THE BOTTOM LINESpring 2008

www.oklahomamoneymatters.org 800-970-OKMM(tollfree) 405-234-4457(direct)

Oklahomans Urged to Hit the “JYM” for Financial FitnessWhere can you find a wide range of events host-ed by over 40 organizations, all designed to help Oklahomans understand the value of budgeting, saving, investing and managing credit? The an-swer is Jump$tart Your Money (JYM) Week, the Oklahoma Jump$tart Coalition’s statewide cam-paign to raise awareness of the need for financial literacy.

JYM Week, April 21-25, is in its fourth year and continues to help service organizations, busi-nesses and educational institutions shed light on their financial education programs and services. Consumers can choose from a variety of events and resources, including workshops, publications, counseling, competitions and display booths, to

Welcome, Austin!OKMM is thrilled to announce that Austin Grimes has joined our team as Staff Assistant!

Austin graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in psychology and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Biblical Counseling from Dallas Theological Seminary.

As OKMM Staff Assistant, Austin supports planning and implementation of OKMM outreach programs and oversees our day-to-day operational needs. Welcome aboard, Austin!

master their personal finances. Special projects include an insert in The Oklahoman and Capitol Day, both on April 16.

For a list of events, visit www.wimgo.com and search for “Jump$tart.”

Could your financial literacy programs benefit from a tag team approach? Pull OKMM into the ring with you!

OKMM offers a variety of services to help schools, higher education campuses and community groups provide personal finance education, in-cluding teaching workshops, developing money management tools and publications, and provid-ing personal finance content for Web sites and newsletters.

We can help strengthen the services you provide. Contact us today!

Tag Team, OKMM Style

Asset$ Tips of the Trade

Did You Know?

The average American college student spends $615 on a spring break trip to Panama City Beach, Florida.

American Demographics

www.oklahomamoneymatters.org 800-970-OKMM(tollfree) 405-234-4457(direct)

“Stimulate” Your Savings

Heard the news? The IRS will soon begin mailing checks to individuals eligible to receive a tax re-bate as outlined in the recently passed economic stimulus plan. If you qualify, you could soon re-ceive a $300 to $2,400 rebate, depending on your income and family size. Want to know the best way to spend your dough? Here are some tips to help you make the most of your unexpected cash.

Start an emergency fund. It’s a good idea to have at least three to six months worth of living expenses in savings, in case you fall on hard times. Sound impossible? Aim to save $1,000 to start, then work your way up.

Eliminate debt. Pay off your high interest credit cards, make additional payments on your mortgage or auto loan, or pay extra on your student loans. Less debt means more wealth.

Fund retirement. It’s never too early (or late) to start thinking about retirement. If your employer offers a 401(k) or other pre-tax matched savings plan, save at least as much as your employer will match. Also, consider

making contributions to a Tra-ditional or Roth IRA.

Plan for college. Your kid(s) will be heading off to col-lege soon enough. Use your rebate to open (or add to) a college savings account. To learn more about Oklahoma’s 529 college savings plan, visit www.ok4savings.org.

Value-Added Resources for Your Financial Future

Do you think of taxes when you hear someone say “CPA”? Think again! The Oklahoma Society of CPAs (OSCPA) consumer Web site offers plenty of important tax information, plus much more. See for yourself at www.knowwhatcounts.org.

On the site, taxpayers can find helpful informa-tion about filing taxes, claiming deductions and planning ahead for next tax season. The site also offers a CPA locator and online guidance through Ask-A-CPA, a free question and answer section.

The OSCPA site also features many online financial education resources, including articles, podcasts, family emergency kits and publications, such as Freshman Finance 101, a personal finance guide for college freshmen.

Check out www.knowwhatcounts.org today!

The OKMM AmeriCorps Connectionfor Site Supervisors:

Focus on Feedback

What do Web sites, professional speakers and retail stores have in common? They all seek feedback to determine their effectiveness. Web developers want to know if their design is easy to navigate; speakers need to know what you learned during the training; and stores want to be sure they’re meeting your service expectations.

Are you giving your members the feedback they deserve? Here are a few ways to engage with your members and provide direction and guid-ance.

Set regular meetings. Set up a monthly meeting with each member to talk openly about the program, their service plans and problems they encounter. Listen and offer ad-vice to help them overcome obstacles. Don’t forget to give praise when praise is due.

Follow-up on events. After a presentation or event, call or e-mail your member(s) for an update. Give them a chance to debrief and share ideas with you.

Watch them practice. Offer to sit in on a few presentations and provide tips and ideas to improve their public speaking skills or train-ing techniques.

www.oklahomamoneymatters.org 800-970-OKMM(tollfree) 405-234-4457(direct)

for Members:

Make the Most of Summer Months

Now’s the time to start planning for summer, and we don’t mean selecting your vacation spot! Sum-mer can be a great time to earn hours for your OKMM-EAP service term. It’s usually a slower period for many campuses and service organiza-tions, so it’s smart to think ahead.

Here are some ideas to help you maximize your time from May to August.

Go to camp. Work with a local YMCA, church, Scout group or other organization to develop and provide financial activities and workshops at summer camps.

Get “fresh.” Volunteer to help your insti-tution add a personal finance component to freshman orientation or life skills classes.

Hit the books. Work with your local library to develop a bibliography of personal finance books, magazines and articles to share with patrons. While there, ask about setting up a special display to highlight the resources.

Get your game on. Develop a game in-spired by Jeopardy, Monopoly or Memory, for example, to help teach others about budget-ing, banking and consumer credit.

Jack Kraettli, OCCC Site Supervisor, March 29

Lisa Brown, Metro Tech member, April 13

Stacey Bridges, OSU member, April 19

Happy Birthday to our Site Supervisors and Members!

If you’d like to post information on OKMM’s Bottom Line Bulletin Board, e-mail your news and pictures to oklahomamoneymatters@ogslp.org

Congratulations!Heather Winstead, OKMM-EAP member at the University of Central Oklahoma, earned her Edu-cation Award. Way to go, Heather!Oklahoma State University and Metro Tech

enrolled new members, Stacey Bridges and Lisa Brown, respectively. Welcome to the program!

On the Road Again: OKMM Outreach Highlights

LifeSmarts Competition: OKMM’s outreach team traveled to Stillwater in February to judge the annual LifeSmarts Competition, a consumer challenge for high school students hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.

Top Teens of America Conference: OKMM staff members were featured speakers during the closing session of the Top Teens of America Conference, held March 2 in Tulsa. The session, which focused on budgeting and consumer credit, was attended by approximately 600 participants from Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana and Arkansas.

Business Professionals of America State Leadership Conference: Oklahoma Guaranteed Student Loan Program and OKMM staff presented at this year’s BPA State Leadership Conference, held at OSU-Okmulgee. Ses-sion topics included federal financial aid and personal money management.

OCEE Teacher Workshops

Are you a teacher looking for personal finance train-

ing and materials? Visit the Oklahoma Council on

Economic Education’s Web site, www.econisok.org,

to find out about upcoming teacher workshops.