FEBRUARY 2003

New Family Youth Program

Investing For Life

As a child, I wanted to be either a teacher or a fashion designer. With no firm plan in mind, I ended up having a career in the world of finance and accounting. Now as a retiree, I'm fulfilling old dreams by being a teacher with NAIC and "designing" financial education programs with members of NAIC's Computer Group Advisory Board.

Register Online. This learning weekend comes to Anaheim, California, June 27-29. For more information: Compufest2003.com.

I'd like to share the exciting plans for the new Family Youth Program that will debut at CompuFest 2003. With a theme appropriated from NAIC's youth publication Investing for Life, the program features teen-agers teaming up with their parents (or grandparents) to develop a personal financial plan.

We often think of investing as being about buying stocks. But Phil Keating, the founder of CompuFest, reminds us of a greater investment we can make -- in ourselves, in doing what it takes to build ourselves as the strongest asset in our portfolios. Through education and the development of personal values, and through the choices we make in life, we can invest not only in tangible assets but also in personal fulfillment and our market economy.

The program schedule will be a combination of lecture, discussion, exercises and games. Presentations will deal with topics such as developing your financial plan, sources of income, managing your money through budgets and record keeping, credit and spending, saving and investing and protecting your assets. Another segment will focus on family investment clubs. Throughout the weekend there will also be games simulating life events through which participants will be challenged to make decisions, adjust their plans and celebrate (with prizes to be awarded).

Three days won't be enough to cover every aspect of investing, but attendees will take home lots of material for further study, reference and discussion.

Each day will also have unscheduled time so that participants can attend other CompuFest sessions, visit the computer lab or just relax by the pool. Participants will go away with NAIC's newly revised youth handbook, Investing for Life, and a resolve that our financial lives can be managed by setting realistic goals and working toward them --no matter what our age may be.

A joint registration is available that registers one adult (parent or grandparent) and one teen. While the program is being structured to be most attractive to youth 15 to 17 years old, the material may also be appropriate for younger teens. Parents should consult the detailed program schedule at www.compufest2003.com or e-mail Diane Graese for more information or to discuss the program.

The youth of our country need to gain financial education early in life, during that period when they develop personal values and when time is still on their side. Many of us wish we had been more in charge of our finances earlier in our lives. Since parents are instrumental in guiding their children, the Family Youth Program involves both adults and teens and is planned to send all participants home with ideas on creating or refining their personal financial plan.

I look forward to seeing you in Anaheim at CompuFest 2003.

Diane Graese was formerly an officer of the Computer Group Advisory Board and a director for the BetterInvesting Las Vegas Chapter. She is an active member of i-club-list and the BetterIinvesting Community at Compuserve. Diane is well known for her seminars on cash flow and interpreting financial statements. Contact Diane at dmg1031@aol.com.