BUDGETING
One of the first things to do when setting out on the path to savings is to make a budget. An accurate budget can help you to identify all of your necessary expenses and calculate how much you can afford to set aside for savings. While every person's situation will be different, there are some basic steps that everyone can follow when setting up a budget. See the links below for guidelines on how to develop a budget.

Budgeting 101 From the Ohio Treasurer’s Site
Think of a budget as a tool you can use to manage and control your personal finances. You can use a budget to be more aware of your spending behaviors, track your income, and keep an eye on your progress toward your financial goals. Many people think budgets are a lot of hard work and too complicated. Don’t let fear or excuses get in your way!  

Do's and Don'ts: Making a Budget
Guidelines to make budget planning less stressful and more successful.

Essential Budget
An introduction to budgeting from the AOL Money & Finance site.

How to Build Your First Budget
Learn how to master food, housing, savings from this practical article.

How to Make a Budget to Increase Your Savings
“This is a step-by step guide on how to plan a high level budget and stick to it. It includes an easy example that shows how to save an extra $960 a year.”

Mint -  The Best Free Way to Manage Your Money
Free online money management and budgeting software. Track where you’re spending your money, understand how your investments are performing, and set up realistic budgets. Set up email and SMS alerts and you’ll be automatically updated whenever there’s an important change in your finances.

Money 101 – Making a Budget
Begin by figuring out what money you have coming in and where it’s going.

Money 101 – Setting Priorities
The first step in making a budget is to identify and prioritize your financial goals.

MoneyInstructor

“Budgeting involves understanding how much money you earn and spend over a period of time. Use these printable budget worksheets and budgeting lessons to teach real life basic personal finance concepts and important fundamental money skills.”
 

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BUDGETING - CALCULATORS

Here are links to a variety of tools that will help as you begin to work toward gaining control of your spending and financial future.

BBBTipsTM on How to Develop a Working Budget
Use this form to formulate a budget that will enable you to meet your current financial obligations, make headway paying off past obligations and start accumulating savings to help you meet future needs that may arise.

Build a Budget
“Use this monthly budget calculator to acquire an objective view of your finances. Then seek new ways to balance your expenses and get the most out of your current income.”

Family Budget Calculator
This family budget calculator helps you to figure out how your family expenses compare to an average family's expenses.  Using information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this calculator allows you to input your monthly or annual expenses in each of 14 different categories, the calculator then figures out the percentage spent in each category and compares your budget to the national average.

Household Budget Calculator
Plug in your data to begin examining your budget situation.

Instant Budget Maker
How does your spending compare to that of others like you? Find out with Instant Budget Maker. Simply answer the questions in this form to describe your household, and then click to find out.

Your Money Now:  Calculators
The Ohio State Treasurer’s Your Money Now website has a wide variety of financial calculators. Interactive calculations, dynamic graphs and fully customizable reports are just a few of the features that make our calculators stand out! Check out the savings, loan, mortgage and many other calculators….

Microsoft Excel Budget Templates

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT101172321033.aspx

This site contains over 30 free budget templates available to download. The templates include personal budgets, family budgets, business budgets and special event budgets.

 
Out of School Financial Budget
“This budget calculator can help you to better understand the financial benefits of an advanced degree and the implications of debt on your future income. You can personalize the budget to reflect your personal expenses.”
 

Personal Finance Calculators

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INVESTING - BASICS
Saving is a way of accumulating money in accounts that are relatively safe and liquid (easily accessible); money in savings accounts can usually be withdrawn without penalty and used for planned purchases such as a family vacation or a major appliance or for emergencies if necessary.

Investing is the next step - putting money into products that provide higher returns than savings accounts. These products, such as mutual funds, stocks and corporate bonds, also carry a higher risk. The links below provide information about various aspects of investment opportunities.

Customer Account Protection: The Role of the SIPC (FINRA INVESTOR PODCAST March 2, 2009)
 The Securities Investment Protection Corporation protects investors by providing insurance for brokerage accounts if a firm fails or goes bankrupt, or when unauthorized trading is suspected. Learn how SIPC insurance works and what happens when SIPC takes over to liquidate a brokerage firm.

Investment Choices Overview (FINRA INVESTOR BROCHURE SERIES)
Before beginning to invest, you also should know what your options are - and there are many - individual stocks and bonds, mutual funds, and more. Although these terms may already be familiar to you, do you really understand the variety of investment options and which are best for you?

