FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT B030037 STUDENT HANDOUT

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS THE BASIC SCHOOL

MARINE CORPS TRAINING COMMAND CAMP BARRETT, VIRGINIA 22134-5019

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT B030037

STUDENT HANDOUT

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Financial Management

Financial Management

Introduction Importance In This Lesson

Marine leaders should discuss the topic of finance with their Marines. The fundamentals of personal finance include net worth, financial goals, budgeting, tracking, saving, investing and debt management.

Marines who pursue financial responsibility mitigate stress and are better prepared for deployments, family changes and transition to civilian life.

This lesson discusses the basics of financial responsibility and resources available to Marines.

Topic Financial Responsibility Net Worth Financial Goals Budgeting Saving Investing Thrifts Savings Plan Debt Management Service Members Civil Relief Act

Adverse Financial Management Factors

How to Discuss Financial Responsibility with You Marines Leave and Earning Statement Elements of the Leave and Earning Statement Financial Management Resources References Notes

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Learning Objectives

Terminal Learning Objectives

TBS-LDR-1006 Given a scenario, apply financial responsibility considerations, to set the example and guide Marines..

Enabling Learning Objectives

TBS-LDR-1006a Given an evaluation, identify the elements of the LES, without omission..

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TBS-LDR-1006b Given an evaluation, identify adverse financial management factors, without omission.

TBS-LDR-1006c Given a scenario, develop a financial budget plan, to reach desired goals within available means.

TBS-LDR-1006d Given an evaluation, identify financial management assistance resources, without omission.

TBS-LDR-1006e Given an evaluation, identify the characteristics of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), without omission.

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Financial Management

Financial Responsibility

The Marine Corps recognizes that the readiness of the entire force, and equally important, the welfare of individual Marines and their families, is enhanced when all Marines are knowledgeable and skilled in the separate tasks and challenges of personal finance.

To put yourself (and your Marines) on the path to good financial management, seek the assistance of a Personal Financial Manager (PFM).

The Navy, Air Force, Army and Marine Corps have a program called the Personal Financial Management Program (PFMP). The objective of the Marines' PFMP is to help all Marines understand and develop skills to manage their income, expenses, savings, and credit to achieve near-term, intermediate, and long-term financial goals.

The program: - Utilizes Personal Financial Educators (called PFMs in the Marine Corps) - Financial educators are required to obtain and maintain a national recognized certification. - Each branch of service's Personal Financial Educator will assist another member of a branch of service. Personal Financial Management Program Offers: - One-on-one counseling/coaching, workshops, brown bag luncheons and command/unit Training. - A collaborative and comprehensive approach to personal financial management education, training, information and referral and counseling. - Individualized assistance with an emphasis on financial independence, sound money management, debt avoidance and long-term financial stability. - Training of E-6 (Staff Sergeant) and above (Command Financial Specialists-CFS). - The SSgt or above must attend a one week financial education training program. - CFSs then assists the command to establish, organize, administer, and disseminate financial management information. 20Professional%20Development/C_PFMP

The following topics are information and should be read prior to meeting with a PFM

Ten Tips for Living within Your Means 1. Make a personal budget and stick to it. Track your spending for two months to find out what your true expenses are as well as your monthly and yearly expenses, such as rent or mortgage payments, car insurance and payments, taxes, groceries, clothing, entertainment, and child care costs.

2. Think about your financial goals. Do you need to save for a child`s college education? Pay off student loans? Buy a home? Would you like to decrease your debt? Increase your retirement savings? Figure out what your most important financial goals are.

3. Pay attention to your financial habits and think of ways to overcome habits that are costing you too much. Do you buy yourself treats when you're feeling bad? Do you spend money to reward yourself?

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Financial Management

4. Cut back to no more than three major credit cards. Cancel accounts that don't offer competitive interest rates or that offer perks you don`t need.

5. Call your credit card companies and ask for a lower interest rate. Many companies will lower rates to keep your business.

6. Always pay your credit card bills on time and pay the statement balance.

7. Shop around for the best telephone / wireless rates and programs.

8. Cut back on the number of times you eat out each week.

9. Avoid impulse buys. If you see something you have to have, wait 24 hours before buying it. You may find that you don`t really have to have it after all.

10. Talk openly about finances with your family. Talk about your financial goals and come up with ideas together about how you can reduce expenses and increase savings.

Net Worth

The first step when developing a personal financial plan is to determine your net worth. This is done by writing out your equity and liabilities side by side. Understand though, different equities and liabilities have different implications for your financial plan, so each category can be broken down further. Equity:

-Retirement Assets (this includes your IRAs, TSP, 401ks, etc. These assets you should not expect to touch until retirement.)

-Investments (includes stocks, index funds, mutual funds, etc. These assets are not as liquid as cash, but are still readily available. They are, however more susceptible to market fluctuations and should not be used for short term savings.)

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Financial Management

Net Worth (Continued)

-Savings (savings accounts should be money set aside for emergency funds, short term savings, Certificates of Deposit. Multiple accounts are recommended to compartmentalize your money for various purchases, ie car fund, wedding fund, emergency fund, etc.)

