Facing Your Financial Fears
Smart Money Across Generations
A free four-part Charlotte Ledger series presented by Dyer & Company.
Money is part of almost every big decision we make. So why is it still so awkward to talk about?
This October, The Charlotte Ledger is bringing together some seriously knowledgeable local experts for four candid conversations about money, life and the financial decisions most of us are trying to figure out as we go.
There will be no jargon-filled presentations and definitely no pretending everyone’s financial life follows the same neat little roadmap. There is also absolutely no requirement that you already know what a Roth conversion is.
Instead, Facing Your Financial Fears, brought to you by Dyer & Company, is designed to make financial conversations more approachable, more practical and a whole lot more useful.
Each Wednesday in October, we’ll tackle the money questions that tend to show up at different stages of life—from first paychecks and student loans to buying a house, raising kids, helping aging parents, preparing for retirement and deciding what happens to everything you’ve worked so hard to build.
And while each event has a generational focus, you absolutely do not need to belong to that generation to come.Come to the conversation that fits what you’re dealing with right now. Come to all four. Bring your spouse, your parents, your adult kids or the friend you text every time you need to make a financial decision.
This series is all about practical financial guidance without unnecessary complexity.
Every Wednesday in October
October 7, 14, 21 + 28
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Charlotte, NC
Free with registration
October 7
Gen Z: Starting Strong
Your first few years of financial independence come with a surprising number of decisions.
How much of your paycheck should actually go toward rent? How big does an emergency fund need to be? Should you pay off your student loans before investing? What exactly are you supposed to do with that 401(k) option from work?
We’ll talk about building a financial foundation without expecting you to have everything figured out already.
Expect conversation around things like student loans, credit cards, budgeting, emergency savings, first major purchases, workplace retirement plans, Roth IRAs and how to start talking about money with your family.
Especially useful for: early-career professionals, recent graduates and anyone who feels like adulthood came with a lot of financial fine print.
October 14
Millennials: Homes, Kids, Debt + Everything Else
Welcome to the stage of life where six expensive things can apparently happen at the exact same time.
Maybe you’re trying to buy a house. Maybe you already bought one and now you’re wondering whether you’re supposed to invest more, pay down the mortgage, save for college or finally make a will.
Maybe there are kids. Maybe there aren’t. Either way, the financial decisions are getting bigger.
We’ll most likely get into home buying and mortgage readiness, career and income growth, debt repayment, investing, saving for children, college savings versus retirement savings and the estate-planning basics people tend to put off.
And yes, we’ll tackle the very common question: If I still have debt, should I even be investing?
Especially useful for: young professionals, couples, homeowners, future homeowners, parents and anyone juggling more financial priorities than available dollars.
October 21
Gen X: Retirement, Kids + Aging Parents
This is the financial sandwich years
Retirement suddenly feels a whole lot closer. Kids may still need support. Parents may need more help. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, you’re supposed to make sure your own financial future is on track.
We’ll talk about things like retirement readiness, refining your investment strategy, catch-up savings opportunities, Roth conversions and the realities of balancing your financial needs with those of the people you care about.
We’ll also get into the less-fun-but-really-important stuff: helping aging parents, handling financial responsibilities after the loss of a loved one and making sure important planning documents are actually up to date.
Especially useful for: mid-career professionals, established families, caregivers and anyone wondering whether their current financial plan still makes sense for the life they have now.
October 28
Baby Boomers: Retirement, Estate Planning + Legacy
You’ve spent decades building a financial life. Now the questions change.
How do you draw down retirement accounts strategically? What actually needs to be in an estate plan? Is your family prepared to step in if something happens? How do you make sure your wishes—and your money—go where you intend them to?
We’ll talk about things like wills, trusts, powers of attorney, retirement-account distribution strategies, charitable giving, legacy planning, fraud prevention and the family conversations that can make everything easier down the road.
Because a good financial plan isn’t only about accumulating assets. It’s also about making the next chapter simpler for you and the people you love.
Especially useful for: pre-retirees, retirees, adult children helping parents plan and anyone who has been meaning to “get all that paperwork together.”
Not sure which one is “your” event?
Ignore the generation labels for a minute. If the topic is relevant to your life, come.
You can be 38 and trying to help your parents understand estate planning. You can be 57 and still want a better explanation of Roth IRAs. You can bring your 25-year-old daughter to one session and your 72-year-old dad to another.Money decisions overlap generations all the time. That’s part of why we created the series this way.
Register for one session or join us for all four.
Here’s how the event series works:
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for refreshments and a chance to settle in and meet people
At 6 p.m., a Charlotte Ledger moderator will sit down with a small panel of knowledgeable local experts for an hour-long conversation focused on the financial decisions people are actually navigating.
This will not be a string of presentations. It’ll be a conversation.
When you register, you’ll also have the chance to tell us what you want to know. We’ll use attendee questions to help shape the discussion so our speakers can spend their time getting into the topics that are actually useful to the people in the room.
Afterward, stick around until 7:30 p.m. to continue the conversation and connect with speakers.
Afterward, enjoy a walk through the museum, free of charge!
Ask the money question you’ve been Googling at 11 p.m.
Should I pay off my mortgage early?
How much cash should I actually have sitting in savings?
Are we behind on retirement?
Should I be saving for my kids’ college if I’m not maxing out my own retirement account?
What does my family need to know if something happens to me?
Do I really need a trust?
There are plenty of financial questions people feel like they should already know the answer to. We would rather you just ask. You’ll have an opportunity to submit questions when you register, and our moderator will work as many as possible into the conversation.
You do not need to be “good with money” to come.
Actually, that would defeat the point.
You don’t need a certain net worth. You don’t need an investment portfolio. You don’t need to understand financial terminology.
You just need to have financial decisions in your life. Which, unfortunately, is pretty much all of us.
Come curious. Leave with clearer ideas about what to do next.
Presented by Dyer & Company
Facing Your Financial Fears: Smart Money Across Generations is presented by Dyer & Company, with experts from Dyer & Company participating throughout the series alongside additional local subject-matter experts.
Together, The Charlotte Ledger and participating speakers are creating a space where Charlotteans can have smarter, more useful conversations about money without making those conversations unnecessarily complicated.
A quick note about our presenting sponsor:
Dyer & Company is the official sponsor of the Charlotte Ledger’s Financial Education Series, providing monetary and educational support. Investing in securities involves risks, including the potential for loss of principal. There is no guarantee that any investment plan or strategy will be successful. Dyer & Company’s sponsorship of the series does not constitute an endorsement of Dyer & Company by The Charlotte Ledger or its associates. The Charlotte Ledger is not a client of Dyer & Company.
By signing up for this event, you are also signing up for a free subscription to The Charlotte Ledger. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Thank you again to all of our sponsors: presenting sponsor, Dyer & Company, official banking sponsor, Huntington Bank, and supporting sponsors, The Mint Museum and Caregiving Corner.