May assist you with commitments on pg. 14, My Commitments B & D. Share your findings with your spouse, family and action partner.

The manual shares several activities to begin to track your income and expenses. To facilitate these activities, you may consider using the below spreadsheet document. You will be able to continue to use this document in subsequent weeks as you build your budget and track your financial activity.

Finance Tracker and Budget - TEMPLATE (Microsoft Excel format)
Finance Tracker and Budget - TEMPLATE (Google Spreadsheet file)

Watch the video below for guidance on how to use the tool to begin to track your daily income and expenses.

The Spiritual Foundations of Church Financial Self-Reliance - by Bishop Gérald Caussé, Presiding Bishop, ChurchofJesusChrist.org
5 Steps to Financial Well-Being - ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Study the topic of Self-Reliance on ChurchofJesusChrist.org

BYU Marriot School of Management - Online personal finance courses
Moneywise FInancial Workshop - six online lessons with video lectures, resources and course materials.  Gives a broad introduction to the many different areas of personal finance.
Another Perspective on Wealth - understand the "whys" and "whats" of personal finance.

Ask someone in your ward or stake who is good with spreadsheets to help or request assistance from your local Self-Reliance Resource Center. We are here to help.

May assist you with commitments on pg. 30, My Commitments B, C & D. Share your finding with your spouse, family and action partner.

Family Finances - Gospel Topic on ChurchofJesusChrist.org - includes a 15 financial calculators to help dig into your finances and answer questions. This will be a helpful site through your group and beyond.
Managing Money - ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Study the principle of Stewardship on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Family Finance: How a couple handles money can make or mar their marriage, Ensign, Orson Scott Card.
18 Money Management Tips for Newly Married Couples - MoneyCrashers.com
How to Deal with Financial Income Inequality in Marriage - MoneyCrashers.com
BYU Marriot School of Management - Online personal finance courses
Married/Single Adult Manual- understand the role of personal financial planning in achieving your goals.

Reach out to your stake leadership or request assistance from the American Fork Self-Reliance Resource Center. We are here to help.

May assist you with commitments on pg. 48, My Commitments B & D. Share your finding with your spouse, family and action partner.

The Spiritual Foundations of Church Financial Self-Reliance - by Bishop Gérald Caussé, Presiding Bishop, ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Study the principle of Tithing on ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Study the principles of Fasting and Fast Offerings on ChurchofJesusChrist.orgBYU Marriot School of Management - Online personal finance courses Understanding Financial Principles - Setting Priorities.

Reach out to your stake leadership or request assistance from the Self-Reliance Center. We are here to help.

May assist you with commitments on pg. 65, My Commitments B, C & D. Share your findings with your spouse, family and action partner.

By tracking your income and expenses you are well ahead of the curve in create your budget. If you used the template provided in the first section of this page for week 1, the your budget is already coming together. If you have not been using it, it's not too late. Download it now and build your budget on the second tab of the spreadsheet.

Finance Tracker and Budget - TEMPLATE (Microsoft Excel format)
Finance Tracker and Budget - TEMPLATE (Google Spreadsheet file)

Watch the video below for instructions on using the template to build your budget.

As you look at your fixed and variable expense, identifying areas where you can spend less money. The entire family should participate. It's no fun to be the only one cutting spending. Everyone can pitch in. Often it's just a matter of paying more attention to where your money is going. Here are a few budget-saving ideas:

• Cut down on eating out - Give the family a budget, take leftovers to work, use a coupons when you do eat out.
• Stop buying the unnecessary - Are you or family members buying items that are not needed like toys, movies, gadgets, music, soda?
• Use coupons or deals - Find deals for entertainment, food or shop for the best deals, make it a contest to see who can find the best deals.
• Watch your utility usage - Turn off lights, manage your heating and cooling better and turn down usage while no one is home. Can you live at just 2 degrees up or down to save on cost? Can you better utilize the technology you have to manage your usage?
• Phone service - Maybe it's time to evaluate your phone services. Does everyone in the family really need unlimited data? Does your carrier offer a better plan now? Evaluate monthly cost of phones. Is it better to buy than lease? Consider shared cellphone plans, family plans or plans with managed data limits. Do you still use the ol' home phone line? Could you switch to a less expensive voice-over-IP phone service?
• Change TV service - Do you really need all 200 channels? What channels do you really watch? Can you downgrade to a less expensive package? Have you considered installing an over-the-air digital antenna for free TV service?
Find out what channels are available for free over the air - NoCable.org
• Streaming video services - Can you get what you want by subscribing to a streaming TV service? Do you really need a subscription to Netflix, Amazon and Hulu?
• Phone/cell service - Do you need unlimited data for all your phones? Is your family or kids going over data limits and costing high fees? Can you switch to a less expensive service with data management abilities? Would a family plan be less expensive? When was the last time you evaluated your services?
• Home mortgage - Is there an opportunity to refinance to a significantly lower interest rate? Visit Should I Refiance My Home Mortgage? calculator on ChurchofJesusChrist.org
• Insurances - When as the last time you reviewed your insurance costs and options for home, life, auto or health? You will be reviewing your coverages in a coming week.

