SMART GOALS

Setting goals helps you turn your needs, wants, hopes, and dreams for the future into something concrete that you can take steps to achieve. When you set goals, you can:

- Work toward making your future better

- Prioritize how you spend your money so that it goes toward things that really matter to you. - Measure and track your progress toward getting the things you want out of life.

- Take pride in bettering your life and the life of your family.

SMART goals have five important characteristics:

Specific – Ask yourself: What will I achieve? What specific thing will I accomplish? Why is this goal important to me?

Measurable – Ask yourself: How much? How many? How will I know when it is done? You should be able to track your progress toward meeting the goal.

Able to be reached – Ask yourself: Is this goal something that I can reach? Your goal may be a stretch for you, but it should not be extreme or impossible.

Relevant – Ask yourself: Is this something that I really want? Is now the right time to do this? Set goals that matter to you and are a priority in your life.

Time-bound – Ask yourself: When will I reach this goal? Goals should have a clearly defined time frame, including a target or deadline date.

Every goal requires commitment and time. To reach goals, you may also need:

• An action plan – small steps needed to reach the goal.

• Assistance from a profession – this may include regular meetings with a financial coach or counselor who helps you identify goals, build a plan, and decide how to take the steps to reach your goal.

For goals that require money to reach, you will want to know how much to set aside every week (or month) to meet the goal. Goals aren’t something to set and then forget. You need to keep your goals in sight, and you may sometimes need to revise them. To revise your goals, take look at what had changed, and make adjustments as needed.

Remember, setting goals and working toward them is a process that never really ends. If one of your goals has been achieved, it’s time to start the process again and set a new goal. Think about what you want for yourself and your family and create a new goal.

Image Description: Picture of 5 growing plants and coins, starting as a small plant bud on top of a small number of coins, and growing to a large plant bud on top of a jar full of coins with a snail about to cross a finish line at the bottom of the jar. The image text reads Smart Goals. Start with smart. Setting goals to help you turn your needs, wants, hopes, and dreams for the future into something concrete that you can take steps to achieve. Smart goals are specific, measurable, able to be reached, relevant, time bound.

Get The Facts About Mortgage Forbearance.

For homeowners who are finding it difficult to make their mortgage payments, there is still help available under the CARES Act. Check out this great resource from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau below!

If you work with homeowners who are finding it difficult to make their mortgage payments, there is still help available under the CARES Act.

It’s not too late to take advantage of these protections, but it’s important that they contact their mortgage servicer sooner rather than later. For some mortgages, the deadline to request forbearance is December 31, 2020.

For more information visit cfpb.gov/housing.

Do you have clients already in forbearance? Here’s what to do now and how to repay.

Looking for resources in Spanish? Check out this video: Aplazamientos de hipotecas en la Ley CARES: Lo que usted necesita saber.

facts about mortgage forbearance. For homeowners who are finding it difficult to make their mortgage payments, there is still help available under the CARES Act. Check out this great resource video below!

The Power of Financial Empowerment

Financial Wellness Tip of the Week (12/2/2020)

You may have heard the term “financial literacy” before. This concept describes the process of helping someone learn about financial topics.

While financial empowerment includes the concept of financial literacy, it goes beyond just acquiring knowledge. The main focus of financial empowerment is to build the skills you need to manage money and learn to choose the financial products and services that work for you.

When you’re financially empowered, you’re both informed and skilled. You know where to get help with your financial challenges and can access and choose financial products and services that meet your needs. This sense of empowerment builds confidence, helping you effectively use your financial knowledge, skills, and resources to reach your goals.

If you feel knowledgeable about financial topics and comfortable in your own approach to money management, credit, debt, and financial products, you can better help others face money issues that may be complicating their lives.

Image Description: Hand holding megaphone. Two characters, each with an arm raised feeling empowered. A quote by Racquel Williams reads "empowerment means taking control of your destiny and encouraging yourself to do better and encouraging yourself to build more and have a better life."