-Checking (checking accounts should be used simply to move incoming money out to pay bills, invest, and save. The checking account will constantly fluctuate up and down. While enough money should be in the checking account to avoid overdrafts, it should not be used as a savings account.

Liabilities:

-Mortgages (having a mortgage is not a bad thing, and can be used to build your

financial plan. It is important, however, to separate your mortgage liabilities from other

liabilities.)

-Debt (debt is considered anything (except mortgages) which is owed and you are

paying interest on. It is important to know the interest being paid on each account, and

placing them in order of the highest interest rate first. Ex: credit cards, car loans, etc.)

-Debt 0% (large expenses can sometimes be paid for with a special interest rate of 0%.

These types of debts can be useful to help delay paying large sums of cash until the offer

period is up. Credit such as this typically comes with high penalties if not paid off on time,

and should be used with caution.)

-Revolving Debt (if you regularly use a credit card and pay the statement balance each

month, this is considered revolving debt. By paying the statement balance, you avoid

interest payments on the line of credit.)

Equity

Liabilities

Retirement Investments

Mortgages

Roth IRA~

$46,000

VA-House

$340,000

TSP Roth~

$10,400

Investments

Stocks~ Index Funds~

$7,800 $3,400

Debts

Truck Balance 1.7%

$10,900

College Investments

529 Plan~

Savings

Emergency Fund Household Savings Regular Savings CD 5%

$8,100

$17,000 $10,100

$5,700 $5,200

Debt 0%

Flooring Best Buy Card Van Balance

Revolving Debt

AMEX VISA

$4,700 $450

$39,000

$1,560 $250

Checking

Checking~

$4,700

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Net Worth (Continued)

Financial Management

Equity Retirement Investments Investments College Investments Savings Checking Totals

$56,400 $11,200

$8,100 $38,000

$4,700 $118,400

Liabilities Mortgage Debt Debt 0% Revolving Debt

$340,000 $10,900 $44,150 $1,810

$396,860

Financial Goals

The next step to developing a financial plan is to develop financial goals. Once you have laid out what you have and what you owe, you can determine where you want to go from here. If you have high amounts of credit card debt, perhaps you delay savings and investments to pay this off. Perhaps you're saving for a new car, or a down payment on a house, or simply just increasing your emergency fund. Your financial goals should be broken down into the same categories as your net worth, and then be prioritized. Goals should include a timeline for when you want to achieve said goal, a monthly amount going towards the goals, and the balance of each account. Goals can and should be adjusted as necessary.

Budgeting

Your third step in developing a financial plan is to develop your budget. A budget is a plan for the upcoming month. You're planning the money you haven't spent yet. A budget in your head isn't a budget. To work, a budget needs to be on paper or a spreadsheet or something you can maintain monthly and track. If you already keep track of what you spend, it's a start, but it's not a budget. When you only track spending, you're always looking at the past and never looking forward. Budgets should take your goals into account, and be broken down into different categories. You can develop a budget as either pre-tax or post-tax. There are pros and cons to both. By making a pre-tax budget, you force yourself to watch your LES for changes in your taxes. This will help you catch and fix errors before they get out of hand. Additionally, TSP and other allotments are removed from your pay before it hits your bank account, so a pre-tax budget allows you to see where this money is going. A post-tax budget allows you to simply take the money deposited into your account on the 1st and 15th and plan off that.

To establish a budget you need to know: - Exactly how much money you have coming in each month (disposable income).

- Exactly how much money basic living expenses cost you each month (rent or mortgage, utilities, transportation costs, food). - How much money you spend on non-essential items like internet, cable, or dining out.

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Financial Management

Budgeting (Continued)

Your budget should be broken down into retirement savings, college savings, savings/investments, fixed expenses, and variable expenses. You should always seek to "Pay yourself first" by first budgeting your money towards retirement savings and savings and investments, then paying your bills. Your bills are broken down into fixed and variable expenses. The fixed expenses must be paid each month, while the variable is what's left.

(Figures are examples and shown off of a post-tax budget)

Income

Bi-Monthly

Monthly

Yearly

Pay

$2,000

$4,000

$48,000

Retirement IRA TSP Totals

$200 $150 $350

$400 $300 $700

$4,800 $3,600 $8,400

Savings/Investments Emergency Fund Household Savings Regular Savings Index Funds Totals

$100 $50 $50 $75 $275

$200 $100 $100 $150 $550

$2,400 $1,200 $1,200 $1,800 $6,600

Fixed Expenses Rent/Mortgage Cell Phone Cable Ops Fund Dues Car Payment Sewer Car Insurance Church Donations Totals

$700 $75 $100 $15 $150 $40 $75 $50 $1,555

$8,400 $900 $1,200 $180 $1,800 $480 $900 $600 $18,660

Variable Expenses Electricity Gas Water Food

$150 $150 $50 $500

$1,800 $1,800 $600 $6,000

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