Non-Profit Seeks to Arm Americans with Information that Helps them S.A.F.E.ly Save for Retirement

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - July 31, 2013 - PRLog -- When Advisors’ Academy founder David Scranton started writing his book, “Stop the Financial Insanity,” several years ago, part of his motivation was a realization of just how many Americans lacked a basic understanding of the financial tools and savings options available to them.  As an advisor with a busy practice, Scranton could educate his own clients, but felt strongly about finding a means of reaching more people.  The book was a good start, but on the heels of its publication Scranton also began work on the Scranton Academy for Financial Education (S.A.F.E.), a non-profit enterprise whose mission is to provide basic financial education as a public service.  Recently, S.A.F.E. had its official launch, and Scranton’s network of volunteer financial educators have begun holding S.A.F.E.-based classes and workshops.  

The overall goal of S.A.F.E., as outlined in its mission statement, is: “To arm consumers with information that helps them make smart investment decisions, and/or prepares them to work knowledgeably with their brokers or advisors to develop financial strategies with which they are comfortable.”

In his years as an advisor, Scranton discovered that an unfortunately high percentage of Americans (including those with advanced educations):

•   Didn’t know the basic options of investing
•   Didn’t understand the concept of financial defense
•   Knew little about stock market history or how Wall Street works
•   Only started to think about investing and saving for retirement in their 40s, or later

“People should always have free access to this kind of information, but it’s especially important in today’s complex economic environment,” Scranton said. “I’ve seen too many people make costly financial mistakes simply because they didn’t know any better and weren’t aware of all their options.”  

S.A.F.E. is comprised of a nationwide network of experienced financial professionals who take an additional course of study through Advisors’ Academy to earn certification to host S.A.F.E.-based programs.  Programs are available for free to communities, businesses and organizations, and range from guest speaking to in-depth workshops, adult education classes and employee training.  

“There is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm among our advisors for this program,” Scranton said.  “A lot of them got into this business largely because they wanted to help as many people as possible make smart financial decisions and enjoy their retirement years, and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do through S.A.F.E.”

Scranton said there’s also a broader issue that motivates him and his fellow financial educators, as further outlined in the S.A.F.E. mission statement: “We believe creating an informed, knowledgeable population that understands the principles of strategic investing and portfolio management is important on two fronts: it not only helps those individuals control the health and safety of their personal assets, but contributes to the strength and stability of our national economy overall.”

For more information on S.A.F.E., visit scrantonacademy.org.

About Advisors’ Academy

David J. Scranton (CLU, ChFC, CFP®, CFA, MSFS) founded Advisors’ Academy in 2007 with a vision to build an innovative Independent Field Marketing Organization (FMO/IMO) that would teach other highly successful, motivated advisors how to achieve even higher levels of success while always putting the interests of their clients first.

Through ongoing personal coaching and training in a variety of novel, market-proven systems, and turnkey tools that encompass every aspect of the business, hundreds of elite advisors across the country are now sharing in the realization of David Scranton’s vision.

As the Academy continues to grow, Scranton and his team are constantly honing existing systems and developing new cutting-edge tools and strategies.  Their objective is to not merely keep pace with, but to anticipate, the ever-changing landscape of the financial services industry. In doing so, they successfully keep their member advisors (and the clients of those advisors) ahead of the game and on a path of reliable, ever-increasing growth.

In addition to running Advisors’ Academy, David J. Scranton is one of America’s most respected and successful independent financial advisors in his own right, and author of the acclaimed book, Stop the Financial Insanity; How to Keep Wall Street’s Cancer from Spreading to Your Portfolio.

PR CONTACT:
Jennifer Deegan
Marketing Manager
Advisors’ Academy
(860) 339-1126
jdeegan@advisorsacademy.com