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Free Online Programs: Financial Literacy

National Experts Share What You Need to Know for a More Financially Stable Future

Financial literacy has the power to transform lives. Understanding how to save and invest, even in small amounts, can strengthen an individual’s financial security, improve retirement outcomes, and shape the future of the next generation. Few understand that better than Paul Merriman, President of The Merriman Financial Education Foundation and former BCF board member. Since retiring from a successful career in investment management, Paul has devoted his time to helping others learn how to make smart financial choices that align with their goals and values.

On behalf of BCF, every year Paul organizes free virtual events with speakers who are nationally renowned experts in their fields in order to help educate our community on how to better plan for our futures. These events target all ages and levels of financial literacy, including youth, first-time investors who are still in the workforce, and those who have just entered retirement. Learn more below!

Upcoming Events: 2026 Financial Education Series

My Favorite 12 Vanguard Funds for Retirees: 2026 Update
Paul Merriman
Thursday, April 2 from 9-11AM
Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center – Dining Room

RSVP THROUGH SENIOR CENTER

Paul Merriman has spent his career helping investors understand how to make their money work smarter in retirement. In this live presentation, Paul will share practical strategies for retirees to get the most from their investments, focusing on the advantages of using Vanguard funds for cash management, equities, balanced portfolios, and bonds.

He’ll also discuss one of the most powerful ideas in retirement planning, which is how to “buy a pension for life” and potentially earn more than 7% a year—much of it tax-free.

This talk is an update of a 2020 presentation originally given on Zoom to a small audience of 12. That same presentation went on to reach more than 140,000 viewers on YouTube, proving that clear, evidence-based guidance can truly change financial futures.

 

Evidence Over Opinion
Larry Swedroe
Thursday, April 8 from 4:30-6PM via Zoom
Please note: This event was originally scheduled for April 9 and has been rescheduled to April 8 at the same time.

RSVP HERE 

Larry Swedroe has spent decades translating academic research into practical investment advice. As the author of numerous books on evidence-based investing, Larry has helped investors understand how risk, diversification, and disciplined strategy can improve long-term outcomes. 

Larry’s approach is refreshingly direct, which is to ignore speculation, focus on the evidence, and build portfolios designed to capture the returns markets offer rather than trying to outguess them.

For investors seeking clarity in a world filled with opinions, Larry’s work is a reminder that the most reliable guide is often the research itself.

 

Making Retirement Work in Real Life
Christine Benz
Thursday, April 16 from 4:30-6PM via Zoom

RSVP HERE 

Christine Benz, director of personal finance and retirement planning at Morningstar, has spent her careerhelping investors translate financial theory into real-life retirement decisions.

Through her books, interviews, and decades of writing, Christine has become one of the most trusted voices in retirement planning. Her work focuses on the practical questions retirees face: How should a portfolio be structured for income? How do we balance safety and growth? And how can retirees manage spending in uncertain markets?

Christine brings a rare blend of analytical rigor and empathy for the real challenges families face as they transition from saving to spending.

 

Keeping More of What You Earn
Mike Piper
Tuesday, April 21 from 4:30-6PM via Zoom

RSVP HERE

Mike Piper is known for his ability to explain some of the most complex financial topics in remarkably simpleterms. His books and educational resources on taxes, Social Security, and retirement income planning have helped thousands of investors avoid costly mistakes.

Mike’s work focuses on something many investors overlook, which is the impact of taxes and government programs on retirement income. Understanding how these systems work can often make the difference between a good retirement plan and a great one.

His writing proves that clarity is one of the most valuable gifts a financial educator can offer.

 

Learning from the History of Markets
Bill Bernstein
Tuesday, April 28 from 4:30-6PM via Zoom

RSVP HERE

Dr. Bill Bernstein is a retired neurologist and a retired financial advisor and historian, and he brings a rare long-term perspective to the discussion of investing. His landmark book The Four Pillars of Investing helped thousands of investors understand that successful investing rests on four foundations, which are theory, history, psychology, and business.

Bill has a remarkable ability to step back and ask the bigger questions: What have markets taught us over centuries? Why do investors repeatedly make the same mistakes? And what simple principles have consistently led to long-term success?

His perspective reminds us that markets change, but human behavior often does not.

