Welcome to the "Mind Your Finances" Program Course Material.

Mind Your Finances is a 7 module course. Upon completion of all 7 modules you will receive credit of 14 hours toward your sweat-equity requirements.

If you have difficulty with this form please contact Sandra Holmes.

At the completion of this program you will:

• Have a clear understanding of basic financial terms and concepts so that you can make effective decisions about your finances.
• Understand the importance and discipline necessary to set financial goals and create realistic budgets.

These modules will help you:

• Set financial goals for yourself and your family
• Track your spending
• Create a helpful budget
• Create spending plans to support your budget
• Create a savings plan to build your emergency fund
• Better understand attitudes about money
• Learn about "good debt" and "bad debt"
• Plan for your future retirement

Please note that all modules must be completed to receive your certificate. All courses are required. After reading the material please answer all questions and click submit. You will receive a confirmation of your course submission.

What does your retirement look like?

FIVE RETIREMENT PLANNING RULES OF THUMB

1. FIRST pay off your credit card debt, THEN build an emergency fund, THEN start saving for retirement.

If you have debt and pay interest on it, saving money in a retirement account is probably not going to help you over the long term. First pay off your credit card debt so that you do not need to allocate part of your monthly budget to credit card principal and interest payments.

Next, save up an emergency fund of 3-6 months expenses. If you do not have a healthy emergency fund in place you will raid your retirement account every time you have a money crisis. Withdrawing money from a retirement account can come with hefty tax consequences so you want to avoid emergency withdrawals. The best way to do this is to have a separate emergency fund.

2. The earlier you start, the better

Let's look at an example:

When you are 20 years old, you think less of saving for retirement than when you are 40 or even 60. The following graphs show why it is important to start saving early. The first example shows a person who begins to invest at the age of 25 and invests $1,000 per year for five years with an annual growth rate of 5%.

The second example shows a person who decided to wait 10 years and begin investing at the age of 35. She also invests $1,000 per year for five years with an annual growth rate of 5%.

Saving money for retirement is like planting a tree. The earlier you plant it, the bigger the tree will be in your golden years. The earlier you start saving money for retirement, the bigger your retirement fund will be as you age.

3. Pay off your home before you retire.

Imagine living rent and mortgage-free? By paying off your mortgage over 15 or 30 years, you will give yourself the best possible gift for retirement: living without a hefty rent or mortgage payment. A home can offer tremendous financial security and for most people it is their biggest asset.

Try to avoid the temptation of taking money out of your home in the form of a home equity loan, once it has risen in value. That's money that must be paid back later in life when you may have a lower income, poor health, or other financial problems.

A paid-off home can offer more than shelter as you age. Here's how:

• If you need extra money, you can take in a roommate and make hundreds of dollars a month off of your home.
• You can rent your home out and go live in a less expensive rental in a retirement community or near the beach.
• You can take out a "reverse-mortgage" whereby a bank pays you on a monthly basis. This can help you tap the equity of your home in your later years, without moving out.
• You can invite a relative to live with you, offering them free housing in exchange for taking care of you in your golden years.
• You can pass on a paid-off home to your children or grandchildren giving them the priceless gift of financial security.

4. The Education vs. Retirement Debate

Many people consider making withdrawals from their retirement funds for their children's college education. this situation has inspired the great "Education vs. Retirement" debate. When resources are tight, what should you do? Help your child pay for their schooling or fund your retirement?

This is a personal decision, but the "rule of thumb" from the financial planning world is to NOT take money out of your retirement fund for your child's education expenses. This can seriously jeopardize your ability to retire.

The main idea is that retirement money should not be raided for other purposes, no matter what. Money saved in a retirement account (104k or IRA) is considered so "sacred" that it is one of the few assets protected if you file bankruptcy.

Other ways to help your children fund higher education:

Open a state prepaid account (go to www.myfloridaprepaid.com for more information); encourage friends and relative to make regular gifts toward it.
Encourage your children to live at home while they pursue higher education. This can save $5000-$1,000/year in room & board costs.
Encourage your children to attend a local public community college or university and receive in-state tuition. This can save 50%-75% on tuition. Starting at a community college and then transferring to a state college to finish can save even more.
5. Start saving for retirement if you are ready, but do not make any investments that you do not understand.

Retirement investments are complicated. Rule of Thumb: don't buy anything you don't understand. Before buying any retirement products, it is very important that you understand how they work, and what fees and risks are involved. If you have no debt (other than home or auto), an emergency fund saved up (3-6 months) and are ready to start investing extra money in your retirement, here's how to get started:

If your employer offers a 401K plan with a company match, enroll in this plan before looking at other options. A 401K plan with a company match means that your employer will also contribute money to your plan. You can think of this as "free money" but you only get it if you contribute too. Your contributions will be deducted regularly from your paycheck (pre-tax). You will be given investment options with varying levels of risk. An advisor can help you choose investments that are a good match for you, based on your personal risk tolerance and the number of years you have until you reach retirement age.
If your employer offers a 401K plan without a match, it is still a good idea to enroll. Your contributions will be automatically deducted from your paycheck (pre-tax). You will be given investment options with varying levels of risk. An advisor can help you choose investments that are a good match for you, based on your personal risk tolerance and the number of year you have until you reach retirement age.
If your employer does not offer a 401K plan (matched or otherwise), you can think about taking out an IRA. This stands for Individual Retirement Account.

Mapping Your Priorities

TIME: When figuring out how to divvy up your time, you have priorities that might look something like this:

1. Family
2. Work
3. Friends

Or

1. Family
2. Work
3. Night School
4. Church

Time is finite and there often isn't enough for everything we want to do, so we make decisions based on what your personal priorities are.

MONEY: Money is like time. It is limited by our income, and we have to make spending decisions based on our priorities. Your priorities may look like this:

1. Pay expenses
2. Build an emergency fund (6 months of living expenses)
3. Save for a new car
4. Save for Retirement

Or like this:

1. Pay Expenses
2. Pay down debt
3. Save for retirement
4. Save for a family vacation

Financial Security = Income - Expenses

If income minus expenses currently equal "0" for you, that's okay.

Your mission is to figure out how to free up at least 10% of your income for saving and investing. Think of this 10% as the fuel for all of your financial goals.

There are two ways to do this:

Increase your income
Reduce your expenses
Saving money can actually help you reduce your expenses and free up more money for more saving, investing and other goals. Here's how:

Having a solid emergency fund set aside can help you reduce your car and home owner's insurance by choosing policies with higher deductibles. (Annual savings: $100-$300)
Keeping a minimum balance in your checking account can keep it fee-free FOREVER. (Annual savings: $100-$200)
Saving up for and buying a car in cash can cut our monthly car payment (Annual savings: $2400-$3600)

Please make sure you have read all of the material and completed all of the activities in this module before clicking submit.