Starting Your Financial Future Together

You and your spouse may have differing attitudes towards money, and different financial habits. An honest, detailed conversation about your current financial situation, including debts and other obligations, as well as income and additional financial resources, is step one towards building financial stability together. Now that you’ll be combining at least some of your assets and taking on some legal responsibility for each other’s finances, it’s time to put everything on the table. Step two is discussing your individual financial goals and the goals that are important to both of you.

Ideally, you should read this brochure, Marriage and Money, before your wedding day.  However, if that's not the case, it's still important to sit down and discuss the main issues on how you will move forward to build financial stability together.   Source:  Lightbulb Press and the Investor Protection Trust

Starting Your Financial Future

When you start a new job, learning the culture of your new workplace, not to mention getting up to speed on the work you’ll be doing, can be intimidating. You will also be getting a paycheck and will need to make decisions about how to spend it.  

This helpful guide provides an overview of the financial decisions that are part of starting a new job. Included is essential information on choosing benefits and using the power of your paycheck, as well as guidelines for making informed investing choices.

Source:  Lightbulb Press and the Investor Protection Trust

Many women face money challenges during their lifetime— marriage, divorce, job loss, retirement, sending kids off to college, and other changes to their own or their family’s financial circumstances.  And generally speaking, a woman's longevity presents another challenge of not outliving her nest egg. Knowing how to prepare for these life transitions and challenges is important. 

According to the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), common mistakes that people make in regard to their finances include:

• Not having open conversations about money with a loved one or an investment professional
• Getting into debt
• Not having a financial plan
• Not periodically reviewing their financial status and plan  
• Failing to verify license status of an investment promoter with a securities regulator

To help you begin to take control of your financial future, review this Financial Empowerment for Women information.  

For important tips for women about their retirement savings, read this handy resource by the U.S. Department of Labor.

This guide will help you teach your child money management skills while reading "Count on Pablo" by Barbara de Rubertis. It will do this by:

• Giving you things to think about before reading the book with your child. These can help you spot key points in the book or spark ideas to discuss later. with your child. 
• Helping you prepare for an enjoyable reading time with your child.
• Providing questions to talk about with your child.
• Suggesting activities that help your child put ideas and lessons into action.

The Story

Pablo is happy to go to the market with Grandma.  He counts the fruits and vegetables to sell at the market. Pablo also uses his problem-solving skills to help Grandma sell all the food at her booth.

This parent's guide called How to Raise a Money Smart Child is resource that discusses how to raise a child who is savvy about money; includes age-appropriate, family activity ideas. Important topics include:

Ages 2 to 8

• Helping Kids Understand: Needs and Wants

Ages 9 to 12

• Build a Positive Credit History
• Piggy Banks to Real Banks

Ages 13 to 18

• How to Reconcile Your Checking Account
• Allowances...or Work...or Both?
• Credit for the First-time Borrower

     Next Generation: Insuring Your Future

• How to Create a Budget
• Eight Ways to Finance College
• What is a Mutual Fund?

529 Plans and Other College Saving Options

This guide, published by FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), discusses your options to saving and investing wisely for college. Some important topics include:

• College Costs are Rising--Are You Keeping Pace?
• Loans--Know the Cost
• Education Benefits for Service members--Post 9/11 GI Bill
• College Saving While Saving Taxes
• Tips for Choosing College Savings Options

Kids, money does matter! Check out online games and videos to learn important stuff about saving, investing and becoming a fraud fighter on our Students and Educators page.

Check out these FREE e-Books from the Council for Economic Education's Financial Fitness for Life® Parent Guides. With simple lessons and exercises, parents can use this guide to learn about personal finance.  Each subject area provides material for family discussion and an assortment of recommended activities that parents can do together with their kids to form financial habits to last a lifetime.

Kindergarten - Grade 5 Themes include: Earning, Spending, Saving, Credit & Money Management

Grade 6-12 Themes include:  Economic way of thinking, Earning Income, Money Management, Saving and Spending and Using Credit