My Retirement Education Center Offers Online Classes to Help North Carolinians Optimize Social Security Benefits

RALEIGH, NC, February 23, 2013 (Press-News.org) My Retirement Education Center, a Raleigh-based organization providing an unbiased resource for personalized retirement information in a pressure-free environment, is now offering its Social Security Optimization class online to help individuals better understand their options and how to maximize their benefits. The addition includes both live interactive classes and pre-recorded on-demand classes to suit people's varying preferences and schedules.

My Retirement Education Center was started in early 2012 and already offers in-person Social Security Optimization classes in Raleigh, typically twice a week, as well as in other cities around the state at various times throughout the year. The one-hour class, whether in-person or online, is designed to provide a basic overview of Social Security fundamentals so people can make confident decisions in what can otherwise be a very confusing choice. This includes learning about how Social Security works as part of a complete retirement income plan, how to integrate a spouse's income and how to manage cash flow to accommodate times before starting to receive benefits.

Additionally, the Social Security Optimization class provides each participant with a detailed custom analysis of their personal situation, including consideration of every available option and the breakeven point for waiting to collect benefits later. In the end, every participant gets a definitive answer on when to file to get the highest benefit and what forms need to be completed by what dates to do so.

"I want to empower everyone to learn about all of their options for Social Security benefits so they have the tools to make informed decisions that will impact their life, as well as their spouse's, throughout retirement," said Steve Gaito, founder and director of My Retirement Education Center. "Now, with the addition of online classes, those who have busy schedules or are unable to travel to an in-person class will have a resource available to help them understand these benefits."

Gaito is a Certified Financial PlannerTM (CFP ) practitioner with nearly 20 years of experience helping individuals, companies and nonprofits prepare for their financial futures. He started My Retirement Education Center after noticing a community need for retirement information without a sales pitch. He developed the curriculum with a team of leading industry professionals, including Attorneys (JD), Certified Public Accountants (CPA), Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) and Certified Trust and Financial Advisors (CTFA).

Participants of the live online Social Security Optimization class will follow along with an educational presentation, and have the option to participate in group discussions and ask questions throughout. Like the in-person classes, the live online class will cost $50 with spouses participating for free. The on-demand online class allows individuals to learn from an educational presentation, at a time that is best for their schedule and costs $40. Participants will be allowed to submit questions via email following the class, which will be responded to within three business days. To see the full schedule of classes or register online, visit http://www.myretirement-edu.com/calendar.

About My Retirement Education Center
My Retirement Education Center provides an unbiased educationally based resource for community members to learn about and prepare for retirement in a pressure-free environment. Founded by Steve Gaito, a Certified Financial Planner practitioner with nearly 20 years of experience helping individuals, companies and nonprofits prepare for their financial futures. The Raleigh, N.C.-based organization offers classes for people of all ages and all financial backgrounds to learn about the basics of retirement planning so that they can move forward with confidence and peace of mind. Specialized classes and small group workshops are available for people close to retirement, young professionals just making their first retirement planning decisions, and everyone in between. You can register for classes or learn more at http://www.myretirement-edu.com.