Fall Financial Newsletter

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mon·ey [muhn-ee] noun, plural mon·eys, mon·ies, adjective –noun any circulating medium of exchange, including coins, paper money, and demand deposits. paper money. gold, silver, or other metal in pieces of convenient form stamped by public au- thority and issued as a medium of ex- change and measure of value. any article or substance used as a medium of exchange, measure of wealth, or means of payment, as checks on demand deposit or cowrie. a particular form or denomination of currency. $$$$money of account. capital to be borrowed, loaned, or invested: mortgage money. wealth considered in terms of money Money Matters The Quarterly Financial Newsletter from Fleet and Family Support Centers Mid-Atlantic Region FINANCIAL TRENDS ›››››››››› Now that I have my credit score, what’s next? Role Reversal Virginia changes residency requirements for veterans at public colleges Discouraging trends in retirement planning Economic Indicator: Birth rates vs. economic trends The slowdown in foreclosures The topsy-turvy world we live in RESOURCES ›››››››››› Beyond credit reports BUZZ WORD Trivia My Money Matters: Lots of time and effort really pays off! LEGAL NEWS ›››››››››› The gripe of the swipe fee and what it means to you BITS AND PIECES OF INTEREST ›››››››››› CFS BOOKSHELF ›››››››››› Car Buying Revealed: How to buy a car and not get taken for a ride IN THIS ISSUE A QUARTERLY FINANCIAL NEWSLETTER FROM FLEET AND FAMILY SUPPORT CENTERS MID-ATLANTIC MONEY MATTERS | 1 By now you probably know that as a service member or dependent you are able to come to Fleet and Family Support Center and obtain your credit report and score from either TransUnion or Equifax at no cost with the MyFICO tool. So, let’s assume either through FFSC or by other means you have recently reviewed your re- port and score and are wondering, “How can I make my credit score better?” Specific answers depend on the specifics of the report. However, generally speaking, here are some basic rules that apply to many situations and that have a relatively fast and positive effect on your credit score: Dispute inaccuracies: If you found items on your report that you feel are wrong, follow through with the dispute. e process is clear, but you need to do it. Set up allotments or automatic payments: Timely payments weigh heaviest on your score. If it has been a problem for you to get the pay- ment to them on-time, set it up to happen with- out your intervention. Pay down the balance: Especially on revolv- ing debt, it will help your score immediately CFS MATERIAL WEBSITE http://www.cnic.navy.mil/norfolksta is website contains the electronic Financial Planning Worksheet and other training materials. Reproduction of this publication in whole or part is authorized and encouraged in PODs and unit bulletin boards. FINANCIAL TRENDS ›››››››››› Now that I have my credit score, what’s next? YOU’RE INVITED!! Financial Town Hall Meeting Thursday Sept. 15, 2011 1:00PM @ FFSC NORFOLK Whether you’re buying, selling, short-selling or thinking of renting out your house; all aspects of the Hampton Roads housing market will be discussed at our next forum. A panel of local experts will include a lender, RE agent, and property manager. If you want answers to your housing questions Please plan to join us! Contact Wally Barstow @ 757-444-2102 for more information SEPT. | OCT. | NOV. 2011 Think you know the answer?? Check our New Trivia Contest “BUZZ WORD” Page 5! “WHAT NEXT” CONTINUED NEXT PG. “THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU THAT WHAT’S RIGHT WITH YOU CAN’T FIX.” ~BARUCH SHALEM

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From Fleet and Family Services Mid-Atlantic Region- local information does not apply.

Transcript of Fall Financial Newsletter

Page 1: Fall Financial Newsletter

mon·ey [muhn-ee]

noun, plural mon·eys, mon·ies, adjective

–noun any circulating medium of exchange, including

coins, paper money, and demand deposits.

paper money.

gold, silver, or other metal in pieces of

convenient form stamped by public au-

thority and issued as a medium of ex-

change and measure of value.

any article or substance used as a medium

of exchange, measure of wealth, or means

of payment, as checks on demand deposit or

cowrie.

a particular form or denomination of

currency.

$$$$money of account. capital to be borrowed, loaned, or

invested: mortgage money. wealth considered in terms of money

Money MattersThe Quarterly Financial Newsletter from Fleet and Family Support Centers Mid-Atlantic Region

FiNANCiAl TReNdS ››››››››››› Now that I have my credit score, what’s

next?