 

Past Events: 2025 Financial Education Series

Please click below to watch the recordings:

Click Here for Recording: How to Maximize Social Security Benefits with Mary Beth Franklin

Click Here for Recording: 12 Things Most Investors Don’t Know About Long-Term Investment Success with Paul Merriman

Click Here for Recording: How to Retire: CliffsNotes Edition! With Christine Benz | Thursday March 20th, 2025 4:30-6PM PST

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Past Events: 2024 Financial Education Series

 

Webinar Recordings

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Past Events: 2023 Financial Education Series

RECORDINGS OF EVENTS

Paul Merriman encourages to ask him questions. To reach Paul, email paul@paulmerriman.com. To listen to an overview from Paul Merriman on the 2023 series, click here.

2022 Financial Education Series

For an overview from Paul himself, click here. To learn more about the speakers, click here.

RECORDINGS OF EVENTS

2021 Financial Education Series

April 3, 9-10:30am / How to Invest in a Bubble / To View Recording of the Event, Click Here / To Access the PowerPoint, Click Here

The world of investing has had a wild ride in 2020, and is continuing into 2021. In this presentation, Paul Merriman explored the history and nature of stock market bubbles, long bull markets, day trading, hedge funds and the uncertainty that can accompany market bubbles. Issues covered included how to invest during a bubble, higher risk portfolios, diversifying stocks, whether Bitcoin is the “new gold,” and much more. The event targeted first-time investors (ages 18-35), pre-retirees and retirees.

April 8, 4:30-6pm / Six Retirement Blind Spots and How to Fix Them / To View Recording of the Event, Click Here

Many of the risks we face in retirement are relatively under our control, while others are not. In this presentation Christine Benz, Director of Financial Planning for Morningstar and author of 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances, showed pre-retirees and retirees how to manage your portfolio and financial plan to protect against six very serious risks.  Those risks include retirement date risk, sequence of return risk, low-yield risk, inflation risk, health care and long-term care risk and longevity risk.  She also shared her favorite in-retirement mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and discussed her model bucket portfolios geared toward retirees. This event targeted pre-retirees and retirees.

April 15, 4:30-6pm / We’re Talking Millions! 12 Ways to Supercharge Retirement / To View Recording of the Event, Click Here

This presentation was about Paul Merriman’s new book and was mostly focused on investors who are in the accumulation stage of building their retirement investments. Issues covered included how 12 decisions investors make could be worth an additional million dollars, which funds first time investors should own and which funds different types of retirees should own, and two major decisions that could each add $5-$10 million more for your retirement, for your children, or for your favorite charities. This event targeted first-time investors (18 -35) and anyone who wants to understand the basics of successful investing.

April 22, 4:30-6pm / How to Plan for a Successful and Secure Retirement / To View Recording of the Event, Click Here

Click below for links to Larry Swedroe's blogs:

Larry Swedroe, a sought-after speaker and prolific writer on the science of investing, spoke about helping retirees and pre-retirees make the best of their retirement by making sound investments. Larry has written over a dozen books on this topic, many of which have been translated into seven different languages. Paul Merriman interviewed Larry about his latest book “The Complete Guide to a Successful and Secure Retirement,” and topics covered the most important steps to take in retirement planning, avoiding common mistakes investors make, what we need to tell heirs about our financial plan, what women should know about investing, and much more.

April 29, 4:30-6pm / The Most Important Class You Never Had / To View Recording of the Event, Click Here

Tim Ranzetta, President of Next Generation Personal Finance (NGPF), presented his work. NGPF was created on the belief that financial literacy is the key to creating stable futures for the next generation. It promotes financial education in our public schools, and provides free curriculum for any educator who is interested in the program. NGPF produced a video called “The Most Important Class You Never Had,” (available on YouTube) which explains the critical impact of financial literacy on our lives—and how improving an understanding of finance during youth could change behavior into adulthood. NGPF focuses on helping students in grades 6-12. This event targeted parents, teachers, and other educators including home-schoolers.

To watch a separate public program focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the careers and education of the next generation, click here.

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BCF would like to thank Paul Merriman, former BCF Board Member, for organizing these free events. Paul Merriman is President of The Merriman Financial Education Foundation. In 1983 he founded Merriman Wealth Management. When he sold the firm in 2012 he formed the Foundation dedicated to providing comprehensive financial education to investors, with information and tools to make informed decisions in their own best interest and successfully implement their retirement savings program. Since 2012 the foundation site has built a library of over 700 articles, podcasts and videos plus creating dozens of do-it-yourself portfolios at Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab and others. He has written 8 books, including the latest “We’re Talking Millions! 12 Ways to Supercharge Your Retirement.” In 2021, Paul was awarded the prestigious James Cloonan Award for Excellence in Investment Education by the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII).