Trusted Expert Network.com

With everyone agonizing over the economic crisis and their personal finances, it could be a good time to attend a seminar that focuses on the newest laws and strategies that affect your investments. The problem is, there are so many different types of seminars, and not all will be worth your time.

Some are come-ons for product sales, others are directed to a very narrow audience such as those interested in option trading, living trusts, etc. and others are offered by people who may not be experts in the field but will be presenting canned presentations provided by the brokerage firms, banks and insurance companies they work for.

Here are some do’s and don’t’s so that you can register for only the seminars that best fit your financial needs and goals.

Read Past the Headline: Don’t assume that all seminars cover everything you’re interested in. Some are product oriented, others are specific to one or two issues, others will be teasers that give you just enough information, but require that you come back for a consultation to get the rest of the story. Call the company and inquire about the specific subject matters and seminar agenda as well inquire as to who will be the speakers. Also find out if there will be opportunities to ask questions because if it is a product- sales oriented program, often time there will not be experts available to address your individual concerns.

Research the Speakers: Some seminar invitations or ads will identify the speakers doing the presentations, others will only refer to the topics. If the speakers are listed, Google them to learn who they are, what companies they represent, what their background and experience is. You might also want to
find out if they’ve published books or articles, have earned recognition within the industry by way of awards or honors, etc. If you cannot find enough information, that may be an indication that they are new to the field or are more sales oriented. Let the buyer beware.

Personal Recommendations: Ask friends, family or neighbors if they have ever heard of the company sponsoring the seminar and if they would recommend them. Did they find the information valuable and timely or did they leave feeling it had been a waste of time? The true measure of a great program is if someone who has previously attended wants to return to hear updated information or just to recall the strategies provided.

You’re the student- Be Prepared: Just as if you were a student back in school, don’t show up without pen and paper. A valuable seminar has so much information to disseminate, you’ll want to take good notes. Also, come prepared with your questions so that you don’t leave and say, oh I meant to ask this when you’re half way home.

Special Preview: The Trusted Expert Network’s own Sy Goldberg will be featured on this site in the next few weeks. Sy is one of the foremost tax and estate attorney’s in the country, as well as a multi-published author. His latest book, INHERITED IRAs, offers one of the most comprehensive, instructional guides and is a must-read in light of all of the changes in the tax laws that will happen after the election. Look for interviews with him as well as information on his upcoming lecture series.

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Tags: financial lecture series, financial seminars, lee rosenberg, personal finance, seminars

About the Author: Lee Rosenberg is the Co-founder of ARS Financial Services, Inc. As a Certified Financial Planner with more than 34 years of solid financial expertise. Lee is a registered representative of Cadaret, Grant & Co., Inc. He was also named one of the top 25 Independent Financial Advisers in the US by Rep magazine.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 at 7:53 am and is filed under seminar series. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.