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 series of workshops will be offered at the Stanford L. Warren Library and North Regional Library on different days of the week during the spring of 2010 to better fit your schedule.
   
1. Planning to Make Money: Investment Fundamentals
   Get yourself ready to take the investment plunge.  In the first of the Invest 4 College workshops, learn what you need to know to become a responsible, informed, active investor. 
2. Key Investment Concepts
   In the second Invest 4 College workshop, our instructors will help demystify investing by explaining the basic terms and concepts, from saving vs. investing to rebalancing.
3. Investment Tools: Next Steps to Making Your Investments
   In the third Invest 4 College workshop, you’ll learn about the tools you can use to research and evaluate your investment choices, and how to decide if they are working for you.  We’ll show you two online investment tools available from the library.
4. Protecting Your Money
   Investing can’t be risk-free, but you can steer clear of fraud and scams that may be directed at you.  In the fourth Invest 4 College workshop, an expert from the NC State Securities Division will talk to you about protecting your money.
5. Demystifying College Financing
   What are all the real costs of college and how do you pay for them?  During the last Invest 4 College workshop, we will discuss college costs and how to find scholarships and financial aid to help pay for them.  You will learn the best time to start searching for scholarships and grants, what State-based grant programs are available, how the financial aid process works, Federal Student Aid programs, and how your personal savings and investments impact financial aid eligibility.
   
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. Podcasts and video of the workshops are available, too.
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.