At a glance
Six Alfred State College business students recently learned how to help clients improve their understanding of Medicare, and also networked with professionals in the field during a trip to Rochester.
Six Alfred State College business students recently learned how to help clients improve their understanding of Medicare, and also networked with professionals in the field during a trip to Rochester.
The students attended the Financial Planning Association of Greater Rochester’s September program at the Irondequoit Country Club titled “Medicare 101 – Taking the Confusion out of Medicare for Your Clients.” The program addressed the various parts of Medicare and what they cover, as well as when and how to enroll. Attendees were able to become familiar with terms such as supplements, Medigap plans, Medicare Advantage plans, prescription drug plants, the Donut Hole, and many more, and came away being able to answer the big question of, “What will healthcare cost my client in retirement?”
After the program, students then visited with financial planning professionals Kathleen Roth and Joshua DeJohn of Waterstone Financial Services to learn about helping clients through transitions and difference investment strategies. Later, they met with Matt Eggar, managing director of Focused Wealth Advisors, to learn about career options in financial planning and how to succeed through the interview process and first few years in the business.
Alfred State students who participated included Muhammad Bah, of Bronx; Nathan Adamec, of Lancaster; Nathanael Gisellie, of Jakarta, Indonesia; Joshua Miller-Labar, of Groton; Amgad Selem, of Saint James; and Amy Macaluso, of Laurel. All of the students are financial planning majors except Selem and Macaluso, both of whom are majoring in business administration.
Gisellie said being able to attend trips such as this one is really beneficial.
“In these programs, we not only learn from the presentations, but we also learn to network and meet other financial planners in the area,” he said.
Adamec agreed that the trip was extremely beneficial, saying, “The laws of Medicare are always changing, and this trip allowed me to stay up to date with all the policies and procedures of Medicare,” he said. “The program provided great value, as dealing with older clients in financial planning routinely involves Medicare.”