Five Keys to Investing Success
This brochure provides a frank discussion about the risks and rewards of investing from the editors of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine.

FINRA Broker Check (FINRA INVESTOR RESOURCE)
FINRA BrokerCheck is a free online tool to help investors check the professional background of current and former FINRA-registered securities firms and brokers. It should be the first resource investors turn to when choosing whether to do business with a particular broker or brokerage firm.

"Free Lunch" Investment Seminars--Avoiding the Heartburn of a Hard Sell (FINRA INVESTOR ALERT)
Investors frequently get invited to free seminars that promise to educate them about investing strategies or managing money in retirement—often with an expensive meal provided at no cost. But just because someone buys you breakfast, lunch or dinner doesn't mean you have to buy what they are saying—or selling.  In many cases, free-meal investment seminars are not solely about education. Their ultimate goals are to recruit new clients and sell products—and while some pitches can be easy to swallow, the consequences can be hard to bear.

Getting Help with Your Investments
The editors of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine discuss the kinds of investment assistance available from brokers, financial advisers, and investment clubs. This source encourages new investors to do their homework and provides information about the agencies that exist to help make sure you are dealing with reputable vendors.

10 Tips to Keep Track of Your Investments (FINRA INVESTOR ALERT)
Whether you work with a broker or adviser or you trade on your own, you should always monitor your investments. By keeping an eye on your investments, you can prevent minor mistakes from turning into big problems. You can protect yourself by taking some easy steps.  Read more….

Investing 101
About.com provides links to sites where those with no previous experience can learn more about investing. “Here, you can discover basic investments such as stocks and bonds, read about speculative practices such as trading on margin and shorting, and learn how to open a brokerage account to begin investing today.”

Market Risk -- What You Don't Know Can Hurt You (FINRA INVESTOR ALERT)
Most investors know that investing involves risks as well as rewards and that, generally speaking, the higher the risk, the greater the potential reward. While it is important to consider the risks in the context of a specific investment or asset class, it is equally critical that investors consider market risk.  Market risk can result in a volatility in one market impacting other markets.  This FINRA Investor Alert outlines the different types of market risks your investments may be exposed to and to describe steps you can take to minimize or manage those risks.

Protect Your Online Brokerage Account (FINRA INVESTOR ALERT)
Investors should take precautions to help ensure the security of their brokerage accounts. Not doing so puts your account information and investments at risk.  By following a few simple steps, you can make it much harder for unauthorized people to gain access to your account. Investors should take heed, particularly since many brokerage firms hold you responsible for the confidentiality and security of your account number, and PIN/password. Read your account agreement carefully-it may also tell you what to do in the event your account access information has been stolen or compromised.  Learn more….

The SEC's Roadmap to Saving and Investing
A guide to investing from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, whose mission is to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation.

Value Line University – Investment Basics
This is Part 1 of a course that is an introduction from Value Line to the sometimes-complex subject of managing your money.

 Value Line University – Investment Strategies
Part 2 of the Value Line course on investment covers suggestions on how to establish goals and plan to achieve these goals in managing investment funds.

 Value Line University – Building a Portfolio
Part 3 of the Value Line course on investment describes model portfolios and includes suggestions on how to design a portfolio.

 Value Line University – Studying a Stock
Part 4 of the Value Line course discusses how to buy (or sell) stocks that are most likely to meet the goals an investor has set.

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INVESTING - STOCKS

Analyzing Stocks
The Motley Fool provides an overview of what to consider when selecting a stock.

Evaluating Stocks for Investment
Learn how to use fundamental or technical analysis or a combination of both to evaluate a stock. You can also learn to do a business analysis of the company’s future prospects.

How to Get Started Investing in the Stock Market
This is an introduction to the general stock market environment.

Introduction to Stocks
Basic information to get you started from About.com.

Investing in the Stock Market
This introduction to the stock market from the Motley Fool web site provides a thorough overview of the environment and process.

Investing in Stocks
This overview of investing in stocks comes from the web site of the organization 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy.

Investing in Stocks
This overview from CNNMoney.com provides the fundamentals about stocks and how to invest wisely.

Investing in Stocks
This Ohio State University FactSheet is a concise and thorough summary about investing in stocks from the consumer educator’s point of view.

