NCSC Stages Retirement Expo on Sunday

The National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) will be staging its Grand Retirement Exposition on Sunday (Oct. 21) on the Jamaica College grounds, St. Andrew.

The event, which gets underway at 10:00 a.m., seeks to raise awareness among Jamaicans about the need to prepare for retirement from an early age. 

“With this exposition, we want to reach out to both the young and the old, because as soon as persons reach the age of 18, they should start planning for their retirement,” said Executive Director for the NCSC, Beverley Hall Taylor, in an interview with JIS News.

“We want persons to come and refresh themselves on all that they can do for their retirement years.  We want those close to retirement, to start getting ready, and for those who already have their retirement plans in place, to …know what other choices are available,” she informed.

According to Mrs. Taylor, proper retirement planning involves choosing the best possible option, which should start as early as one obtains their first job. This is important, she said, because as one gets older, they develop certain illnesses, and require various medications, that are sometimes very costly.

“This can be less burdensome if the necessary plans are put in place now. It is guaranteed that some of what is happening presently to some of our seniors will not happen to our young ones (if they) start planning for their retirement in their younger years,” she said.

She informed JIS News that the exposition will provide the appropriate platform for each citizen to look at their life, and see how best they can make it more meaningful, as they grow older.  She noted that people are living longer, so they definitely have to plan effectively, in order to enjoy life during retirement.

The exposition will feature presentations on health and wellness, home furnishing, agriculture, horticulture, small business opportunities, wise money management, pre-retirement planning, best practices for care givers, personal estate planning, as well as safety and security advice.

Some of the participants include the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Courts Jamaica Limited, St. Catherine Parish Council, Portmore Municipal Council, and Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC).

The event, which mainly targets the parishes of St. Thomas, St. Catherine, and Kingston and St. Andrew, is in collaboration with Argus Distributors Limited.

The entry fee is $200 for adults, while children 12 years and under can enter free of cost.

For additional information on the exposition, persons can contact the NCSC at 926-2374 or 906-9277-8.