Raise Your Money IQ During Money Smart Week

We can help you learn better ways to manage your money and finances during Money Smart Week (April 20 to 27). From programs, to online tools, and magazines, you can be a little better prepared for life's financial challenges. You can learn more about Money Smart Week on our website.

Events

During Money Smart Week, we are offering two programs here at the library. The first, Foundations of Investing, provides an overview of bonds, stocks, and mutual funds, and how to distribute your assets smartly between these different options. The other program, Your Money Matters..., will help you with money management strategies like tracking your spending, setting financial goals, and more.

Hungry for more learning? Why not "attend" a virtual workshop hosted by Morningstar Investment Research Center. Visit our Money Smart Week page  to learn more.

Online Tools

If you're considering changing banks, or just want to a get sense of how your bank measures up, Weiss Ratings is a great online tool. With your library card, you can search for your bank and read a detailed report about its financial health (Tip: click the link to "Search" on the left hand side of the screen).

We have other great online tools to help you with financial research. Just go to our Business and Career section of our website to learn more.

Digital Magazines

Did you know that you can subscribe to and download magazines to your smartphone or tablet with Zinio ?. Not only can you read popular titles like Newsweek or Us Weekly, but you can also read great business and financial magazines like Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The Economist, and Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

Learn how to get started with Zinio on our website.

Five Ways to Show Your Library Love

National Library Week (April 14th to 20th) is a great time to show your library love and here are five great ways to do it.

1. Sign up for the eForward newsletter

Each week our eForward newsletter keeps you informed about library events, services, and more. Go to our website and sign up now. Be sure to share the love! Forward the newsletter to your friends (and encourage them to sign up too!).

2. Like us and follow us

We love staying connected with you. If you're on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Tumblr, be sure to add us to your list of friends, followers, likes, whatever. And speak up! Let us know what you're reading. Tell us about a fun program you attended. We're listening!

3. Tell your friends about events

When you're signing up for a program or event, be sure to tell your friends. The events calendar makes it very easy to "like" an event on Facebook and let others know about the film you'll see, or the lecture you're attending. Be social! Your friends will thank you.

4. Donate to the Friends of the Library

The Friends of the Library are volunteers who raise money, assist with programs, and fund special programs and equipment. Supporting the Friends is easy. You can sign up to become a member at the library. You can shop at the seasonal book sales (and give them your used books). Or you can give to them directly. Either way, you're helping the Friends make the library a special place. Learn more about the Friends on our website.

5. Join the library's Board of Trustees

For the civic minded among you, why not apply to join our Board of Trustees? Write to the mayor's office and indicate your interest (and send a resume too). You can help guide decisions about policy and procedures to ensure the library's continued success. Board positions will be opening this summer.

Thanks for the love! We really appreciate it.

Learn to Save the Librarian Way

Learn to save the librarian way with author Rachel Singer Gordon on Saturday, April 13th at 11:00 am here at the library. The author of the Mashup Mom blog and Point, Click, and Save: Mashup Mom's Guide to Saving and Making Money Online (and a former librarian) will be at the next Frugal Friends meeting (Register now). She will share ways to save and make money (legitimately) online.

Beyond Coupon Codes

Michelle Meyer-Edley, one of the Frugal Friends organizers and a librarian here, likes that Singer Gordon approaches frugality and thrift like a librarian. According to Michelle, Singer Gordon goes beyond coupon codes and the other usual suspects for online savings. “She looks beyond the surface of things. She really does the research. She isn't satisfied with the first result.”

Michelle compares this to how librarians approach finding information. The upshot is that Singer Gordon finds and shares resources you might not consider.  “I thought, ‘I know how to save online; I know the good places to look’. But she has tips and resources I never knew about,” Michelle said.

Mashup the Savings

Singer Gordon also advocates that we “mashup” or mix different “money-making and thriftiness strategies” together. Michelle finds this approach to be unique. “You're not just learning to save money, but how to make money legitimately with her advice,” she said. Michelle places emphasis on legitimately. In Point, Click, Save, Singer Gordon offers advice about selling goods online, being a mystery shopper, and how to avoid scams too.

Michelle points out too that these “mashup mom” strategies aren't just for moms. “Anyone can learn better ways to be thrifty and frugal with Rachel's advice.”

Let the Library Help

If you're interested in learning more about Rachel Singer Gordon's librarian approach to saving money online, come meet her at our Frugal Friends event on Saturday April 13th at 11:00 a.m.  (Register now). We'll have food and door prizes too (think books by a certain author).

You should also checkout our page of consumer resources on our website and our Frugal Friends Pinterest board. Finally, don't forget that April 21 – 27 is Money Smart Week at the library.

Book jacket image from Mashup Mom website.