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The Basics of Personal Financial
Planning
You work hard for your money -- but is your money working for you? Smart money management can
ease finance-related stress and allow you to have more of the things -- both material and spiritual --
that you want out of life. This course will help you map out your current and future money plans,
develop short- and long-term saving and investing strategies, and keep more of what you earn!
Lessons
1. Assess Your Situation, Set Some Goals
This lesson gets you started figuring out your own financial facts. Once you get
a handle on the present, it's time to start dreaming about your future -- and
figuring out how to make those dreams come true.
2. Debt Management
Before you can get serious about saving and investing, your debt needs to be
under control. How close are you? Learn tips and strategies for getting out from
under your debt and getting in control of your finances.
3. Saving for Goals
Now that you have more free, or discretionary, money, don't just spend it! To
truly get ahead, you'll need to develop some plans to meet your short-term and
long-term goals, such as saving for emergencies, a house, and higher
education.
4. Investing Basics
Investing is complex enough for a course all its own, but by understanding a few
basics, you'll be prepared to start maximizing your savings. We'll take a look at
how to get started investing and how to research your options.
5. Insurance Basics
It's a good idea to expect the best, but prepare for the worst. This lesson takes
a look at why you need insurance, and what types of insurance you need to
cover yourself and your family, both now and for the future.
6. Investing for Retirement

It's never  too early to plan for retirement! We'll help you figure out how much
you really need, then take a look at some of the different plans available to you,

whether you work for a traditional employer or are self-employed.
Assess Your Situation, Set Some Goals
This lesson gets you started figuring out your own financial facts. Once you get a handle on the present, it's time

to start dreaming about your future -- and figuring out how to make those dreams come true.
One of the problems is that we often tend to look at the amount of money we have
coming in and adjust our spending habits up or down accordingly. What many people
ignore is the windfall that can result if they make smarter choices about money. By
living within our means, eliminating our debt load, and choosing investments that offer

solid returns, the money that we work so hard to earn can, in fact, be working for us.

All it takes is a bit of planning
Creating a money plan can be much like creating a map for your future. Of course,
money isn't everything, but having it and, more importantly, learning how to keep and
grow it, can relieve stress, allow you to acquire the things you need and want, and

give you a greater feeling of control in your life.

 
Feb 19th 2008 06:52