Check out the article here.

Thanks, as always, to our local paper for covering important events in the community!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend Sparking Change, an event hosted by Southern Indiana Asset Building Coalition in recognition of Money Smart Week.

The professional development workshop offered many relevant components from identifying your relationship with money, mapping your money dreams and highlights from 5 important community resources doing amazing things.

Syble Solomon, creator of the My Money Habitudes program was the keynote speaker and started the morning with her presentation on our emotional relationship with money.  Our ‘Habitudes’ are the habits and attitudes we carry about everything really. What we DO based on how we FEEL.

We played the ‘game’ associated with the My Money Habitudes program and discovered that there are 6 ‘Habitudes’ we have about money. Security, Spontaneous, Status, Selfless, Free Spirit and Targeted Goals. As we progressed through the game, we found which areas we are the most challenged in and where we need more balanced.

I found I was completely lacking in selflessness! This made me feel horrible until I realized it didn’t mean I was completely selfish or non-charitable. Actually I was strong in the security area which also means, according to the cards, that I am generous toward others. However, I am also overly concerned about my own security and making sure we have enough.

Two important things I realized from this activity were, one, that recent events can impact the way the results turn out. For example, several losses in my life over the last few years, including deaths and my husband’s multiple job losses contribute to my insecurity about our finances. Two, it won’t always be that way so there is hope that should I revisit this process in a year things might look different. That’s hopeful!

Making the connection between how I FEEL about money and my actual financial situation helped clarify what I need to work on to improve my relationship with my money.

After this session, we heard from Carrie Van Winkle, financial counselor for SIABC. Carrie shared on the dreams and goals we have financially and how we can achieve those despite challenges we may face. Some of those challenges may be temptations, stress, distractions and the expectations of others. She advised that the best way to achieve those SMART goals is to first specifically define them. Use a visual reminder, like a photo or word  and place it somewhere to be reminded of our goal. Accountability is a good prompter in helping us achieve the things we desire.

The day concluded with 5 organizations, Women 4 Women,  Bank on Louisville, Junior Achievement, Bellarmine’s Poverty Simulation and Southern Indiana Asset Building Coalition. Each organization was given 5 minutes to present 5 big ideas they are working on and how it will impact the community. It was exciting to see so many interesting and relevant resources but more importantly to me, I was impressed with how truly passionate the presenters were about what they are involved in. They really desire to offer programs and resources that make a difference.

It was a great event and besides a cool tote bag and the Money Habitudes materials I left with a sense of ‘What’s next” for my money? The good news is that the event gave me lots of great resources to tap into like a

• financial counselor at SIABC
• an opportunity to bring the Money Habitudes workshop into my home for my friends to experiences
• Resources to refer friends with children for financial education
• A new respect for the community we live in that cares so much about it’s people

For more information about any of these ideas, contact SIABC at 812 206 7520 or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SIABC

REGISTER NOW

We are thrilled to be offering this half day workshop. You will have the opportunity to learn to redefine your relationship with money and learn to help those around you do the same. We will be bringing you powerful, game changing work on money. This dynamic day will leave you with a fire for change.

10:00 Opening Remarks

10:15 Keynote: Mrs. Syble Solomon My Money Habitudes & Workshop, author and creator of the Money Habitudes program

11:45 Break

12:00 Lunch (boxed lunches)

12:30 Carrie VanWinkle – Mapping your Money Dream – learn the benefits of attaching a picture to your goals. Take the goal from the abstract to the concrete and see why this is important, especially to those in poverty.

12:45 SPARKING CHANGE –

15 slides. 5 Ideas. 5 minutes.

Partners present quick, to the point presentations about 5 big ideas for their organizations and how it impacts the financial lives of individuals and families. You will leave fired up for change.

1:30 Conclusion

Please let us know if you need more information whitney@assetbuildingcoalition.org

Southern Indiana Asset Building Coalition is excited to participate in Money Smart Week on April 23-27, 2012. Money Smart Week began as a coordinated effort of the Money Smart Advisory Council, a diverse group of more than 40 Chicago-area organizations working together to promote personal financial literacy. Today, Money Smart Week is much broader in scope and continues to expand, creating new partnerships, heightened exposure, and substantive events. The Money Smart Week model has grown beyond Chicago with successful campaigns taking place in all five states within the Seventh District (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin) and new cities joining every year.