› Role Reversal

› Virginia changes residency requirements for veterans at public colleges

› Discouraging trends in retirement planning

› Economic Indicator: Birth rates vs. economic trends

› The slowdown in foreclosures› The topsy-turvy world we live in

ReSouRCeS ›››››››››› › Beyond credit reports

› BUZZ WORD Trivia

› My Money Matters: Lots of time and effort really pays off!

legAl NewS ››››››››››› The gripe of the swipe fee and what it means

to you

BiTS ANd PieCeS oF iNTeReST ›››››››››› CFS BookShelF ›››››››››› › Car Buying Revealed: How to buy a car and

not get taken for a ride

In thIs Issue

A QuArterly FInAncIAl newsletter From Fleet And FAmIly support centers mId-AtlAntIc MoNey MATTeRS | 1

By now you probably know that as a service member or dependent you are able to come to Fleet and Family Support Center and obtain your credit report and score from either TransUnion or Equifax at no cost with the MyFICO tool.

So, let’s assume either through FFSC or by other means you have recently reviewed your re-port and score and are wondering, “How can I make my credit score better?”

Specific answers depend on the specifics of the report. However, generally speaking, here are some basic rules that apply to many situations and that have a relatively fast and positive effect on your credit score:

Dispute inaccuracies: If you found items on your report that you feel are wrong, follow

through with the dispute. The process is clear, but you need to do it.

Set up allotments or automatic payments: Timely payments weigh heaviest on your score. If it has been a problem for you to get the pay-ment to them on-time, set it up to happen with-out your intervention.

Pay down the balance: Especially on revolv-ing debt, it will help your score immediately

CFS MATeRiAl weBSiTe http://www.cnic.navy.mil/norfolksta This website contains the electronic Financial Planning Worksheet and other training materials.Reproduction of this publication in whole or part is authorized and encouraged in PODs and unit bulletin boards.

FiNANCiAl TReNdS ››››››››››

Now that i have my credit score, what’s next?

you’Re iNViTed!! Financial

Town hall MeetingThursday Sept. 15, 2011

1:00PM @ FFSC NoRFolkWhether you’re buying, selling, short-selling or

thinking of renting out your house; all aspects of the Hampton Roads housing market will be discussed at our next forum. A panel of local experts will include

a lender, RE agent, and property manager. If you want answers to your housing questions

Please plan to join us!Contact wally Barstow @

757-444-2102 for more information

SePT

. | o

CT.|

NoV

. 20

11

Think you know the answer?? Check our New Trivia Contest “Buzz woRd” Page 5!

“whAT NexT” CoNTiNued NexT Pg.

“There is noThing wrong wiTh you ThaT whaT’s righT wiTh you can’T fix.”

~Baruch shalem

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FiNANCiAl TReNdS ›››››››

2 | MoNey MATTeRS A QuArterly FInAncIAl newsletter From Fleet And FAmIly support centers mId-AtlAntIc

During the recent recession which officially lasted from December 2007 to June 2009, the Labor Department reported that men lost over 5 million jobs while just over 2 million women be-came unemployed. The statistics were so lopsided the downturn was often dubbed a ‘mancession.’

Now, the Pew Research Center has released a survey that reveals a different trend: Men are finding gainful employment more easily than women. Statistically, a net 768,000 men have found jobs while 218,000 women have become unemployed during the first half of 2011.

Which gender will come out on top in the near term is hard to predict, but the longer term trend seems clear when one considers another component of the unemployment rate during the last 3 years.

The jobless rate for high school graduates peaked in 2009 at 11.2% while the rate for col-lege graduates never got over six percent. Pres-ently the unemployment rate for high school graduates is 9.5% while the rate for college graduates is 4.9%. Clearly, a person becomes much more likely to find a job when their edu-cation exceeds high school.

So, which sex is likely to enjoy the greatest long-term employment gains? Our money is on women who have been attending college at higher rates for years and who currently make-up 60 percent of college students.

