SeCura Partners Bring Understanding to Illinois Pension Reform in District 214 Teachers' Union Presentation

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL--(Marketwire - Oct 20, 2011) - To bring clarity to subject of Illinois pension reform, Dan Gridley, president of SeCura Partners made a presentation on Tuesday, October 11 to the board of directors of District 214 teachers' union in Arlington Heights, Ill. Gridley spoke at the request of Dick Trent, president of District 214 Education Association.

"Given all that's happening in Springfield right now and considering the current economic situation, we know something is likely to take place with pension reform," said Trent. "By bringing SeCura Partners to our meeting, we wanted our teachers to have the latest information available to deal with the potential changes ahead."

Gridley, a tax and estate planning attorney, has been advising teachers and private clients for nearly two decades on tax and retirement planning issues.

"The situation with the state of Illinois is very distressing," said Gridley. "Illinois has not kept their promise to Illinois teachers, and the situation is beyond repair without fundamental changes to how the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) is funded. It would be great to see the state of Illinois step to the plate and pay the bill they owe the TRS, but we don't have high expectations that this will happen."

The discussion topics ranged from the legality of pension reform in the state of Illinois, to the precedents set by other states with pension reform to the probability of pension reform happening in the state of Illinois.

The most notable aspect of the evening was the proactive tone of the meeting. Gridley said SeCura was not there to lobby on behalf of teachers, nor to advise teachers to call their congressman.

"Our purpose was to help Illinois teachers take proactive steps to limit the negative impact that legislative changes will have on their retirement," explained Gridley. "There are steps that teachers can take today to minimize the impact of pension reform. We simply want to make them aware of these steps and help them achieve the retirement they thought they were getting."

About SeCura Partners, LLC
Located in Hoffman Estates, Ill., SeCura Partners, LLC, is a retirement and tax planning firm serving over 500 clients. With nearly two decades of service to teachers, firemen and state workers, SeCura specializes in state funded pension changes and their impact on hard working civil servants.