you sit around waiting to die. 552 Total Points
  • Lesson 11 Video
  • Lesson discussions: Aging Concerns; Program Evaluation Follow-up Survey (End of Course); Course Comments
  • Assessment: Lesson Eleven: How to Live the Life of Your Dreams
  • Assessment: The Final Exam: Retirement Planning
670
Total Course Points
 

Learning Outcomes

By successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  • Define the plan for retirement.
  • Describe investing techniques.
  • Describe sources of retirement income.
  • Summarize unexpected or unanticipated expenses.
  • Summarize reason and methods for investing in health.
  • Describe family life.
  • Describe silver and gold in terms of investment.
  • Summarize developing interests and defining self-worth.
  • Summarize where to live.
  • Summarize the basic principles for living the life of your dreams.
  • Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
 

Additional Course Information

Online CEU Certificate
  • Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
  • Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
  • Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
  • View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
  • Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media
Document Your CEUs on Your Resume
 
Course Title: Retirement Planning
Course Number: 8900064
Lessons Rating: 4.3 / 5 Stars (827 votes)
Languages: English - United States, Canada and other English speaking countries
Availability: This course is online and available in all 50 states including: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, and Washington.
Last Updated: June 2023
Course Type: Self-Paced, Online Class
CEU Value: 0.7 IACET CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
CE Accreditation: Universal Class, Inc. has been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
Grading Policy: Earn a final grade of 70% or higher to receive an online/downloadable CEU Certification documenting CEUs earned.
Assessment Method: Lesson assignments and review exams
Instructor: John Chouinard
Syllabus: View Syllabus
Course Fee: $120.00 U.S. dollars

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Student Testimonials

  • "I really enjoyed the course. I think there are many people who financially prepare but do not consider the other aspects of retirement such as health planning, activity planning, and relationship planning. I like the holistic approach this course offered." -- Wendy M.
  • "This course was exceptionally helpful to me. I have learned so much to help me prepare for my big moment in a few years. I would advise everyone preparing to retire to take this course. There are so many levels of preparing I hadn't thought of from managing your mortgage, your healthcare after retirement, budgeting, and when to collect your social security and so much more. I feel as if I'm so much more prepared." -- Aretha K.
  • "Thank you very much to every one involved I very much appreciated and enjoyed the course." -- Edward A.
  • "Thank you for offering this great course." -- Diane D.
  • "Excellent instructor...Always encouraging." -- Jane C.
  • "This course was best of best I have ever taken. I loved it. The instructor was excellent." -- James Y.