Several IAP seminars open to everyone in the MIT community will address financial planning and investment topics.
The Benefits Office is sponsoring four classes, to be held in 20 Chimneys in the Student Center. They are:
Investment Basics - January 13 or 20, noon-1:30pm. Representatives of the Vanguard Group will offer an introduction to investment savings vehicles like stocks, corporate bonds and municipal bonds, and government-backed securities.
How Much to Save for Retirement: An Interactive Workshop - January 14 or 21, noon-2pm. This seminar will present a hands-on method of estimating how much to save for retirement using software programs. Included is a review of how the MIT Retirement Plans can fit into one's overall retirement planning goals.
Basic Estate Planning - January 15 or 22, 11:30am-1pm.Virginia Coleman, an attorney with Ropes & Gray, will cover basic information on wills and trusts.
Advanced Estate Planning - January 15 or 22, 1:30-3pm. Ms. Coleman will review the foundations needed for estate planning, including wills, trusts and gifts, tax considerations and the unlimited marital deduction.
Classes are limited to 150. For more information and registration, see the Benefits Office IAP web site or call x3-4276.
The Campus Police will host a presentation by a Federal Reserve Bank of Boston representative on "A Deal Too Good to be True!" on January 27 at 10:30am in the Student Center's Mezzanine Lounge. The session will focus on avoiding consumer fraud, including con games and scams which frequently target senior citizens.
James Poterba, the Mitsui Professor of Economics and associate department head, will discuss "How to Save a Million Dollars" on January 26 from 2:30-4pm in Rm E51-315. He will explain the power of compound interest, particularly as it applies to tax-favored investment accounts such as IRAs, as a means of building retirement wealth.
Finally, Bruce D. Wedlock, semiretired as a senior lecturer in electrical engineering and computer science, will present "Retiring on Your Terms" on January 22 from noon-1:30pm in Rm 34-401A. The presentation will discuss investing to diversify assets and minimize risk, minimizing taxes and maximizing the income from retirement plans.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on January 7, 1998.