Morningstar Introduction to Investing in Stocks
Learn how to invest in stocks with the Morningstar Investing Classroom.

Stock Basics and Types of Stocks
“What role do stocks play in our economy and how do they fit in your personal financial plan. Learn how stocks are classified and why this information is important to investors.”

Stocks Basics: Introduction
This is an introduction to stocks from Forbes Media Company’s Investopedia.

Trading Basics
Information about how the stock market works from About.com.

Stock Spams and Scams (FINRA INVESTOR ALERT)
You may have received "spam" or junk email recommending you invest in a stock, perhaps even invest in that stock before it is first publicly offered for sale in an Initial Public Offering (IPO).  In spite of laws and regulations, stock spams continue to pose a risk to investors. This FINRA Investor Alert explains how to spot and protect yourself from spam problems.

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INVESTING - STOCKS - CALCULATORS

Online Conversion
“Computes the average cost base (or cost per share) for a series of stock or mutual fund purchases. When a sale is entered, the capital gain (or loss) is calculated.”

Price Check Calculator
This calculator “can help you estimate a fair price to pay for a stock based on three main things: the company's earnings, the rate at which those earnings are projected to grow and the stock's volatility.”

Stock Calculator from Smart Women Making Smart Choices
Enter the number of shares, your purchase price, your selling price, and the commission fees for the trade and this script instantly figures your resulting profit or loss after commission fees.

Stock Calculators
Use the many calculators at this AOL Money & Fuinance site to help you find out your yield from dividends, when your target rate of return can be hit and more.

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INVESTING - STOCKS - GLOSSARIES

FINRA Glossary

AAII Investor Glossary

NASDAQ Stock Glossary

Stock Market Dictionary

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INVESTING - BONDS

Smart Bond Investing (FINRA)
Bonds and bond funds can be extremely helpful to anyone concerned about capital preservation and income generation. Bonds and bond funds also can help partially offset the risk that comes with equity investing. They can be used to accomplish a variety of investment objectives. Bonds and bond funds hold opportunity—but they also carry risk.  Use this Smart Investing Guide from FINRA to start learning about bonds and bond funds.

Bond Basics
Information about bonds from The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association provides background for better understanding of what bonds are and how they work.

Bond Basics: Introduction
Information about how the bond market operates from Forbes Media Company’s Investopedia.

Bond Primer
SmartMoney.com has “put together this primer to answer the questions many investors have, starting with the basic definitions and working up to the finer points of prices and yields."

Bonds 101
About.com provides an introduction and links to additional information that explain what bonds are and how they work.

Introduction to Savings Bonds
Learn about the saving bonds that are considered one of the safest investments because they are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

Investing in Bonds
This overview from CNNMoney.com provides the fundamentals about bonds and how to invest wisely.

Investing in Bonds
This Ohio State University FactSheet is a concise and thorough summary about investing in bonds from the consumer educator’s point of view.

Learn About Bond Investing
Yahoo Finance site with links to information about the bond market, types of bonds, and investment strategies.

Morningstar Introduction to Investing in Bonds
Learn how to invest in bonds with the Morningstar Investing Classroom.

Why Invest in Bonds?
This article explains why, for the conservative portion of your portfolio, bonds are usually among the best investment choices.

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INVESTING - BONDS - CALCULATORS

Basic Taxable-Equivalent Yield Calculator
From Wells Fargo's website, a calculator "to determine the yield a federally taxable investment would have to provide to match the yield on a bond that is exempt from federal income taxes."

Bond Calculator
This calculator is designed to help you calculate bond prices and yields.

Smart Bond Investing Accrued Interest Calculator (FINRA CALCULATOR)
Interest on a bond accrues between regularly scheduled payments. Use this calculator to find out how much interest is owed on a given bond.

Bond Valuation Calculator
“The purpose of this calculator is to provide calculations and details for bond valuation problems. It is assumed that all bonds pay interest semi-annually. Future versions of this calculator will allow for different interest frequency.”

Bond Yield Calculator
“This bond yield calculator can help you figure out the current bond yield as well as the bond yield to maturity.” 

Morningstar Bond Calculator
“This calculator can help you determine whether you’re better off investing in taxable or municipal bonds.”

Savings Bond Calculators
This site links to several kinds of calculators that allow you to calculate the value of   various U.S. Government savings bonds.

