What Our Social Security Seminars Cover
Social Security is one of the few retirement decisions that is difficult to reverse, and the difference between claiming at 62, at full retirement age, or at 70 can shape household income for decades. Our Social Security seminars explain how the system works so you can approach that decision with a clear picture of the tradeoffs.
These are educational sessions rather than sales presentations. Western Reserve Capital Management is a fee-only fiduciary firm, compensated only by our clients, and we sell no financial products or insurance. Attendees are welcome to bring questions about their own circumstances, and no one will be asked to buy anything.
What It Costs
These are free community educational sessions. There is no cost to attend, no sales presentation, and no products or services are offered for sale.
Who It's For
Our seminars are designed for adults age 50 and older, including both pre-retirees and current retirees. The content is most relevant for people within 10-15 years of retirement or already retired.
What To Bring
General questions about your retirement planning concerns, a notepad for taking important notes, and your spouse or partner if retirement planning is a joint decision.
What You'll Learn
Each session explains how Social Security works and what the claiming decision involves, in plain language and without jargon:
- How your benefit is calculated. Why your highest 35 years of earnings matter, and what happens if you have fewer than 35 years on record.
- What claiming age costs or adds. The difference between filing at 62, at your full retirement age, and at 70, and how long a later filing decision typically takes to catch up.
- Spousal and survivor benefits. How a married couple’s filing decisions interact, and what happens to household income when one spouse dies.
- The earnings test. What happens if you claim early and keep working, and why withheld benefits are not necessarily lost permanently.
- How the decision fits everything else. Where claiming age sits alongside withdrawals from retirement accounts and your overall tax picture.
Sessions run about two hours, including time for questions.
Upcoming Social Security Seminars in Northeast Ohio
November 18, 2026
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Social Security Seminar, Dover, November 18
Dover Library
Where We Host Seminars
We hold Social Security seminars at public libraries and community venues across Northeast Ohio, including Hudson, Peninsula, Medina, and Dover. We maintain offices in Hudson, Akron, and New Philadelphia, and our advisors present in the communities they serve. Sessions are held in the evening so they are easier to attend, and seating is limited by the size of each venue, so registering ahead is worthwhile.
If you would like us to bring a seminar to your library, community center, or employer, let us know.
Your Seminar Presenters
James C. Sexton III, CFP®, CFS
Financial Planner
James is a partner at Western Reserve Capital Management and works with retirees and pre-retirees across Northeast Ohio. He presents on retirement readiness, income planning, and the decisions households face in the years just before and after leaving work.
Gage Paul, CFP®, RICP®, EA
Financial Planner
Gage is a partner at Western Reserve Capital Management and holds the RICP® designation, which focuses specifically on retirement income planning. He presents on how Social Security claiming decisions fit alongside withdrawals from retirement accounts and other sources of retirement income
Other Seminar Topics
Retirement Planning Seminars
A broad overview of the decisions that shape a retirement plan, from choosing a retirement date to turning savings into reliable income.
Taxes in Retirement Seminars
How federal and Ohio rules treat 401(k) and IRA withdrawals, pension income, and Social Security benefits.