St. Christopher's Episcopal Church

Personal Planning

Building—Memorials 10 MACThe mission of the Personal Planning Committee is to provide education and referrals to qualified legal, financial and health professionals who can help individuals develop and keep updated their personal plans for their wellbeing and the management of their assets, financial affairs and legacy, and communicate within their families. The committee also oversees the Cloister Society. Members of the Personal Planning Committee include Mary Bast, Jill MacDonald, George Olmsted, Phil Reed, John Sargent, Pieter Schiller, John Trimble, and Allen Ward.

2016 Autumn Educational Forum:  Caregiver Demands and Needs:  Resources

Recent surveys by the Chatham COA and St. Christopher’s Church have shown that a major concern of Chatham residents is dealing with loved ones in failing health. The purpose of this session was to clarify resources available through our COA and local health care facilities. Speakers included Mandy Speakman of the COA, David Maloney, RN, director of Broadreach Hospice, and Allen Ward, MD, director of palliative care at Liberty Commons. The program was free; no registration was required. The event took place in the Parish Hall. To download a brochure on this important subject, click here:  Caregiver Demands and Needs: Resources

2016 Spring Educational Forums:  Living and Investing in Retirement

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Living and investing in retirement has never been easy, but in recent years it has become increasing more difficult. Chances are you are not covered by a defined benefit pension plan from work that provides known income payments. These plans have largely been replaced by 401(k) or other defined contribution plans that require you to determine and periodically adjust:

  • How much money you will need in retirement so that you will not outlive your savings;
  • Your time horizon based on your age;
  • Your cash flow, additional liquidity needs for travel and healthcare and impact of inflation;
  • How and where to invest your savings and diversify your portfolio in a volatile market, and the level of risk you are willing to take; and
  • A legacy to love ones or a favorite charitable organization.

In short, the responsibility of planning for, producing the necessary rate of return on your savings, and living in retirement has fallen on your shoulders. The decisions you make today and throughout retirement will greatly affect your ability to lead the kind of retirement you hope to achieve.

The Personal Planning Committee hosted two seminars in June to help individuals consider and adjust a goals-based retirement plan while living in retirement. The first session was on retirement planning, diversification, preservation of capital and monitoring your plan. The session was conducted by Morgan Stanley. Download the attached summary forum brochure on Living and Investing in Retirement—Goals-based Wealth Management. The second session addressed the role, alternatives and benefits of supplementing your investments with annuities. This session was conducted by AIG. To help you plan and live in retirement, below are three research documents from Morgan Stanley entitled: 360 Degree Retirement Planning, Wealth Management Retirement Framework, and Annuities in a Portfolio.

2015 Educational Forums:  Catastrophic Illness and Long Term Care

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The Personal Planning Committee thanks parishioners for taking its July 2015 survey and identifying catastrophic illness and long term care as one of the top two topics of interest. Based on this information, the committee hosted two forums on how to protect your family and assets from catastrophic illness and long term care.