Incirlik to learn savings skills

Photo By Master Sgt. Michael Keller | As part of Military Saves Week Feb. 19 - 23, the Airman and Family Readiness Center at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, will inform Team Incirlik on various ways to improve financial management skills. Military Saves Week is a national campaign educating military families about saving money and encouraging leaders to promote automatic saving within their organizations.  

1, TURKEY

02.16.2012

Story by Senior Airman William O'Brien 

39th Air Base Wing

As part of Military Saves Week Feb. 19 - 23, the Airman & Family Readiness Center will inform Team Incirlik on various ways to improve financial management skills.

Launched Feb. 25, 2007, Military Saves Week is a national campaign educating military families about saving money and encouraging leaders to promote automatic saving within their organization.

"It's important to save so that when emergencies come up you have the resources there for you," said Sharon Proctor, A&FRC community readiness consultant. "Say your car breaks down, you want to have the resources to get it fixed; or if you want to go back to the States, you'll need some savings so you can go. You need to have savings so you can do things."

Classes scheduled range from basic savings classes for children to learn the importance of savings plans to home buying strategies for adults to take that next step to ownership.

"There are two big purchases practically everyone makes. The biggest is buying a house, and the other one is buying a car," said Proctor. "There are several pitfalls in both of those purchases where you can spend way too much money. You can learn ways to reduce the amounts you spend on these things by going to some of these classes.

"We'll be doing things with the youth center also - specifically, the after-school program because those children are between the ages of 5 and 9, and some of the open recreation kids," said Proctor. "We're going to have them develop their own $100 bill. Then we're going to have them do some financial goal planning for short-term, midterm and long-term goals."

During Military Saves Week, Richard Bertsch, a military family life consultant specializing in finance, will offer individual appointments to discuss financial assistance.

Bertsch "is coming from the States just for Military Saves Week," said Proctor. "He's a government contractor and he's coming here; so if people are having financial problems or have anything they would like to talk to him about - say they have a problem with their credit report or they're in foreclosure on their house - he can help them work through any type of issues like that."

Military Saves Week will kick off with an extreme couponing class Feb. 10 - 11:30 a.m. Feb. 18. The class will focus on how to save money at the commissary with the use of coupons.

All classes will be held at the A&FRC and include the following:

1) You've Earned it! Making the Most of Your Military Benefits 2:30 - 4 p.m. Feb. 21

2) How to Reduce Your Taxable Income Course 12 - 1 p.m. Feb. 22

3) Money Management for a Successful PCS Move 9 - 10:30 a.m. Feb. 22

4) Money Management for Couples 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22

5) Home Sweet Home: Strategies for Home Buying 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23

6) Financial Matters for Women 12 - 1 p.m. Feb. 24

To sign up for one of the classes or to make an appointment to talk with the financial consultant, call the A&FRC at DSN 676-6755.

• Date Taken: 02.16.2012
• Date Posted: 05.10.2012 03:48
• Story ID: 88204
• Location: 1, TR