“We are proud to be a part of this growing initiative to promote financial education and stability throughout our region. We have an exciting week of workshops, education and financial resource opportunities planned in order to meet the needs of our clients, partners and the community.” Says SIABC Executive Director, Whitney Bishop

During the 5 day initiative, SIABC has several events and workshops planned. The SIGNATURE event of the week’s activities is SPARKING CHANGE on Wednesday, April 25, 2012. The goal of this event is to help those working with clients in poverty to understand the impact of their client’s relationship with money on their success. The day’s agenda includes a session on ‘Mapping Your Money Dream‘ and a unique presentation format for 5 area organizations doing great work to help individuals and families increase their financial capability. Partners such as Bank on Louisville, PNC, Bellarmine’s Center for Economic Education and their use of a Poverty Simulation and the Southern Indiana Asset Building Coalition are preparing 5 minute presentations featuring 5 ideas, in 5 minutes, using 15 slides or less. This rapid fire format is sure to spark change in our community!

The keynote presentation of the day will feature Mrs. Syble Solomon, creator of My Money Habitudes & Workshop, author and creator of the Money Habitudes program.  (www.moneyhabitudes.com) Mrs. Solomon will be sharing her insight on the role money plays in our lives. She explains the psychology of money and how money personality types manifest themselves.

Syble Solomon,  Money Habitudes

The event will be held at The Grand Theater in New Albany, Indiana from 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $30 and will include a box lunch, a deck of Money Habitudes cards and a Money Habitudes workbook. Groups and individuals should RSVP by April 15, 2012 by calling 812 206 7520 or www.sparkingchange.eventbrite.com

• Did you know that the Southern Indiana Asset Building Coalition offers FREE tax preparation at a dozen sites in the Southern Indiana area?
• Did you know that qualified applicants can receive as much as $6,000 from the EITC?
• Did you know the EITC is the Federal Government’s largest benefit program for workers?
• Did you know we want to partner with YOU to spread the word about these important services to our community?

The Southern Indiana Asset Building Coalition will hold
Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day
at the Jeffersonville Township Library on
January 27th, 2012.

A panel of esteemed guests, including trained and certified tax preparers, will offer information on qualifying for the tax credit, tax services and the advantage to receiving a tax credit like this.

Registration begins at 11:30 and the panel discussion, with time for questions, begins at 12:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

We’re doing this because we feel it is vital to spread the word to the community. As tax season begins and people are trying to find every possible advantage, we are dedicated to provide information about this important tax credit.

The EITC is particularly important for people in the following categories:

• Whose earnings declined or whose marital or parental status changed
• With limited English skills
• Living in rural areas
• Who are Native Americans
• Who have disabilities or are raising children with disabilities
• Without children
• With earnings below the filing requirement
• Living in non-traditional homes, such as a grandparent raising a grandchild

“EITC is a financial boost for working people in a recovering economy and allows more funds to flow within your community. It’s money that can make lives a little easier.” Whitney Bishop, Executive Director, SIABC said.

Not only does the Southern Indiana Asset Building Coalition want to spread the word about the EITC, we can help those who qualify, and others, prepare their taxes at one of our many tax prep sites in 4 counties of Southern Indiana. We are asking that you partner with us to spread the word to those who most need to hear about these crucial services. You never know, it could even impact YOU!

For more information about the tax credit and our services please contact the SIABC office at 812.206.7520 . If we join together to promote financial advantages to everyone, we strengthen our community as a whole.

The Southern Indiana Asset Building Coalition held “Purse Strings” on December 6, 2011 at 300 Spring In Jeffersonville, IN. 10 vendors were featured in a Holiday Shopper’s Village, Kitty Slickers provided music and door prizes were presented to 10 lucky guests. The event also featured a purse drive benefiting Dress for Success Louisville. The highlight of the evening was when Executive Director, Whitney Bishop talked about the future of the organization. She revealed a new logo and programs for the non-profit which provides financial education, coaching, credit counseling and free tax preparation for individuals and families.

