Pre-Retiree Academy · For participants 55 and over
An eight-week retirement education series, one week at a time.
Both Baby Boomers and Gen X are preparing for retirement, and as the financial landscape evolves, retirement strategies shift with it. The Pre-Retiree Academy is MCF's eight-week education series for participants 55 and over in MCF-advised plans.
Self-paced and virtual. Educational materials and general information, not individualized advice.
weeks of materials, released weekly
self-paced, nothing to attend in person
participants in MCF-advised plans
How it works
Weekly releases, on your schedule
Over the course of eight weeks, participants receive access to webinars, articles, worksheets and checklists on common retirement topics: understanding your Social Security benefits, determining how to draw down your money, reviewing your estate plan, life insurance and Medicare, among others.
Released one week at a time
You are informed by email as each week goes live, and the materials are posted here.
Self-paced and virtual
Watch webinars live or afterward. Nothing to enroll in, nothing to attend in person.
Available all year
Materials stay in the content library until next year’s Academy launches.
The 2026 schedule
Eight weeks of materials, week by week
Each week’s materials stand on their own. Items link here as they are released; until then they show their release date.
Week 1
Charting your course
Releases
Webinar
Charting Your Course Through Retirement
Week 2
Your retirement budget
Releases
Worksheet
Retirement Budget Worksheet
Available
Week 3
Withdrawal strategies
Releases
Webinar
“Draw-Down” Withdrawal Strategies
Available
Week 4
Portfolio risk and Social Security
Releases
Guide
Assessing Portfolio Risk: A Critical Step
AvailableWebinar
Guide to Understanding Your Social Security Benefits
Available
Week 5
Savings and taxes
Releases
Guide
The Guide to Bolstering Your Savings
AvailableWebinar
Tax Strategies for Your Retirement Income
Available
Week 6
Insurance and Medicare
Releases
Worksheet
Evaluating Your Life Insurance Planning Before Retirement
AvailableWebinar
Medicare 101
Available
Week 7
Estate planning
Releases
Webinar
Estate Planning Essentials
Available
Week 8
Foundations and the full guide
Releases
Webinar
Foundations for Retirement
AvailableGuide
The Full Retirement Planning Guide
Available
Materials are emailed to eligible participants on their release date and posted here as they become available. Recordings and materials stay in the content library all year, until the next year’s Academy replaces them.
Who receives it
Sent each year to eligible participants in MCF-advised plans
The Academy is designed to help individuals ages 55 and up bring together the skills, tools and creativity to work through the challenges of retiring in a changing world. There is no sign-up: if your employer’s plan is advised by MCF and you are eligible, the weekly emails come to you.
How the program is sent
Before each year’s program begins, MCF emails the sponsors of the retirement plans it advises. A sponsor may opt its plan out.
Otherwise, the program is sent to the plan’s participants who are 55 and over, or a lower age if the plan requests it.
Participants can opt out at any time, or simply keep receiving the weekly emails. Attending the webinars is optional.
Who leads it
Led by Hunter Nighbert
Financial Advisor & Retirement Planning Specialist · Partner
Hunter is a Financial Advisor, Retirement Planning Specialist and Partner at MCF, based in the Lexington office. He serves clients across MCF’s Wealth Management and Institutional divisions, specializing in comprehensive financial, retirement, distribution, tax and estate planning. He leads the Academy each year, a series designed to give participants a detailed overview of important retirement topics.
Hunter’s profileThe Pre-Retiree Academy provides educational materials and general information on retirement topics. It does not provide individualized investment, tax or legal advice, and participation does not create an advisory relationship with MCF Advisors, LLC. Consult your own advisor about your situation.
Keep reading
Retirement articles from MCF
Between weekly releases, MCF's retirement planning articles for plan participants cover many of the same topics.
Questions
What participants and sponsors ask
Who receives the Academy?
Participants 55 and over in retirement plans MCF advises, unless their plan sponsor has opted the plan out. A plan can ask for a lower age. If your employer's plan works with MCF and you are eligible, the weekly emails come to you automatically.
Does it cost participants anything?
The Academy is offered through the employer's engagement with MCF as the plan's advisor. Participants are not charged to receive it.
Do I have to attend the webinars live?
No. Live webinars are recorded and posted on this page afterward, alongside the other materials, and everything stays available in the content library for the rest of the year.
Is this personal financial advice?
No. The Academy provides educational materials and general information on retirement topics. It does not provide individualized investment, tax or legal advice, and it does not recommend a particular course of action for you.
Do the weeks build on each other?
No. Each week's materials stand on their own, so you can start with the topic that matters most to you and come back to the others when you are ready.
I sponsor a plan MCF advises. What do we need to do?
Nothing, unless you want to opt out or change the age. Before the program begins each year, MCF emails plan sponsors; a sponsor can reply to opt the plan out or to request a lower participant age. Otherwise the program is sent to eligible participants automatically.
Questions about the Academy or your plan?
The advisors who work with your employer's plan can point you to this year's materials and answer questions about how the program runs.
Educational materials and general information only. Not individualized investment, tax or legal advice.