Visit Would Spending a Little Less and Saving a Little More Make a Difference? calculator on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Reach out to your stake leadership or request assistance from the Self-Reliance Center. We are here to help.

May assist you with commitments on pg. 82, My Commitments B, C & D. Share your findings with your spouse, family and action partner.

The Best Personal Finance Software - Reviews.com
8 Best Budget Apps for 2019 - TheBalance.com
Best Budget Apps and Personal Finance Tools for 2019 - NerdWallet.com

Top Rates Software or Apps
Now that you understanding budgeting, you may want a more powerful system to manage your finances and budget. Integration with your bank accounts or credit cards can be a main drive to move to a more sophisticated system. A few apps seem to be consistently shared on most reviews as the best personal budget applications:
Mint.com – FREE, made by Intuit, has some nice connections to TurboTax and Quickbooks, bank and credit card sync. May be missing a few features for the more sophisticated user. To take it to the next level, users can step up to Quicken at $35 - $75/yr. depending on features.
YNAB (You Need A Budget) – about $6.99/mo., 34-day FREE trial, feature rich budgeting and planning, bank and credit card sync.
PocketGuard – FREE app, bank and credit card sync. Focus on mobile app user.
Personal Capital – FREE, great for those who also want to track investments and wealth management goals, bank and credit card sync.

Simple Mobile Apps
Fudget – FREE app, simple.
Mvelopes – $4-$59/mo. Follows the basic budgeting of the envelop method. $59/mo includes a personal financial trainer. Might be best for someone who really needs some extra help in getting spending under control.
EveryDollar – FREE and paid versions. Good option for the Dave Ramsey fan. Review between Mint and EveryDollar

Speak to someone who is using a personal finance software or app to get their perspectives. The market is constantly changing and evolving. Do an online search for the latest options.

Spreadsheet Options
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet templates – Excel includes a couple of good budget templates.

For Apple users, the Numbers application is a free application and has some great templates.

You may choose to simly continue to use the Financial Tracker and Budget you may have already begun. You can save a new copy for each month. For example, if you are creating a budget for January, save a file called 2018 JAN Family Budget. When you are ready to budget for February, save a copy and name it 2018 FEB Family Budget.

Reach out to your stake leadership or request assistance from your local Self-Reliance Center. We are here to help.

May assist you with commitments on page 103, My Commitments B, C & D. Share your findings with your spouse, family and action partner.

Emergency Fund
How much should I save for emergencies? calculator on ChurchofJesusChrist.org
8 Reasons You Need an Emergency Fund - The Balance
3 Questions to Ask Before You Use Your Emergency Fund - Dave Ramsey

Better Understanding Insurance
BYU Marriot School of Management - Online personal finance courses including video lectures, resources and course materials Having Adequate Insurance - Protecting You and Your Loved Ones.
Insurance Basics - understand the key principles of insurance
Life Insurance - understand the principles, key terms, which type of insurance is best for you and know the steps to buying life insurance.
Health, Long-term Care, and Disability Insurance - understand how health insurance relates to your personal financial plan and key areas of coverage.
Auto, Homeowners, and Liability Insurance - understand key insurance types and ways to keep expenses down.

Insurance Research
Utah Insurance Department - information and links to articles and resources for all types of insurance in the State of Utah. For all insurance types, consult with an expert who can analyze your needs and help you evaluate your options.

Health Insurance and Other Coverage Options
Health Care In Utah - Utah Department of Health
ACA health insurance plans vs. Healthcare sharing ministries - PolicyGenius.com - article describes insurance alternatives like the Affordable Care Act and the growing market of healthcare sharing plans, an alternative to traditional insurance coverage.

Life Insurance Coverage Options
Comparing Life Insurance Policies - The Balance

Disability Insurance Coverage Options
What are the types of disability insurance? - Insurance Information Institute.org

Reach out to your stake leadership or request assistance from the American Fork Self-Reliance Resource Center. We are here to help.

May assist you with commitments on pg. 122, My Commitments B, C & D. Share your findings with your spouse, family and action partner.

You may wish to do your debt analysis on a spreadsheet. You can find a Debt Inventory Worksheet on the third tab:

Finance Tracker and Budget - TEMPLATE (Microsoft Excel file)
Finance Tracker and Budget - TEMPLATE (Google Spreadsheet file)

You may have already started using this template. The Debt Inventory Worksheet tab will calculate the remaining term of your loans, allow you to make adjustments to your payments and calculate the total interest expense.

Watch the video below for additional instructions on using the template to build your debt inventory.

Calculators available from Churchof JesusChrist.org:
How soon could I pay off all my debts?
How long will it take to pay off my credit card?
What would my payment be if I borrowed?
What would be my monthly payment on a new home?

You & Your Debt - Debt.org - Discusses many types of debt, managing debt, establishing credit, debt consolidation and looks at some of the debt challenges facing our country.
Debt Quiz: Warning Signs - DebtReductionServices.org
BYU Marriot School of Management - Online personal finance courses including video lectures, resources and course materials - Understanding Credit.

