|
Volume 2, Issue
4
|
April
2008
|
|
April 2008 is Virginia
Financial Literacy Month! The
Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA)
serves as a catalyst for the month as part of its award-winning
Financial Fitness
campaign to improve the financial literacy of all Virginians.
The VSCPA hopes the commemorative month, along with other outreach
activities, will build awareness of the importance of wise money
management and encourage Virginia organizations to make a difference
in financial education. The VSCPA offers a variety of supportive resources to help Virginians get involved in Virginia Financial Literacy Month, including a commemorative logo, flyer, press release template and more. To
recognize this special month and help Virginians improve their financial health,
the VSCPA offers many activities and resources for the public, including a series
of FREE Financial Fitness Workshops, the VSCPA
Speakers Bureau and the "Ask a CPA" E-mail Program.
Time is running out to register for a Financial Fitness Workshop! Led by experienced CPAs and held at the Richmond CPA Center in Glen Allen, the VSCPA Financial Fitness Workshops include a complimentary lunch. To reserve your seat, please register as soon as possible! Use the links below or call the VSCPA Education Team at (800) 341-8189.
Can't attend a VSCPA Financial Fitness Workshop? No problem! We'll bring FREE training right to your door! The VSCPA Speakers Bureau provides Virginia CPAs to speak to various audiences — from school children to retirees — on topics related to money management and basic financial education. With more than 8,300 members statewide, the VSCPA connects nonprofits, schools, civic groups, chambers, media and other organizations with CPAs from their local communities as a pro bono public service. For more information or to schedule a speaker for your next event,
complete our online
form or contact VSCPA Media & Public Relations Specialist
Shawnte Reynolds at
(800) 733-8272.
The VSCPA offers free assistance to improve your financial health through the "Ask a CPA" E-mail Program. Experienced, licensed certified public accountants (CPA) will provide answers to your personal financial planning questions within three business days. This special e-mail program is open to all Virginia residents who want to improve their money management skills. Visit the FinancialFitness.org Web site and click on the "Ask a CPA" link to submit your financial questions through the online program. Example topics might include general money management, retirement and estate planning, buying a home, credit, investments, insurance and more! If you have any questions about this program, contact VSCPA Community Relations Coordinator Tracey Zink at (800) 733-8272.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that it would begin sending more than 130 million economic stimulus payments starting May 2. The initial round of weekly payments will be completed by early July. The IRS also announced the availability of a new online calculator on IRS.gov to help people determine the amount of their stimulus payments. Stimulus payments will be made by direct deposit to people who choose to receive their 2007 income tax refunds through direct deposit. All others will receive their economic stimulus payments in the form of a paper check. Stimulus payments will be sent out in the order of the last
two digits of the Social Security number used on the tax return. Read
the full article and view the payment schedule on the
FinancialFitness.org
Web site.
Young Americans are faced with new challenges that will affect how they manage their finances and prepare for their long-term financial security. To profile and better understand Generation X and Generation Y's current and future financial situation, the American Savings Education Council (ASEC) and AARP (on behalf of Divided We Fail) commissioned Mathew Greenwald & Associates to conduct a survey with members of these younger generations. Read the survey results on the FinancialFitness.org Web site.
Expectations for the U.S. economy turned sharply negative among senior-level executive CPAs as the outlook for finance, real estate and retail trade declined in the first quarter, according to the latest Business and Industry Economic Outlook Survey of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. For the first time since the AICPA survey began in December 2005, pessimists outnumbered optimists and did so by nearly a five-to-one margin. The economy emerged as the top issue facing lawmakers and U.S. presidential candidates. A 59 percent majority of CPA respondents said they were pessimistic or very pessimistic about the economic outlook for the U.S. over the next 12 months. Meanwhile the new survey found only 11 percent of CPAs in executive positions expressed optimism about the economy. Read the survey results on the FinancialFitness.org Web site.
The VSCPA develops monthly Money Management articles to provide financial advice and information for individuals and small businesses. Topics include personal finance, retirement and estate planning, saving for college, investments, running a small business, income taxes and more. Virginia organizations are granted reprint permission and can use in publications, employee newsletters, Web sites and more. Here are this month's topics:
How healthy are your finances? Take the VSCPA
Financial Fitness check-up
quiz to test your financial know-how. If your personal
financial plan needs a diet, use this simple budgeting
template to create your own monthly spending plan.
The VSCPA
has released the 2008
Financial Fitness Calendar! Developed in partnership with
the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) 360
Degrees of Financial Literacy program, the wall calendar
provides you with year-round tips and tools on topics that will
improve your financial health. Download
the calendar online or e-mail financialfitness@vscpa.com
to request a complimentary copy.
The American Bankers Association Education Foundation established
National
Teach Children to Save Day to highlight the importance
of teaching our nation's youth about saving money. This event
occurs every April when bankers make presentations to students
in grades K–12
about budgeting, saving and investing. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Virginia Society of CPAs| P.O. Box 4620, Glen
Allen, VA 23058-4620 | (800) 733-8272 |