Savings Bond Estimation Calculators
Three calculators at this site can help approximate the future value of your savings bonds and show how much and how long it will take to reach your goals.

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INVESTING - BONDS - GLOSSARIES

FINRA Smart Bond Investing Glossary

Glossary of Bond Terms from The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association

SmartMoney.com Bond Glossary

Yahoo Finance Bond Glossary

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INVESTING - MUTUAL FUNDS

Understanding Mutual Fund Classes (FINRA INVESTOR ALERT)
As an investor, you may have read about "Class A," "Class B," Class C", or other classes of mutual fund shares. If you are thinking about choosing one of these classes, it is important for you to understand the differences between them.

A Guide to Understanding Mutual Funds
The Investment Company Institute Education Foundation (ICIEF) offers detailed “essential information about fund investing; helping you determine how funds can fit into a well-formulated plan; and offering additional resources that can help you build on your knowledge of funds and investing.”

Invest Wisely: An Introduction to Mutual Funds
This brochure from the Securities and Exchange Commission explains the basics of mutual fund investing — how mutual funds work, what factors to consider before investing, and how to avoid common pitfalls.

Investing in Mutual Funds
This overview from the CNNMoney.com provides the fundamentals about mutual funds and how to invest wisely.

Introduction to Mutual Funds
Click here for an online tutorial on mutual funds from the Baruch College Computing and Technology Center.

Morningstar Introduction to Mutual Funds
Learn how to invest in mutual funds with the Morningstar Investing Classroom.

Mutual Funds - Introduction
Information about how the mutual funds work from Forbes Media Company’s Investopedia.

Start with Mutual Funds
This Ohio State University FactSheet is a concise and thorough summary about investing in mutual funds from the consumer educator’s point of view.

Mutual Fund Breakpoints -- A Break Work Taking (FINRA INVESTOR ALERT)
Mutual funds often offer discounts on front-end sales charges or loads for larger investments. The investment levels at which the discounts become available are called "breakpoints." For example, a mutual fund might charge you a front-end sales load of 5.75% for all purchases of less than $50,000, but reduce the load to 4.50% for investments between $50,000 and $99,999, and further reduce or eliminate the sales load for even larger investments. Learn how breakpoints work and what you need to know to make sure you are charged the lowest possible front-end sales load.

Look Before You Leap Into Another Mutual Fund (FINRA INVESTOR ALERT)
Certain load mutual funds allow you to buy Class A shares without paying the front-end sales load if you buy that fund using proceeds from the sale of shares in a different mutual fund family for which you paid a front-end or back-end sales charge. These transactions are called "NAV transfers" because you can purchase Class A shares of a new fund at net asset value (NAV) without paying a front-end sales load. Although NAV transfers currently are only offered by a limited number of funds, they can eliminate the sales charges you'll pay when switching between load funds in different fund families.  Investors may not be fully aware of NAV transfer opportunities. Also, some investors were not provided the opportunity to benefit from an NAV transfer to which they were entitled, resulting in unnecessary sales charges. This Alert will explain how NAV transfers work and what you need to know to make sure you don't pay any unnecessary sales charges when selling one load fund to buy another load fund.

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INVESTING - MUTUAL FUNDS - CALCULATORS & TOOLS

Fund Analyzer (FINRA CALCULATOR)
You can compare the expenses of up to three Exchange Traded Funds, mutual funds or share classes of the same mutual fund using this investor tool. Also look up breakpoint schedules and linkage rules for mutual funds with sales charges to ensure discounts are given where applicable.

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INVESTING - MUTUAL FUNDS - GLOSSARIES

Motley Fool’s Glossary of Mutual Fund Terms

Mutual Fund Investor’s Center Glossary of Terms

Mutual Funds Terms
This glossary is an excerpt from Macmillan Publishing's book for mutual fund newbies: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Making Money with Mutual Funds

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SAVINGS
For many today saving is not a habit  - the idea of setting aside a portion of income for a rainy day sounds good but many people find it difficult to develop and stick with a savings plan. Being able to save money successfully is one of the keys to establishing financial security. The links below explain the mechanics of  opening a savings account, explain about types of accounts and discuss the long-term benefits of establishing good savings strategies.

Are You Saving Enough?
This report discusses how to create a basic savings plan for an emergency fund or a "ready cash" fund to provide for financial security in the future.  

