Financial Education

Knowledge is Power

 

Financial Education

 

Proper financial planning is always best achieved when a client is properly educated concerning all the choices available to accomplish his or her goals.

The Earn principle is about more than the amount you are paid through work. This principle is about knowing the fine print and details about your paycheck, including deductions and withholdings. To put it another way: In order to make the most of what you earn, it helps to understand your pay and benefits.

Sometimes it’s necessary to borrow for major purchases like an education , a car, a house, or maybe even to meet unexpected expenses. Your ability to get a loan generally depends on your credit history, and that depends largely on your track record at repaying what you’ve borrowed in the past and paying your bills on time.  So, be careful to keep your credit history strong.

Saving is a key principle. People who make a habit of saving regularly, even saving small amounts, are well on their way to success.  It’s important to open a bank or credit union account so it will be simple and easy for you to save regularly.   Then, use your savings to plan for life events and to be ready for unplanned or emergency needs.     

The fundamental concept of Spend is: make a budget or a plan for using your money wisely. It’s helpful to set short and long-term financial goals and manage your money to meet them. 

The Protect principle means taking precautions about your financial situation. It stresses the importance of accumulating savings in case of an emergency, and buying insurance. Be vigilant about identity theft, and keep aware of your credit record and the credit score.

Financial Decisions

Final Expense

End of Life Planninig

This encompasses many topics. For the more affluent estate planning is critical. For everyone, such things as wills, medical directives, and funeral pre-planning are areas often overlooked. View our SCG page on final expenses Understanding Final Expense

Financial Education

Client Education

The more you know, the better choices you will make. This is especially important when it comes to financial decisions. You need to do your homework not only to find the best answers for your situation, but also to discover questions that you didn't even know to ask!

Are you just deferring taxes? What if tax rates go up in the future? Is your retirement plan tax efficient? What if there were a way to opt out of the tax system with your retirement savings? Interested? You should be. Taxes will have a major effect on your retirement NET, SPENDABLE INCOME.

Most people purchase life insurance to provide a legacy of financial security at the time of their death. But doesn't it make sense for the benefits to extend and be available for the difficult financial times they have to face if a chronic, critical or terminal illness precedes death? The industry calls the benefit an "Accelerated Death Benefit Rider." We refer to it as real Living Benefits.

Retired military service members and veterans have an option to convert to VGLI (Veterans' Group Life Insurance) upon leaving active duty. VGLI is guaranteed available to you regardless of health for the first 120 days after you leave service. For one year after that you can still obtain VGLI, but you will have to answer health questions. VGLI starts out fairly inexpensive, but starting at age 30, it increases in price every 5 years. The cost becomes quite expensive as you become older. Spouse and child coverage under SGLI cannot be converted to VGLI. If a veteran is relatively healthy, he or she can save tens of thousands of dollars over a lifetime by shopping around. The same can be said for Federal Employee's FEGLI Option B coverage. As you get older it becomes extremely expensive. Always best to comparison shop.

Additional Services

Save Money and Reduce Taxes

SMART Consumer Group

SMART Consumer Group

The SMART Consumer Group (SCG) is an educational organization offering ideas to help you save more and spend less. Through this web site and our series of free workshops, SCG introduces the keys to being a SMART consumer.

Debt Roll-Up

Revolutionize your entire financial future by organizing , prioritizing, and attacking your debts in a systematic manner. If you have the discipline to stick with the Debt Roll-Up Strategy, you can pay off your debts in a significantly shorter time. If emergencies occur, readjust the plan, but NEVER, NEVER QUIT. Half the battle is establishing a positive mental attitude. If you established meaningful goals, here is where they help to keep you on track.

Time Value of Money

One of the most memorable pages on the SMART Consumer Group site is the Time Value of Money. This is a great illustration of the cost of procrastination.

 

 



 

According to a survey reported in USA Today, distress over financial matters is contributing to irritability, anger, fatigue, and sleeplessness for over 52% of Americans. Every day families are running harder and harder to stay in the same place economically while others are trying to reduce the amount that they are falling behind. Millions of these people carry their distress about financial matters into the workplace where it reduces employer profits. Employers need to know how to assess the financial wellness of their employees as well as what to do about it. Employers need to recognize that at any given time, in every workplace, part of the workforce is seriously financially distressed. Employees inevitably bring their financial distress into the workplace, contributing to work-related issues such as: conflicts, lower organizational commitment, less pay satisfaction, work time wasted dealing with personal finances, more absenteeism, and poorer health. "Depending upon the workplace, 30% to 80% of employees waste work time dealing with personal financial matters, and it typically amounts to 12 to 20 hours a month.".

 

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