Spring 2012 Class now enrolling

Get on board go to daveramsey.com/fpu and sign up today, space is limited.

Nickel Tracker

Hey this is a great Smart Phone tool to run an electronic budget envelop system. Just go to the Android Market and search for "Nickel Tracker". It takes about 30 minutes to customize it for you system and needs.

We are leaning

Baby Step #1 - $1000.00 in the bank.
Relating to Money - Free Spirits and Nerds unite!
Baby Step #2 - Coming up this week.

Fall Class enrollment is OPEN

Gateway Church will again be presenting Financial Peace University at the Church Office, On TUESDAY nights this fall.

First class is September 15th at 7PM.

Register online at http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home

Register Soon, space is limited!!

Recession will cause changes

Spending Less - The personal savings rate in the U.S. at the end of April 2009 was 5.7 %. Just over a year earlier (March 31, 2008), the nation's personal savings rate was 0.2%. (Source: Commerce DEpartment, BTN Research).

Dave Ramsey's Investing Minute Newsletter June 2009

Dave Ramsey's Investing Minute Newsletter June 2009: "June 18, 2009
Retirement Tips For Late Starters

Are you are one of the millions of people who realized you started saving for retirement about 20 years too late?


If so, don't panic and start freaking out. Here are three tips to help you.

Delay retirement for two more years.
The more you work, the more you save. According to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, most people who work two extra years after qualifying for retirement can lower the amount of savings they need by about 25%. Plus, the extra income will be an added bonus!

Get serious about investing.
Don't give up. It's time to put all you can towards your retirement. Even if you're 40 or 50 and don't have a retirement account, it's never too late to start. If you are 40 and save just $2,000 a year in a 12% mutual fund, you will have nearly $334,000 by age 65—or more than $425,000 if you wait until 67 to retire! While you won't have the most luxurious retirement, you can draw a decent yearly income—about $48,000—from the interest by leaving that money alone.

Stay out of debt!
Think of all the extra money you could be putting toward retirement if you didn't have those car payments, student loans, and ridiculous credit cards! The average car payment is $464 a month. You could be using that $464 to build wealth for the future, rather than putting it toward a vehicle that declines in worth every day. If you're not 'gazelle intense' about paying off your debt, now is the time to get started."

College Credit Card Debt on the rise

College Credit Card Slide – The average undergraduate student carried $3,173 in credit card debt in

2008, the highest level since Sallie Mae began tracking it in 1998. In the last study, conducted in 2004,

students carried an average of $2,169 in credit card debt. Graduating seniors left college last year with

an average of $4,138 in card debt, a 44 percent increase over 2004. The average for freshmen rose 27

percent to $2,038. Tuition and fees at public four-year colleges have increased 50 percent in the past 10

years to an average of $6,585, according to the College Board. -- From “The Weekly Commentary” a free newsletter from PGN Financial Services, LLC