Basics of Saving
An explanation about what saving is and why is it important.

How Do Savings Accounts Work?
A straightforward explanation about savings, interest, types of financial institutions and savings accounts from HowStuff Works.

Money Saving Habits
Change a few habits in your life, and you may suddenly see your bank account begin to swell.

Secret Key to Wealth
In this article you can discover the “closely guarded hidden method used by the greatest wealth builders of all time.”

Start Saving Now
Strategies to help you succeed at creating wealth.

Types of Savings Accounts
Learn about the different kinds of account in which to save your money.

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SAVINGS - CALCULATORS
Savings is a process that works best when practiced with consistency and even small amounts add up over time. One of the best ways to increase wealth is to spend less and making a simple change as brown bagging instead of buying lunch, drinking on less latte a day or turning the thermostat down a degree or two can add up over time.  The calculators below provide a number of different ways to assess how best to achieve your savings goals.

Savings Calculator (FINRA)

Use this calculator to see how a consistent approach to investing can make your money grow. Whether saving for a house, a car, or other special purchase, the savings calculator will help you determine the right amount to save on a regular basis to achieve your goal.  

Benefit of Spending Less
 “Use this calculator to see just how much your budget reductions may be worth, if you were to invest them. View the value of this new potential nest egg both with and without taxes factored in.”

CD Ladder Calculator
Use this calculator to examine the benefits of investing in a series of Certificates of Deposits with different maturities, also called a CD Ladder.

Certificate of Deposit Calculator
Use this calculator to find out how much interest you can earn on a Certificate of Deposit (CD).

Compound Interest Adds Up!
How interest is calculated can greatly affect your savings. The more often interest is compounded, or added to your account, the more you earn.

Don't Delay Your Savings!
 “Waiting to begin your savings plan can have a huge impact on your results. A delay of even a few years could cost you thousands of dollars. This calculator helps show you how much postponing your savings plan can really cost.”

Emergency Savings Calculator
 This calculator helps you determine how much emergency savings you may need, and how you can begin saving toward this important goal.

Lunch Savings
 Even a simple change such as bringing a bagged lunch to work a few times a week can make a difference. This calculator illustrates how a little lunch savings can go a long way.

Savings Goal
This financial calculator helps you find out how long it will take to reach a savings goal.

Savings, Taxes, and Inflation
Use this calculator to determine how much your savings will be worth when affected by taxes and inflation.

When Should I Begin Saving for Retirement?
“Use this calculator to determine how much more you could accumulate at retirement by beginning your savings plan today rather than waiting.”

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SAVINGS - TIPS
Below are tips from a variety of sources about how to save money- some are easy to do, while others may require more effort and commitment, but even small changes can result in big rewards over time.

20 Ways to Save on a Shoestring
Here’s a roadmap for finding money you didn't know you had.

66 Ways to Save Money
Representatives from government agencies, consumer groups, business organizations, and educational institutions compiled this list to develop and publicize money-saving tips.

How to Stay Disciplined with Your Savings
Some suggestions about how to encourage saving.

Kids and Money
Find examples of common opportunities to teach children about money at this site.

Money Saving Tips from Good Housekeeping
This site offers a variety of money saving tips and tricks to help you stay on budget.

Practical Savings Tips for Every Day Saving
Suggestions for changes in daily behavior that can result in savings.

Save Money on Utilities
Utility bills can provide money saving opportunities for many households.

Saving Starts at Home
The inside story on saving money and energy from the Federal Trade commission.

Savings Tips
This is a list of ideas for saving money from AmericaSaves, a national campaign that encourages individuals and families to save and build personal wealth.

Tips on Saving Money
Hints and tips for saving money in your household budget.

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This program is made possible by a grant from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation through Smart Investing @ your library®, a partnership with the American Library Association. The PLYMC has formed  local partnerships with the following community agencies to promote financial literacy initiatives especially to young families: Youngstown/Mahoning Valley United Way, Mahoning County  Financial Stability Partnership, Mahoning/Youngstown Community Action Partnership (MYCAP), Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley, Inc., Mahoning County Coalition for Community Reinvestment, Child Care Connection, Youngstown Metropolitan Housing Authority, Youngstown Economic Development Office, WFMJ-TV 21, WKBN-TV-27, and WYTV-TV -33.