“whAT NexT” contInued

when you shrink your balances. Strive to keep your balances under one third of the credit limit. Nothing beats a zero balance. Still wondering what to do with that tax re-fund? This may be your answer.

Ask for a credit limit increase: More limit with the same balance will lower your credit utilization rate and boost your score. Don’t do this if you think you may rack up more debt once your limit is raised.

Don’t apply for any new credit: Forget the free t-shirts, percentage-off offers and other enticements. When you open a new account your score will go down.

Try playing with the Estimator: MyFico has a score estimator that will help you deter-mine what effect certain actions will have on your score. Interested to know the extent to which raising your limit or dropping balances may have? Go to http://www.myfico.com/ficocreditscoreestimator and plug in some different variables and find out the quickest way to raise your score.

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 allowed employers to automatically enroll employees into the company 401(k). The objective of the act was to boost savings so that the younger generation would be more financially prepared for retirement than aging baby-boomers.

But, the approach seems to have backfired.

A recent study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) has concluded that while the number of participants has gone up the dollar amount of contributions has actually fallen.

The source of the problem seems to be when companies enroll an employee they do so at a low level, typically three percent. Once au-tomatically enrolled, the employee has been less willing to increase the percentage on their own as they did when enrollment was volun-

tary. EBRI estimates that 40 percent of workers would have picked a higher rate.

In response, some companies have set a low default rate with an automatic escalation fea-ture that increases the contribution by one per-cent per year, but then caps it at 6 percent.

The EBRI further estimates that even with the auto escalation feature, 54 to 73 percent of work-ers would fall short of the amount needed to retire.

The federal TSP flirted with a default partici-pation rate of 3 percent in 2008 and had planned to use the Lifcycle Funds as the default fund.

But, when the bottom fell out of the finan-cial markets those plans were put on indefinite hold and TSP continues to make participation entirely voluntary.

A second trend sweeping the retirement indus-

try is the growing percentage of workers who are borrowing against their 401(k) accounts.

The retirement account loan, which is avail-able through most 401(k) plans including TSP, usually comes with significant processing hur-dles, but a low interest rate.

The percentage of people taking out a retirement savings loan has typically been around 20 percent, but has recently shot up to over 27 percent.

Taken together, it is becoming less likely that the next generation will be any more ready for retirement than the present one.

discouraging trends in retirement planning

“money is like a sixTh sense, wiThouT which you cannoT make a compleTe use of The oTher five”

~w. somerseT maugham

Role Reversal

“The only difference BeTween a diamond and a lump of coal is The amounT of pressure applied To iT.” ~anonymous, usmc

401k 401k 401k401k

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A QuArterly FInAncIAl newsletter From Fleet And FAmIly support centers mId-AtlAntIc MoNey MATTeRS | 3

Economists are always looking for mea-surements that portend the direction of the economy: corporate profits, interest rates, consumer confidence. Why not throw it all away and follow women’s in-stincts?

As it turns out the national birth rate has had a terrific track record closely mir-roring the economy. Births had been on

the rise for years and the number hit an all-time high of more than 4.3 million in 2007 which is when the stock market (the most popular economic indicator)

also hit an all time high.

Since 2007 the birth rate, along with the economy, has headed lower.

Now, a recent demographic report by the Center for Disease Control suggests the birth rate may be bottoming out and once again heading up. Could this mean the economy is about to turn around in a big way? We hope so.

economic indicatorBirth rates vs. economic trends

“if you wanT To know whaT god Thinks of money, jusT look aT The people he gave iT To.”

~doroThy parker

Earning a college degree isn’t easy, but at least it’s getting a little more affordable.

Legislation passed during the 2011 Virginia General Assembly session enables a veteran to qualify for in-state tuition rates immediately in-stead of having to wait.

In the past, a veteran who was a resident of another state but living in Virginia could qualify for in-state tuition rates after a one year waiting period.

With the new legislation, a veteran will sim-ply need to show proof that they currently live in Virginia at which point the lower tuition rates will become available to the veteran as well as their dependents.

Here is as an example of the difference in fees: at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, a full-time in-state student would pay about $4,000 dollars per semester for tuition and mandatory fees.

For an out-of-state student the same course load would cost over $11,000.