Guests enjoying Kitty Slickers at Purse Strings

For most people, the word “budget” conjures up thoughts of penny-pinching and the unpleasant task of crunching numbers. This couldn’t be further from the truth. A budget is the cornerstone of a solid financial foundation, regardless of your situation, and it isn’t that hard to do.

What is a Budget?

A budget is nothing more than a breakdown and plan of how much money you have coming in and where it goes. Could you imagine a business becoming successful if it didn’t keep track of its income and expenses? The same holds true when it comes to your personal finances. If you don’t know how much money you have coming in and where it goes, your road to financial success will be a difficult one.

The biggest fear that most people have when creating a budget is that they will need to suddenly cut back on all of the fun spending — things like the occasional coffee or dinner out, movie night, or even the trip to grandma’s for the holidays. While you may find that you do need to cut some spending after putting together a budget, without actually sitting down and creating one, it is impossible to know what expenses need to be cut, if any.

Tracking Income

The first step in creating a budget is to determine how much income you have. This is quite easy and typically only requires you to take a look at your pay stub. Of course, if you’re married, be sure to include your spouse’s income as well. In addition to your regular pay, you’ll want to also include any other sources of income you may have, such as dividends, interest, a side business, and so on.

Tracking Expenses

Now that you know how much income you have coming in, it’s time to take a look at your monthly expenses. Start with the regular and fixed payments you have, such as your mortgage or rent, car payments, insurance, debt and taxes. For most people, these are going to be relatively fixed, meaning you can’t easily change the amount that is due each month.

After you’ve listed your fixed monthly expenses, it is time to dig deeper to find out where the rest of your money goes. Take out your checkbook or pull your latest bank statement to help you with this step. Jot down how much you spend on things like utilities, groceries, entertainment, subscriptions, and so on. This handy worksheet can help you with keeping track of expenses.

The Bottom Line

You should now have all of the information needed to help you create your budget. So, go ahead and total up your monthly income and all of your monthly expenses. Subtract your expense total from your income total and you’ll have either a positive or negative number. If you have a positive number, congratulations, you are spending less than you earn. Don’t worry if you have a negative number. The whole reason for creating a budget is to identify deficiencies and find out how to address them.

Now that you can visually see how much you fall short, you can adjust your spending or saving in certain areas to improve the situation. Oftentimes you’ll realize that by just making a few small adjustments to your spending habits, you can significantly improve your situation. Maybe this means cutting back on one of your magazine subscriptions, eating out one time less a month, or even just hitting the matinee instead of the prime time movie. Typically, just saving a few dollars here and there can be enough to not only make sure you spend less than you earn, but also apply a few extra dollars to things like high-interest credit card debt or your retirement savings.

A HOLIDAY NETWORKING EXPERIENCE BENEFITING  THE  SOUTHERN INDIANA ASSET BUILDING COALITION

sponsored by

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

300 Spring

Jeffersonville, IN 47130

$10.00 Suggested Donation at the Door Benefiting SIABC

Music by Kitty Slickers* Hors d’oeuvres* Cash Bar* Door Prizes*Success Stories and Surprises

Come Shop the Handbag and Accessory Boutique Village with vendors like Jewelry Junkies and Strandz ‘n Threadz

We will be collecting new or gently used handbags to benefit the programs of Dress for Success Louisville, which proudly serves the women of Southern Indiana

PLEASE RSVP TO 812 206 7520 by November 21, 2011 if you would like to attend this event. You may also reply via email at cricket@allycommunications.com

Just because it’s FALL, doesn’t mean you have to FALL behind in your finances!
Kick it into gear with the 6 MONTH MONEY CHALLENGE designed to help you examine your beliefs, feelings and attitudes about money as  well as evaluate your relationship with the almighty dollar!

By taking the challenge, you’ll  have access to the tools, information and resources you’ll need to help  you change your behavior and create habits that support your financial  goals.

We post topic-related challenges to the SIABC Facebook page to give you direction!Jump on in and let SIABC help you reach the finish line of a great financial future!

Make sure to sign up on our Facebook page to get the weekly challenges.

Monthly Challenge Topics:

1.  SPENDING

2.  BUDGETING

3.  DEBT

4.  CREDIT

5.  SAVINGS

6.  CONSUMER PROTECTION

Click here to Join us on Facebook!