helps you to better plan and control your family’s spending. Planning enables you to extend your buying power. A budget doesn’t have to be complicated. All it takes is writing down how much comes in every month, how much must go out for rent, bills, food and other expenses, and how you want to use what’s left over. Gaining awareness of where your money goes is key to exercising control over your spending. a company is legitimate, look it up using a reliable source such as the DBO or Better Business Bureau.

Do not rely on the contact information in unsolicited emails or letters. Even if the organization is legitimate, most “free” offers are really enticements to buy something. When an ad says, “Buy two, get one free,” realize that you are paying more for the two items than you normally would.

The third item is not free. Beware of any sales pitch that uses word “free.” 6. Learn to Invest Investing is critical. Many people feel “investor” is not a word that applies to them.

In reality, anyone with a retirement account is an investor. That’s important to understand because many people working today will not receive a guaranteed pension, which means they need to save significant sums of money to finance their retirement. For most of us, just putting money in a savings account won’t be enough.

Investing is an essential tool for growing your money. Diversified instruments like target date retirement funds and mutual funds make investing easier than ever. To learn more, start at the SEC’s investor education website at http://www.sec.gov/investor. shtml CA Council on Economic Education 1-800-845-9799 www.ccee.org 7.

Credit Can Be Your Friend or Enemy Credit can work for you or against you. Credit can be a powerful tool to help obtain financial security. Without credit, most families would not be able to buy homes or cars they need to get to work. Unfortunately, credit can sometimes be too easy to get.

While credit can be a great friend, it is very important to know the terms before you borrow and to be sure credit is the best way for you to make the purchase. Don’t become a credit junkie. If you are in serious credit difficulty, seek help from a reputable credit counseling service. 8.

Nothing is Ever Free If it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true. It’s best to assume that an offer or advertisement that “sounds too good to be true” – especially one from a stranger or an unfamiliar company – is probably a scam. To find out if 2015 CA Department of Business Oversight 1-866-275-2677 www.dbo.ca.gov .