The decision making process of granting in-state tuition is the responsibility of each college

or univer-sity. Specif-ic questions regarding the type of needed documentation should be di-rected to the school a person is interested in at-tending.

With this legislation, Virginia joins Arizona, Michigan, Ohio and New Mexico as states with similar offers of immediate in-state rates for former service members.

There are over 800,000 military veterans liv-ing in Virginia, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Virginia changes residency requirements for veterans at public colleges

“Those who do noT read are no BeTTer off Than Those who cannoT” ~proverB

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4 | MoNey MATTeRS A QuArterly FInAncIAl newsletter From Fleet And FAmIly support centers mId-AtlAntIc

“our counTry’s social goal should noT Be To puT families inTo The house of Their dreams, BuT raTher, To puT Them inTo a house They can afford”

~warren BuffeTT

It is widely known that the system for process-ing foreclosed properties is backed-up, but who knew it was this bad?

Since 2007 when housing prices started fall-ing and the economy sputtered, the number of foreclosures has been rising.

The process of banks getting those foreclosed properties off the books stalled in late 2010 amid accusations of widespread robo-signing of the necessary documents. As lenders began reviewing and revamping their procedures for processing distressed properties, the system ground to a halt.

The result was fewer foreclosures, but a yawn-ing backlog of homes with delinquent mortgages.

Now, LPS Applied Analytics, a prominent real estate data firm, has released some estimates as to when all those foreclosures will work their way through the system. Hint: depending on where you live, it may not be in your lifetime.

For states in which the process must clear the court system, estimates range from a staggering 62 years in New York to 49 years in New Jersey to 10 years in Illinois and Massachusetts.

Foreclosures in non-judicial states (no court action required) happen quicker, but the back-log is still significant. For example, California:3 years; Nevada: 2 years; Virginia: over one year.

The persistent sluggishness in the economy and falling home prices, caused by, you guessed it, all those foreclosures, suggest the housing market has a long way to go before getting back to normal.

Buy a house and it will go up in value. Buy a car and watch the value plunge as soon as you drive it off the lot. Historically, these have been two of the safest assumptions in personal finance.

Until now.

Let’s start with that universal truth about buying a house. According to the Case/Shiller Home Value Index, home values have plunged 20 percent nationally since the height of the real estate bubble in 2007. That is an average of 5 percent per year. Almost one fifth of homeown-ers with a mortgage owe more than their home is worth and of homeowners with a second mortgage almost 40 percent are underwater. See related story on this page .

With an enormous glut of fore-closed properties in the pipeline, housing prices are not expected to turn around any time soon.

Now, how about that as-sumption about your car quickly dropping in value when you drive it off the lot?

It would seem for certain cars, just the opposite is true.

In the last year a confluence of events may have turned this bit of conventional wisdom on its head:

• A high unemployment rate and poor economy causing more car buyers to consider buying a lower cost used car instead of a new one.

• The natural disaster in Japan which has cre-ated a shortage of small, economical new cars available at dealerships.

• A significant rise in the price of gas.

Put it all together and what do you have? An ex-ploding demand for gently used fuel efficient cars.

A June 2011 Wall Street Journal article put the price of a 2010 Honda Civic at $14,275. Today, that same car is worth $16,125 according to Kelly Blue Book,

A 2008 Toyota Prius has appreciated in value over $6,000 in the last year.

Manheim Consulting publishes a Used Ve-hicle Value Index in which they summarize that “compact cars” are the only segment of the car market that has experienced “meaningful gains

in value” over the last quarter of the year.

So, if you are the owner of a used, fuel efficient car and are thinking

about trading it in for a gas sucking behemoth (which,

by the way, are not going up in value) the time to act is now. The circumstances that

have improved the value of your car may not

last long.

When the economy improves and Japan regains its indus-trial bearings, the car market will probably return to nor-mal.

We’re hoping for that same kind of turnaround in

the housing market.

The slowdown in foreclosures

“i like pigs. dogs look up To us. caTs look down on us. pigs TreaT us as equals.”

~winsTon churchill

The

world we live in

topsy-turvy

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By now everyone should know you can ob-tain your credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equi-fax, TransUnion) once a year at no cost at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877-322-8228.

