Free Bethalto Workshop Explores Estate Planning Beyond Wills and Trusts

Genesis Wealth Management: Estate Planning Essentials Set for July 28th!

BETHALTO - An upcoming free workshop will offer “a deep dive into estate planning essentials.”

From 12:30–2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Bethalto Senior Citizen Center, community members can learn more about financial and estate planning. Hosted by Bill Kinkel with Genesis Financial Group and Walter Ozark with Ozark Law Firm, this seminar will encourage people to think about how their estate plan fits into their financial plan. The goal, Kinkel said, is to ensure you and your loved ones are taken care of.

“When you think of estate planning, often, folks are thinking wills and trusts,” he said. “You should be having a will and deciding what’s best for you. But really, those are decisions that are best inside a financial plan. Estate planning, when it’s done within a financial plan, will expose weak spots in other parts of your plan.”

Kinkel explained that estate planning covers how your assets will be distributed and who will receive what. But when done correctly, these plans can also help take care of a surviving spouse, determine guardianship of children, and prepare for incapacity.

Because of this, Kinkel believes estate planning is important no matter your age. Though he remembers being in his 20s and “bulletproof,” he knows now that incapacity and death are always possible, and it’s better to be prepared.

The workshop on July 28 will talk about how financial and estate planning are interconnected. Ozark and Kinkel agree that creating these plans side by side can expose weaknesses and help you tighten up loose ends.

It’s important to consider why you need these plans in the first place. Answering these questions can help you make decisions about what you need out of your plans.

“What are you trying to plan for?” Kinkel asked. “Are you planning for the surviving spouse? Or maybe you’re single and you’re just planning for legacy. You’re planning that, hey, I accumulated wealth. I want to live long enough to spend it, which I think everyone can agree on. And whatever’s left, I want to pass that on to my beneficiaries without tying them up in court and pay the least amount of taxes possible.”

Kinkel and Ozark can help you answer these questions and make the best decisions for your situation. The July 28 workshop will offer general information with no obligation, but Genesis Financial Group and Ozark Law Firm are happy to sit down with you outside of the seminar to go through your individual assets, priorities and plans.

Additionally, on Aug. 6, Genesis Financial Group will host a “companion workshop” titled “Retirement Ready: Making Better Retirement Decisions.” This free seminar will discuss how to create retirement income, how to manage Social Security and Medicare decisions, and other fundamentals about retirement planning.

Kinkel believes both workshops are worth attending if you want to know more about how to protect your financial legacy and your loved ones. He emphasized that every person has their reasons for starting to plan, and Genesis Financial Group and Ozark Law Firm can help you through the process.

“If you’re young, your financial planning process will be focused on accumulation,” he added. “Estate planning is still a function within that financial plan. As you start to get older and you start to think about retirement, that accumulation plan starts to change slowly into a retirement income plan. Really, now you’re looking at, how can I replace my paycheck? I need to figure out how to draw income, if I’m going to take Social Security, do I have a pension, when do I turn on those secure income sources, and how do those fit into your overall financial plan? Estate planning is a key element to that.”

You can find out more at the July 28 workshop in Bethalto. While free to attend, registration is required. Click here for more information and to register.

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