Invest 4 College: An Essential Toolkit for Planning

Welcome to Invest 4 College: An Essential Toolkit for Planning, the place for unbiased information on investing to help you prepare for your child’s (or grandchild’s) college expenses – free @ your library!

Last year, Durham County Library conducted a survey asking parents if they wanted to learn more about investing for their children’s future educational needs, and the answer was a resounding “Yes!” College expenses have increased dramatically over the last two decades. Yet a college education is more important than ever for securing a well-paying job. Invest 4 College: An Essential Toolkit for Planning is designed to put the goal of saving for college within your reach by offering objective, effective resources to get you started.

To help you master the basics of investing as a way to prepare for college costs, we’ve created a comprehensive program with the following components:

1. Workshops. Hands on information and how-to’s from the experts will give you the tools you need to start investing in your child’s future. The following workshops will be offered at the Southwest Regional and South Regional Libraries in September
   
1. Investing Basics. Learn what investing is all about, especially if you are a casual investor who wants to understand how to allocate money for a 401K or IRA.  Covers cash, stocks, ETFs, bonds, and mutual funds.  You may not find out about the next hot stock here, but you will be better prepared to find ways to make your money grow.
2. Financial Teen Talk. For parents or teens, or for parents and teens.  Covers the basics: setting financial goals, saving, kinds of investments, budgeting, pay stubs, buying a car, loans, and credit.
   
2. An enhanced core collection. We’ve added more publications and ValueLine online to our already impressive collection of investment reference materials.
3. A dedicated Web page. Too busy to visit the library or attend a workshop? From this page you can find high-quality, unbiased investing information available 24/7. Online calculators and other tools will help you put what you learn into action.
4. Children’s activities. We’ve created activities and identified resources that make learning about money fun for children. Look for “Take and Make Crafts: the Money Series” at your favorite library, and encourage your child to visit the online game sites featured on our kids’ page.
5. Staff training. Reference librarians have been through advanced training so that they are even more prepared to answer your questions. They won’t give investment advice, but they know where to look and how to help you find the answers you need.

Interested in investing, but not preparing for college expenses? The resources and information presented at the workshops and on the website include fundamentals that will help you reach your investment goals, whatever they are.

We invite you to explore the investment information and resources available at your library, and we invite your feedback. If you have questions or comments about Invest 4 College: An Essential Toolkit for Planning, please contact your local library.

Invest 4 College: An Essential Toolkit for Planning is made possible by a grant from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation through Smart investing@your library®, a partnership with the American Library Association.