Greetings to our current and prospective Chapter Members and welcome to the American Financial Education Alliance (AFEA) chapter website for Birmingham, AL #4585!

As an IRS approved, 501(c)(3) NonProfit Organization, our mission is to empower Americans to take control of their finances by providing local communities with objective financial education. It is our pleasure to educate our local communities and share how AFEA works to provide all Americans the education and experience they need to enhance their financial understanding and management.

AFEA specializes in providing high-level financial education classes and events at establishments of all types:

Libraries  ♦  Universities, Colleges, Junior Colleges  ♦  Businesses  ♦  Nonprofit and Fundraising Organizations

Class offerings include:

A Guide to 401k Rollovers  ♦ The ABCD’s of Medicare ♦  Advanced Estate Planning ♦ An Introduction to Annuities  ♦ Business Continuation Planning ♦ College Planning ♦ The Essentials of Estate Planning  ♦ Financial Planning Basics ♦ Investing for Women ♦ IRAs, Annuities, and Other Sources of Retirement Income  ♦ Living a Tax-Free Retirement ♦ Most Common Financial Mistakes ♦ Myths and Facts About Annuities ♦ Planning for Long-Term Care  ♦ Retirement Basics ♦ Retirement Income Planning ♦ Roth IRA Conversions ♦ Safe Money Principles of Retirement Planning ♦ Social Security Benefit Options  ♦ Special Needs Planning ♦ Understanding Your IRA ♦ Understanding Your Roth IRA ♦ Variable Annuities ♦ Women and Money ♦ Your Employee-Sponsored Retirement Plan

We invite you to attend our local workshops and become an active member by participating in our educational events throughout the community.

Thank you for visiting your local Chapter’s website; we look forward to seeing you in a class soon!

Mike Ballard has been in the financial industry for the past 40 years.  He had an accomplished career serving as President/CEO of a registered broker/dealer.  He built that firm from a start-up to one with 1,100 financial planners around the country.  Mike also served for a number of years on The Children’s Hospital of Alabama Foundation Board of Directors.  In addition, he served as the board’s President and was also appointed to The Hospital’s Board of Trustees.  

After a long career, Mike chose to create a wealth management group 20 years ago.  He saw that near-retirees lacked the necessary direction to make their retirement dreams a reality.  By using his experience and knowledge of the insurance and investment industries, he helps clients work toward their financial goals. 

Mike lives in Birmingham with his wife of 39 years, Mary.  They have two adult children and two granddaughters.  Mike is an accomplished marathon runner and has completed 20 marathons.