What you may not know is that the The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 that made these free credit reports available also made a host of other lesser known consumer re-ports equally available.

The key is the language in the act used to de-fine “consumer reports” which is “information distributed by a consumer reporting agency that has a bearing on a consumer’s credit worthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, gener-

al reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living.” In short, this means when a company acts as a clearinghouse of information related to a person’s history they must provide a copy of the report on-request a minimum of once a year.

So, what other types of information are out there?

Choicepoint CLUE report: This is your his-tory of auto and home insurance claims. This is a report that is used by insurance companies to set your rates. If you have a history of expensive insurance claims, you are likely to pay more in premiums in the future. 866-312-8076.

Medical Information Bureau (MIB) report: This is a report detailing your medical history of such things as surgeries, prescriptions and ill-nesses. The information is used by health insur-ance companies and life insurance companies to set premiums. 866-692-6901

CoreLogic SafeRent: While your credit re-port is often used by property managers to decide whether they want you as a tenent, this report con-tains only your previous rental history and would include not only whether a former landlord had

to take you to court, but how often you may have been 30/60/90 days late. 877-448-5732

Telecheck and Chexsystems: These are both reports on your history of writing checks as well as how you have handled your checking ac-count. Each of these companies guarantees your personal check at various businesses but reports the additional information. Telecheck 800-835-3243, Chexsystems 800-428-9623

What’s the point of obtaining these other consumer reports? The same as getting your credit report: you should know if they contain any mistakes that could potentially prevent you from renting an apartment, opening a checking account or paying the best home, health or auto insurance rates.

Beyond credit reports

“adverTising is The arT of convincing people To spend money They don’T have, To Buy Things They don’T need, To impress peo-ple They don’T like.”

~will rogers

THINk yOU kNOW THE aNsWER?

This european company was hoping to bring its undersized and peculiar looking product to the u.S. market in a big way

and accomplished this goal with one of the most successful ad campaigns of all time. with the tagline, “Think Small” this

product became an American icon.

what product was the subject of the “Think Small”

marketing campaign? HM1 Christina GillespieJune 2011 Winner

{Buzz Word}{Buzz Word}{Buzz woRd}TRiViA

Think you know the answer? Enter our contest for an FFSC Gift Basket give away. LOTS OF FUN STUFF! Submit a correct response no later than September 16, 2011 and you are in the running to win.* Please email responses to [email protected]*If you win, you will need to come by the Norfolk FFSC to pick up the gift basket. Good Luck!

do you or someone you know want to be included on the email distribution list to receive this publication? Then contact wally Barstow at 444-2102 or by email [email protected] and start receiving “MoNey MATTeRS” today!

look whaT i won!

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6 | MoNey MATTeRS A QuArterly FInAncIAl newsletter From Fleet And FAmIly support centers mId-AtlAntIc

Lots of time and effort really pays off!As the Command Career Counselor, NC1

Shearin has arranged a lot of command indocs.

And since NCTAMSLANT indocs always include a Car Buying class, he has listened to a lot of advice about purchasing a car.

So, when it was time to replace his aging Dodge, Adam Shearin was ready to put all that advice to work for himself. His approach in-cluded:

Taking almost 7 months researching the car, the value, the mileage, options.

Determining what he could afford.

Searching out deals in Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland.

Putting together a $1000 down payment.

Getting pre-approval for outside financ-ing.

Obtaining quotes from several dealer-ships before signing a buyer’s order and committing to the best price.

Turning down the endless sales pitches for undercoating, “free” oil changes, extended warranty, nitrogen inflated tires, satellite radio, fabric protection, etc.

In short, this Navy Counselor did every-thing right by slowing down the process and allowing the deals to come to him.

We’re not at liberty to say what NC1 Shea-rin paid for his 2010 Ford Focus, but when anyone puts this kind of time and effort into the car buying process, the outcome is bound to be good.

Instead of attending the Car Buying Strat-egies class, maybe he should be teaching it! Way to go Adam Shearin!

ARouNd FFSC

Become financially savvy!

Join us for a financial class today!

76The number of times the federal

debt limit has been raised since 1962 according to the

Congressional Research Service.