Reach out to your stake leadership or request assistance from the American Fork Self-Reliance Resource Center. We are here to help.

May assist you with commitments on pg. 138, My Commitments B, C & D. Share your findings with your spouse, family and action partner.

Debt Consolidation - DebtReductionServices.org
The Fastest Method to Eliminate Credit Card Debt - WiseBread.com
10 Easy Ways to Pay Off Debt - USNews.com
BYU Marriot School of Management - Online personal finance courses including video lectures, resources and course materials - Debt and Debt Reduction.

Reach out to your stake leadership or request assistance from your local Self-Reliance Resource Center. We are here to help.

May assist you with commitments on pg. 149, My Commitments B, C & D. Share your findings with your spouse, family and action partner.

You have now been tracking your spending for about 2 months. You should have a good idea what is in line with your plan and what is not. Review your budget with your family. How are you doing in terms of keeping income and expenses in line with your projected budget. Discuss what is going well and what is not. Make necessary adjustments to your budget and plan numbers to improve.

Is it a good idea to share all of the family’s finances, problems included, with all members of the family? If so, what is the best way to give children financial training? - by Robert D. Goodwin, Assistant Professor of Education, BYU Hawaii, ChurchofJesusChrist.org
3 Questions to Ask Before You Use Your Emergency Fund - Dave Ramsey
10 Ways to Settle Your IRS Tax Debt - DefenseTax.com
10 Strategies for Handling the Stress of a Financial Crisis - TheSimpleDollar.com
BYU Marriot School of Management - Online personal finance courses including video lectures, resources and course materials - Family 1: Marriage and Money.

UVU Money Management Resource CenterHighly trained financial coaches are available to assist both students and non-students with their finances.  The UVU Money Management Resource Center dedicates itself to improving the financial well-being of individuals by equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to make responsible financial decisions.
mmrc@uvu.edu
Schedule an appointment
(801) 863-5388

Reach out to your stake leadership or request assistance from your local Self-Reliance Resource Center. We are here to help.

May assist you with commitments on pg. 176, My Commitments B, C & D. Share your findings with your spouse, family and action partner.

Rent vs. Buy Calculator - Zillow.com
What would be my monthly payment on a new home? - calculator from Churchof JesusChrist.org
How much should I save to reach my goal? - calculator from Churchof JesusChrist.org - creating a downpayment of 20% on a home will help you qualify for lower interest rates and avoid private mortgage insurances costs, dramatically reducing the cost of your home purchase over time. Use this calculator to understand what it will take to save a 20% downpayment.

How to Calculate Your Degree's Return on Investment - GetUnbound.org
5 Steps to Calculating Your College ROI - Forbes.com
2019 Best Value Colleges in Utah - Niche.com - be sure to complete the criteria on the lefthand side of the page to narrow down by specific criteria and majors.
Study the topic of Education - Churchof JesusChrist.org Gospel Topics
BYU Marriot School of Management - Online personal finance courses including video lectures, resources and course materials - Advanced Investing Manual.

Reach out to your stake leadership or request assistance from your local Self-Reliance Resource Center. We are here to help.

May assist you with commitments on pg. 195, My Commitments B, C & D. Share your findings with your spouse, family and action partner.

Retirement Savings Vehicles - Securities.Utah.gov
Types of Retirement Plans - IRS.gov

How much should I save for retirement? - calculator from Churchof JesusChrist.org
Are my current retirement savings adequate? - calculator from Churchof JesusChrist.org
How to Save for Retirement - DaveRamsey.com

As part of your analysis, you will want to build a savings plan looking at both short term and long term savings needs. You may already have discussed or written down some of these targets. To help you in your planning, you may wish to use the Savings Planner on the forth tab of:

Finance Tracker and Budget - TEMPLATE (Microsoft Excel format)
Finance Tracker and Budget - TEMPLATE (Google Spreadsheet file)

Watch the video below for guidance on how to use the tool to build your savings plan.

Choosing an Investment Professional - Financial Industry Regulator Authority
How To Choose A Financial Advisor - Forbes.com
Utah Investment Advisors - Google Maps. Do your own analysis of each firms ability to meet your needs.
BYU Marriot School of Management - Online personal finance courses including video lectures, resources and course materials - Retirement Planning Manual.

Reach out to your stake leadership or request assistance from the American Fork Self-Reliance Resource Center. We are here to help.

Congratulations on completing Personal Finance group! This is just the beginning of your journey to continue to achieve greater self-reliance through the plans you have established. We encourage you to continue to share and involve your spouse, family and support your action partner in reaching their goals. You may select a mentor in your group, ward or stake to continue to assist you, encourage you and hold you accountable to your goals.

Please share your experience of participating in a Self-Reliance group with other members and encourage them to join during the next round. Your testimony may help encourage another who will greatly benefit them in moving toward receiving the blessings promised by the Lord.

The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance - Elder Marion G. Romney, Churchof JesusChrist.org
Blessing In Self-Reliance - See the video below from Elder Mark E. Peterson, Churchof JesusChrist.org

Reach out to your stake leadership or request assistance from your local Self-Reliance Resource Center. We are here to help.