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Tammy Wener

Tammy Wener

As co-founder of RW Financial Planning, Tammy oversees the financial planning process for all clients and manages the day-to-day operations of the firm.

She truly enjoys getting to know her clients and is not shy about asking questions. Tammy has 15+ years of experience in the financial planning and estate planning fields and has worked with a broad range of clients including: couples simultaneously planning for financial independence, caring for their parents, and saving for college; newly widowed and divorced women looking to become more financially literate; young couples just starting out; families juggling the demands of a child with special needs; and financially independent individuals and couples exploring “what comes next.”

Education:

Illinois State University, B.A. in Finance

DePaul University, M.B.A.

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification

Retirement Income Certified Professional Designation® (RICP®) from the American College of Financial Services

Affiliations and Volunteer Activities:

Faculty, Certified Financial Planner Certificate Program, Northwestern University School of Professional Studies

Member, Financial Planning Association

Volunteer, Working in Support of Education (W!se) and various domestic violence shelters

Board of Directors, Lexi Kazian Foundation – Helping from Heaven

Election Judge, Lake County, Illinois

In the News:

October 6, 2022 – Tammy is quoted in FinancialPlanning article about Social Security and “unretiring”

September 14, 2022 – Tammy is quoted in a FinancialPlanning article about retirement planning for a family with a special needs child

February 23, 2022 – Tammy is quoted in an InvestmentNews article about providing pro bono services

October 16, 2020 – Tammy is quoted in MarketWatch in an article about retirement

October 15, 2020 – Tammy’s financial literacy work with local survivors of domestic abuse is highlighted in a better.net article by Jackie Pilossoph

May 19, 2020 – Tammy is a panelist on the Better Business Bureau Webinar “Personal Financial Survival for Small Business Owners

February 18, 2020 – Tammy’s article “Is it Time to Have The Talk with Your Parents?” is published in Retirement Daily

March 5, 2020 – Tammy presents “The Alphabet Soup of Investing: What You Need to Know Now” for the Women and Your Finances series at the Harold Washington Library

October 19, 2019 – Tammy kicks off Chicago Financial Planning Day at the Harold Washington Library.

April 19, 2019 – Tammy’s article “Biggest Myths About Medicare and Long-Term Care” is published in Retirement Daily

April 1, 2019 – Tammy kicks off the Financial Planning Association of Illinois Money Smart Week® event at the Harold Washington Library

March 29, 2019 – Tammy joins Steve Bertrand on WGN Radio’s Wintrust Business Lunch hour to discuss Money Smart Week®

March 8, 2019 – Tammy presents “Women and Social Security: Management Strategies” for the Women and Finances series at the Harold Washington Library

March 7, 2019 – Tammy meets with Illinois lawmakers and the Illinois State Treasurer’s office in Springfield to discuss myriad financial matters including ABLE accounts and protecting vulnerable adults from financial exploitation

February 14, 2019 – Tammy presents “Get Smart(er) About Your Finances” to employees of Aspirtech, a Highland Park company that offers high-functioning individuals on the autism spectrum gainful employment in software testing and other quality assurance services

October 20, 2018 – Tammy kicks off Chicago Financial Planning Day at the Harold Washington Library.

August 7, 2018 – Tammy participates in a conversation about financial planning for families on a radio show for The 21st – Illinois Public Media.

July 12, 2018 – Tammy’s article, “Four Myths about Paying for Long Term Care” is published in Retirement Daily.

May 2, 2018 – Tammy presents “Banking Options” for the Leadership and Economic Advancement YWCA Evanston/North Shore

February 16, 2018 – Tammy is quoted in AARP article, “What Happens to a Credit Account When Your Spouse Dies.”

November 6, 2017 – Tammy and Terrell Brown of ABC 7 Chicago talk proposed tax reform.

October 14, 2017 – Tammy kicks off Chicago Financial Planning Day at the Harold Washington Library.

September 8, 2017 – Tammy’s article, “Employee Stock Ownership Plans – What You Need to Know” is published in Retirement Weekly.

August 17, 2017 – Tammy is quoted in CNN Money article, “Should I invest my emergency savings in the stock market?”

July 26, 2017 – Tammy is quoted in CNBC article, “How to cut your spending and feel good about it”

April 13, 2017 – Tammy is featured in an Adviser Perspectives video on how to retire successfully.

October 7, 2016 – Tammy’s article, “It is Time to Review Your Life Insurance Coverage!” is published in Retirement Weekly.

October 5, 2016 – Tammy and Terrell Brown of ABC 7 Chicago discuss retirement planning.

May 13, 2016 – Tammy’s article, “Before Scheduling that Retirement Party…” is published in Retirement Weekly.

April 20, 2016 – Tammy talks with Terry Savage on April 20, 2016, about the Department of Labor Fiduciary Rule at the Money Smart Week® event held at the Harold Washington Library.

April 17, 2016 – Tammy talks taxes with Alan Krashesky of ABC News Chicago.

April 4, 2016 – Tammy serves as one of 40 female mentors for the Chicago Business Journal’s bizwomen Mentoring Monday Event, one of 43 events held all over the country involving approximately 8,600 female mentees and 1,700 mentors.

January 1, 2016 – Tammy is quoted in Retirement Weekly about reviewing your cash flow.

Outside the office…

My favorite places to travel: Anywhere in Colorado and Italy

When not working, I enjoy: Reading, learning, traveling, volunteering (especially for financial literacy programs), exercising (yes, really!), and spending time with family and friends

Books I recently read: The Splendid and the Vile:  A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz; Before We Were Yours; This is How it Always Is; and Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

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