My Money Matters

NC1 Shearin & his new 2010 Ford Focus

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BiTS ANd PieCeS ›››››››

A QuArterly FInAncIAl newsletter From Fleet And FAmIly support centers mId-AtlAntIc MoNey MATTeRS | 7

On October 1, a new law goes into effect that will limit the swipe fees banks can charge retail-ers for allowing their customers to use debit and credit cards. The new limit is 21 cents per trans-action.

If that seems like an unimportant sum, think again. For the banking industry this fee brings in an estimated $40 billion annually, which is why, when the Federal Reserve Bank began talk-ing about placing limits on these fees, it got the banking industry’s attention.

Just as you sign a credit or debit card use agreement with your bank, merchants maintain an agreement with the bank in order to be able to accept credit and debit cards. In the past,

Mastercard and VISA have had all the leverage in setting the amount merchants must pay to card issuers for the privilege of allowing custom-ers to pay with plastic.

Merchants have increasingly complained about these per-transaction swipe or ‘inter-change fees’ that cause them to raise prices on merchandise to afford them. In the past the fees have averaged 44 cents per swipe.

With the new regulation, banks are threaten-ing that the reduced transaction fees will cause them to bump up other banking costs to make up for the lost revenue. This may mean higher fees for checking accounts and other services banks offer, including interest rates on loans.

Merchants aren’t entirely happy either as they were hoping the fee cap would be set much lower, around 12 cents. Their reaction has been mixed with some claiming they will only be able to reduce prices marginally or not at all.

For the consumer it will probably be a zero-sum game. Whether they pay the swipe fee through higher prices at check-out or higher banking fees it seems likely the end result will be the same.

“Beware of liTTle ex-

penses. a small leak will sink a greaT ship.” ~Benjamin franklin

The gripe of the swipe fee and what it means to you

Before buying that cash value life insurance…

When shopping for life insurance in addition to SGLI most choose a whole life or universal life policy because it has a cash value component that builds up over time.

But, a cash value policy is much more expen-sive and is often the first expense people cut when money is tight. According to the Society of Ac-tuaries (insurance industry statisticians), 26% of cash value policies are terminated in the first 3 years and 45% are terminated within 10 years. Policies that are cancelled in the early years typi-cally have little or no cash value built up and end up being a colossal waste of money.

The debt has been dropping, but…

The statistics regarding consumer debt lev-els seem encouraging, but a closer look reveals

some concerns. Yes, the average debt load to-day is 120 percent of after-tax income which is down from about 135 percent 4 years ago. However, according to Capital Economics about half of that drop is attributable to de-fault and/or bankruptcy. Also, while debt levels have come down they are still high by historical standards. In the 70’s, the average debt carried by consumers was only 65 percent of dispos-able income.

Ill fated borrowingThe real estate data firm Corelogic recently

released a study noting that 38% of home-owners who have either a second mortgage or home equity loan owe more on their home

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get the word outEmergency Homeowners’ Loan Program (EHLP)

The U.S. Department of Housing and Ur-ban Development (HUD), in conjunction with NeighborWorks® America, announced the launch of the Emergency Homeowners’ Loan Program (EHLP), to help homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure.

To be eligible, homeowners must be experi-encing a drop in income of at least 15 percent as a direct result of involuntary unemployment or underemployment due to the economy and/or a medical condition.

Contact information for participating agen-cies, the Pre-applicant Screening Worksheet

and more information on the EHLP assistance and its eligibility requirements can be found at FindEHLP.org <http://pr3.netatlantic.com/t/3454042/64118412/56616/0/> or by call-ing toll free: 855-FIND-EHLP (346-3345).

than it is worth. For homeowners paying only on a first mortgage, 18% are in the same pre-dicament.

“you cannoT esTaBlish sound securiTy on Bor-rowed money” ~aBe lincoln

DCsE moves inA pilot program at the Norfolk Navy-Marine

Corp Relief Society office will make a Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement Office representative available to service members. The partnership that began in July is an attempt to make child support procedures easier for mili-tary members. The DCSE rep will be able to offer information, establish or update child support orders and help determine paternity if needed. To schedule an appointment call 757-322-1171.

