I'm excited to have been invited by Western Wyoming Community College to teach my five week course: Financial Essentials. I love teaching this course! It's a great way for families to start taking control of their money.

What is The Financial Essentials Course?

This course will introduce you to some of the basics of personal and family finance. Each week is broken down as follows:

Week 1 - Budgeting

We'll discuss why budgeting matters (it's not just about being cheap!) and how to create a super-simple budget that anybody can stick to.

Week 2 - Compound Interest

Compound interest can either work for you (through building wealth) or against you (through building debt). We'll discuss how it works and how best to use it for the right reasons.

Week 3 - Saving for the Future

Investing through IRAs, 401(k)s, and 457 plans are some of the best way to build wealth. We'll discuss how these investment accounts work, as well as some principles on maximizing your social security income.

Week 4 - Protecting your Family

Your family is your greatest asset! Learn how to protect their future interests with this discussion on the basics of insurance (life, disability, etc)

Week 5 - Personal Income Taxes

Death and taxes. The only two certainties in life, right? Well why not try to understand how taxes work in your own life to better take advantage of things like tax credit and deductions? We'll discuss these topics in this final class.

All classes are held on Thursdays, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. at Star Valley High School Room 121. The course is 5 weeks long from September 7 to October 5.

Tuition is $5 for all 5 weeks and $3 for Senior Citizens.