Retirement is a hundred small decisions. This class puts them on one table.
Two sessions for adults 50–70, taught locally, to help you turn your savings into a real plan.
No sales pitches. No product promotions. Nothing is sold in class.
Who this class was built for
You're somewhere between 50 and 70. Retirement is close enough to feel real — and far enough out to actually do something about it.
You've saved. A 401(k). An IRA. Maybe a business or a rental. The pieces exist. The plan connecting them doesn't.
You have questions you've never had a place to ask. When do we take Social Security? What will taxes do to our accounts? What happens if one of us needs care?
You want a classroom, not a pitch. A workbook, a whiteboard, and straight answers.
If that's you — you're not behind, and you're not the only one. Half your neighbors are lying awake asking the same questions.
Every professional answers their own square. This course looks at the whole board.
Your CPA has a piece. Your attorney has a piece. Your 401(k) has a piece. Over two sessions, we put the pieces on one table — in plain English, with real examples.
The paycheck problem
How a pile of savings becomes a monthly income — and the questions to ask before you start drawing it down.
The timing decision
What claiming early, late, or right on time actually trades away — for you and for your spouse.
The quiet line item
Why your tax picture changes when the paychecks stop, and the moves people commonly consider before it does.
The costs plans skip
Health care, long-term care, and the expenses that catch families off guard — one of the most overlooked corners of retirement planning.
Money's changing job
How the job of your money changes as retirement gets close — and what "risk" means when the finish line is in sight.
The whole board
What each document actually does — and the gap a full stack of documents can still leave if nobody connects them.
Retirement Planning Today® is offered through Financial Educators Network®, which has provided financial and retirement planning courses at colleges, universities, and learning centers nationwide since 2001. Your course workbook is included and yours to keep.
Want the session-by-session outline? Download the course preview (PDF)
Taught by people you could run into at the grocery store
No webinar screens. No out-of-town speakers. Northwest Financial Group advisors have been standing at the front of Willamette Valley classrooms teaching this course for over 15 years. Austin Gray is teaching this session's classes.
Ron Cornelison
Financial Advisor, Northwest Financial Group
Elizabeth Ramos
Financial Advisor, Northwest Financial Group
Austin Gray
Financial Advisor, Northwest Financial Group
Our spring class was our largest ever — and it filled.
When, where, and what's included
When — pick your section
| Tuesdays | Oct 13 & 20 | 6:15 – 8:45 PM |
| Thursdays | Oct 15 & 22 | 6:15 – 8:45 PM |
| Saturdays (online) | Oct 17 & 24 | 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM |
Two sessions per section. Same course every way — choose the days that fit. The Saturday section is taught live online; Tuesday and Thursday sections meet in person.
Where
Linn-Benton Community College
Albany, Oregon
6500 Pacific Blvd SW, Albany, OR 97321
Tuesday & Thursday sections meet on campus. The Saturday section is live online — attend from home.
What's included
$49 per household
Both sessions — 5 hours of classroom instruction — plus the course workbook (yours to keep), an optional one-on-one consultation with your instructor, and complimentary attendance for your spouse or a guest.
The things people ask before they register
Is this a sales pitch?
No. It's a class — no sales pitches, no product promotions. Nothing is sold in the classroom. Your registration includes an optional one-on-one consultation with your instructor if you'd like to talk through your own situation afterward. That's entirely your call, and plenty of people take the course and simply take the workbook home.
I'm not a numbers person. Will I keep up?
Yes. This course exists because most of us were never taught any of this — not in school, not at work. It's plain English, real examples, and no question is too basic. Bring the questions you've been embarrassed to ask. That's what the room is for.
What if I can't make one of the sessions?
You'll still benefit from attending one session — the material is built so each session stands on its own. And you can follow up with your instructor afterward to cover anything you missed, including during your optional one-on-one consultation.
Who's behind the course?
The course is Retirement Planning Today®, offered through Financial Educators Network® — a national financial education provider whose courses have been taught at colleges, universities, and learning centers across the country since 2001. Locally, it's taught by the licensed financial professionals of Northwest Financial Group, a Corvallis firm whose roots in the Willamette Valley go back to 1974.
Is it really only $49?
Yes. $49 covers your entire household — both sessions, the workbook, the optional one-on-one consultation, and a seat for your spouse or a guest. For most couples that's less than a dinner out, and it covers both of you. Course tuition covers classroom and material costs; there's nothing else to buy.
What should I bring?
A pen and your questions. We provide the workbook, and your $49 household pass covers your spouse or a guest — most people get more out of the class when both halves of the decision are in the room.
The class your neighbors keep filling
Seats are limited by the room, and our last class was our largest ever — it filled before the first session. Pick the section that fits your week, and your seats are held.
See Dates & Save My Seats — $49 959 participants and counting · $49 covers your whole household Registration takes about two minutes through Financial Educators Network's course registration system.