Good news about the housing market

The National Association of Home Builders publishes a Housing Opportunity Index which measures the percentage of all new and existing homes sold that were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. At the height of the housing bubble that percentage had shrunk to 40%. But, with prices dropping and in-terest rates at historically low levels, presently 75% of all homes sold in the first half of 2011 were con-sidered affordable to the median income.

No car? No problem.You’ve heard of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending?

Now there is P2P car lending courtesy of a com-pany called Getaround. Do you have a car that

sits idle most of the time, perhaps during a de-ployment? P2P car lending may be a way to earn extra money. You can join the network either as a lender or one who occasionally needs to borrow a car for an hour, day or week. www.getaround.com

“if you wanT To feel rich, jusT counT The Things you have ThaT money can’T Buy.”

~chinese proverB

FICO scores still available at FFsC

Want to look at your credit report and score from either Equifax or TransUnion? Call the nearest Fleet and Family Support Center, make an appointment, and get it done. We don’t know how long this opportunity will last except that it won’t last forever. The report and score are available for service members and their de-pendents.

Haves and have-notsThe recent recession eroded American house-

hold’s net worth. But for many, net worth has bounced back strong, while for others it hasn’t. The two main drivers of net worth have always been the value of a home and the balance of the retirement accounts (401k). The results of a recent Pew Research Center study are those who counted

on their home as the main component of their wealth got hammered, while those who concen-trated their wealth in their investment accounts have been rewarded. Also notable: Those who concentrated their money in a 401k, but moved the money out of stocks as the market was bottom-ing (March 2009) were also big losers.

The most asked question?????

According to the militarysaves.org website the most asked question is, “Do I have to take my money out of the TSP when I leave the service?” The answer is NO, NO, NO. Not only can you keep your money in TSP, there are ways to continue to add to your TSP account when you are no longer a federal employee.

“wanT To join The in-vesTing world’s aris-Tocracy? Become a fed-eral employee and geT access To The Tsp.” ~william BernsTein

Page 9: Fall Financial Newsletter

A QuArterly FInAncIAl newsletter From Fleet And FAmIly support centers mId-AtlAntIc MoNey MATTeRS | 9

As expected, this book provides a wealth of good advice about the car buying process.

But the most striking aspect of Car Buy-ing Revealed is the list of sneaky things go-ing on behind the scene as you negotiate the terms of your purchase.

As one who has spent many years as both a salesman and finance manager, Mr. Mun-roe (supposedly an alias to protect himself from former co-workers) offers great insight into all the ways a dealership coaxes profits from its customers.

From the opening greeting, to negotiat-ing options, to closing with the finance manager, all the hidden sales agendas are revealed as ways to nudge the price a little higher while wearing you down.

The author is a big advocate of spend-ing lots of time on

research prior to visiting the

showroom

and getting dealerships to compete against each other for price.

The biggest money maker for dealerships? The extended warranty. His advice is to never obtain a third party warranty.

The price of the warranty, gap insurance, tire protection, window protection, fabric protection, pre-paid service plans, under-coating, leasing cost; little does the custom-er realize, it is all negotiable.

Payment packing, front-end selling, back-end selling; it is all here in great detail.

No matter your level of experience in car buying adventures, it seems likely this book will not only save you money, but reduce your time at the dealership on your next car purchase. Strongly recommended.

Do you have comments about this publication, a topic you would like to see covered or a book to be reviewed? Contact Wally Barstow at (757)444-2102 or [email protected]

FFSC FiNANCiAl ClASSeS•The art of money management•Banking and financial

services•The Basics of retirement

planning•car Buying strategies•consumer awareness•command financial specialist

Training•command financial specialist

forum•command financial specialist

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leadership seminar•don’t Bet your life on it•financial responsibility in the

military•homeownership•how to survive the holidays

financially•identity Theft protection•insurance•million dollar sailor•savings and investing•smart start finances for

newlyweds•Tsp-your key to financial

independence For class schedules and to register for classes, call an FFSC near you, visit our website or scan this mobile code with your smart phone.

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Car Buying Revealed: how to buy a car and not get taken for a ride By Brian munroe

FiNANCiAl BookShelF››››

“as life closes in on some-one who has Borrowed far Too much money on The sTrengTh of far Too liTTle income, There are no fire escapes.”

~john kenneTh galBraiTh