[an error occurred while processing this directive] SAC Wealth Builders Club [an error occurred while processing this directive]

Wealth Builders Club

Sponsored by the Staff Advisory Council, the Wealth Builders Club evolved from the Cleveland Saves initiative to promote savings. Visit the new site www.americasaves.org. The Club is run by participants that meet monthly to provide information and assistance.

Club Meetings

The group meets from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. (brown bag) on the fourth Wednesday of each month (the Dampeer Room at Kelvin Smith Library is no longer available to us, so check date for specific location).

Meeting Protocol

The informal group will support and encourage each other to meet personal financial goals, share successful strategies to save money. Collectively, a running total of savings/debt repayment will be recorded (through anonymous submission). (For example, the group built $10,000 of wealth by December 2002.) Members will take turns researching a topic and sharing their findings. Financial experts will be scheduled to speak on particular topics of interest.
 

Who is a Cleveland Saver? Any Greater Cleveland-area resident who agree to work toward a savings goal such as home ownership, school tuition, retirement, or even debt repayment. Cleveland Savers set a monthly savings goals of as little as $10 then try to save this amount each month. Call the ClevelandSaves Moneyline (216) 781-8090 for information. ClevelandSaves Second Annual Celebration for Savers on Saturday, November 16, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Visiting Nurse Association, 2500 E 22nd Street, Cleveland. Let's celebrate your savings success and the success of this first in the nation's program. The event will include entertainment, raffles, kids' corner, food, free financial advice available, surprises, and "Show Me the Money" mini-workshops that include:

Credit Reporting Agencies

Stop "instant credit" from being granted to you by contacting the three major credit reporting agencies, ask for the fraud department, and tell them to put a "fraud warning" on your report. Let them know you do not want new credit granted unless the lender contacts you at your home phone number. They may ask if you have been a fraud victim--which may deny the warning being added to the record of someone who answers "no." This will help to defeat one of the common ways in which identity thieves abuse others' credit. Note that there are other ways in which your identity can be stolen. It will also lock you out of deals where the merchant says, for instance, that you can have 10% off if you apply for their card and get approved today.

Equifax P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241; (800) 685-1111
http://www.equifax.com/

Experian (formerly TRW), P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013; (888) EXPERIAN (397-3742)
http://www.experian.com/consumer/index.html

Trans Union P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022; (800) 916-8800
http://www.transunion.com/

Personal Finance Web Sites

FinanCenter, Inc. provides, through this web site, certain information, including but not limited to: research tools including calculators, comparison-shopping tools and educational materials, ratings and earning estimates related to companies whose securities are publicly traded, and other information relating to personal finance (collectively, the "FinanCenter Information").
www.financenter.com/index.fcs

Money Manager Basics from the Consumer Credit Counseling Service
Gaining control over your personal finances is a major accomplishment that will give you and your entire family more confidence about the future. Careful planning and applying wise money management techniques can help you live within your means, reduce debt, handle emergencies and save for the future.
www.cccsstl.org/moneybasics.htm

1998 National Summit on Retirement Savings Background Materialspdf
The first National Summit on Retirement Savings, called for by the Savings Are Vital to Everyone's Retirement Act of 1997 (SAVER Act) was held June 1998 in Washington, DC. The Summit was co-hosted by the President and the Congressional leadership in the House and Senate. The SAVER Act calls for a second Summit in 2001 and a third in 2005.
www.asec.org/saversummit/1998summit/backgrnd.pdf

Personal Finance from Ohio Treasurer of State Joseph T. Deters
Empowerment begins with information. Armed with the right resources, consumers are better prepared to make difficult financial decisions. This section offers a wide range of useful financial articles and links.
http://www.treasurer.state.oh.us/consumer.htm

Project Money Smart from Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
The Federal Reserve Bank provides personal finance information on a variety of topics such as spending money, credit cards, frauds and scams, using credit wisely, budgeting and saving, mortgages, and financial institutions.
www.chicagofed.org/consumerinformation/projectmoneysmart

Section 529 Plans: College Savings and Estate Planning information from TIAA-CREF web site. Qualified State Tuition Plans ("QSTPs" or "Section 529 plans") established under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code offer federal income tax deferral on earnings and may also provide state tax advantages. What's more, the estate planning provisions in Section 529 may be as valuable to you as the college savings will be for your beneficiaries.
www.tiaa-cref.org/siteline/gen0102_028.html [an error occurred while processing this directive]