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There are two workshops coming up in the area that you may be interested in. Michigan State University Extension is offering a free workshop titled Living On Less on Monday, February 8 from 6 to 9 pm at the Washtenaw County LRC. This workshop will explain how to develop a spending plan, reduce flexible expenses and reduce debt. You need to register by February 5 by calling 734-222-3943.

Financial Survival: Tips from the Budget Guru is a class being held at Washtenaw Community College on Thursday, February 11 from 6 to 9 pm. This class will focus on using a budget analysis form, paying off debt, and understanding and improving creditworthiness. The cost of this class is $15. You can register for the class here or call 734-973-3543.

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Whether a major medical event, loss of a job or a house sunk you, bankruptcy won’t be a shining moment in your life, but it is an opportunity to get your financial life back on track. Not much free legal help is available in Washtenaw County so it is important to know as much as possible about the process and that is where the Ann Arbor District Library is a real help.
The library has a large selection of up-to-date books on the topic that you can find here: Bankruptcy
The library also has books that give great advice on how to proceed after bankruptcy that you can find here: Credit Repair
In order to file you have to pay your attorney up front, so if you are receiving a tax return soon, this could be a very good time to plan your strategy.
It is never easy to admit defeat. Just know that you have now joined a select club that includes Francis Ford Coppola, Walt Disney, Mark Twain, Wayne Newton and Donald Trump. Except for Trump's hair, they all ended up doing better than ok!

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Learn how to use the Morningstar investment research database to track, analyze and make intelligent decisions about your investments on Monday, November 2 from 4-6pm at the Downtown Library. One of the most trusted names in the investment industry, Barron's and Forbes rank Morningstar among the top investing sites. This workshop will feature a one hour overview of this important resource, conducted by Morningstar expert Lars Wasvick via teleconference. This will be followed by a hands-on session where attendees may apply what they learned to make full use of this comprehensive database. Registration is required and individuals may register online at Register for Morningstar or by calling 327-4555 or by visiting any Library location.

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Ever wanted to go short on certain currencies, go long on various commodities and make bets on specific subsectors of foreign markets but don’t have $5 or $10 million to lay out? The ETF Book All-New Updated Edition by Richard Ferri is an excellent guide to Exchange-Traded Funds. ETFs can be used by individual (read—small) investors as highly specialized precision investment instruments.

How the Global Financial Markets Really Work by Alexander Davidson is a new, comprehensive look at international investment and money flows with a special assessment of 2009’s worldwide financial crisis. Clocking in at 244 pages, it covers in simple concise language commercial banking practices (with a special look at the Icelandic banks which had a hyper meltdown), shadow banking, central banks, the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, world stock markets, money markets, investment banking and credit derivatives.

Getting Started in Investment Analysis written by Six Sigma guru Warren Brussee is a primer in critically judging the quality of stock or investment data, using graphs and looking for correlations and finally simple quantitative data analysis utilizing MS Excel and high school math (in other words, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist for this book to be useful).

During these financially difficult times, are you asking yourself what the best strategy is for your money? Are you wondering if you should change these investment strategies? Well, never fear, Suze Orman is here!

The library holds the PBS video series of Suze Orman's financial videos. Check out The laws of money, the lessons of life, Owning the power to control your destiny, The road to wealth, or The courage to be rich.

Each video has something to help you become more financially successful and savvy. These valuable money secrets will help in good times and in bad.

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There's never been a better time for you to understand credit and how it can affect your wallet. Kathryn Greiner's free seminar, "Understand and Improve Your Credit Score," provides important information about credit, how it's calculated, and steps to improve it. She breaks down what helps and hurts credit scores along with what lenders consider when deciding on a loan. The seminar will be held Wednesday, July 29 from 6 to 8 pm at the University of Michigan Credit Union Jackson Branch. Seating is limited. Please call 734-662-8200 ext. 2204 or email sandras@umcu.org to reserve your seat.

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Mint.com automatically aggregates all your online financial data and then keeps track of credit cards, home loans and bank and brokerage accounts all in one place. It also keeps track of how your investments are performing, and what you are spending and saving. It helps you to budget better by automatically displaying how much you spend in any given category.

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The "Learning is a Family Thing" (LIFT) Program is a series of interactive sessions designed to enhance family, health, financial, and workplace skills for everyone in the family. The upcoming session at AADL is called Dollars and Sense, which focuses on credit management, budgeting, and financial smarts for all ages. There will be activities for the whole family, prizes, raffles, and giveaways, and snacks and drinks will be provided. Join us on Sunday, June 7 from 2 to 4 pm on the fourth floor of the downtown library.

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Four spots are still available for the Morningstar Investment Database Class being held at the Downtown Library Computer Training Center on Wednesday, April 29th from 4-5 pm.

Keep that promise you made on April 15th to get a handle on your investments by learning how to use the Morningstar Database—ranked by Barron’s and Forbes as one of the top investing sites. Now, more than ever, it pays to have solid, unbiased information to make investment decisions. Register online or by calling 327-4555.