 Bruce Helmer is a well-known financial planner, host of WCCO radio’s Your Money, and author of Money and the People You Love: A New Approach to Financial Planning Based on What Matters to You Most (Syren Book Company, March 2006). President and Founder of Wealth Enhancement Group, a financial consulting firm, Helmer has more than twenty years’ experience in the financial planning business. He is a charismatic public speaker and oft-quoted expert who can work closely with business, lifestyle, women’s, and consumer media. Here are several possibilities for timely, issue-oriented features, articles, columns, shows, and segments.
MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU: Learn how to develop an investment strategy tailored to your life, goals, and heart’s desires.
The younger you are when you start investing, the harder your money will work for you over the years. But many of us have no idea where to begin. Helmer takes the fear out of the process and puts heart back into it by explaining how to: develop a strategy aligned with your hopes and dreams; allocate assets based on your goals; select investments designed to help you reach those goals; and manage your portfolio over time to reflect changes in your life and the lives of your loved ones.
RAISING FINANCIALLY LITERATE KIDS: Tips, tricks, and teaching tools for parents with children from tots to teens.
Parents impart their ideas about the role of money to their children, intentionally or not. As a parent and financial adviser, Helmer says that kids who grow up understanding how to save, invest, and spend money responsibly are more likely to enjoy a healthy and prosperous relationship with money as adults. He offers ingenious activities parents can do with kids of all ages to help them develop a positive attitude about money and how to use it.
THE VENUS OF MONEY: When it comes to finances, women have to plan differently than men.
Statistically, women outlive their husbands by about seven years. They also make less money and have a smaller retirement nest egg—if they have one at all. Helmer outlines the key differences between men and women, as far as financial planning goes, and offers sound advice, key questions, and practical strategies individual women and couples can use when creating a financial plan that offers the maximum benefit to both partners.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT FINANCIAL PLANNER: Tips from a pro on how to find an adviser you can trust.
A good financial plan requires a level of knowledge and insight into your personality and life that you would likely reveal to few others. That’s why Helmer believes you should take great care in choosing a financial adviser. He explains five things a financial adviser can do for you, and offers ten questions to ask a prospective adviser to help you choose the right one. Learn what homework to do and preparations to make before your first visit.
RETIREMENT WITHOUT DEPRIVATION: A new approach to planning for your golden years.
The prevailing rule of thumb, when it comes to retirement planning, is that you will need 70 percent of your income to live on after you retire. Helmer strongly disagrees with this approach, which he calls “needs planning.” He offers a new way to plan for your retirement: Figure out how you want to live, what you want to do when you retire, and then plan for that life instead. Learn how to create a retirement plan that offers the best bang for your buck, the most income and security in old age, and the least taxes and worry.
YOUR ELDERLY PARENTS’ MONEY: Adapting to your new role as an adult child includes discussing their financial plan.
Just as there were things you wanted your parents to tell you when you were a teen, but were too afraid to ask, there are subjects you need to broach with your elderly parents now—namely, their finances. According to Helmer, one of the most difficult things for baby boomers to do is to open up a dialogue with aging parents about their money. He offers helpful and sensitive conversation guides, and key questions to ask about their retirement and estate plans, long-term care insurance, and other matters that will affect both them and you as they grow older—including your inheritance.
THE ESTATE PLANNER’S TOOL KIT: You prospered during the nineties, you’re sailing through this decade—now it’s time to share the wealth. But how?
If you’re an aging boomer who has enjoyed financial success, what’s the best way to ensure that your children, grandchildren, and others benefit from your hard work long after you’re gone? Helmer discusses the pros and cons of the five tools of estate planning, the emotional aspects of facing your mortality, and the importance of considering the impact of your estate and your will on those you leave behind. |
