Treasury Newsletter September 2014
GET SMART
As we enter another back-to-school season, plenty of parents, teachers and students are setting goals for themselves for the school year. It’s a good time to reassess where you are now and where you want to be when the final bell rings next spring. When it comes to setting achievable goals, remember the SMART rule. According to the rule, in order to increase the chance of achieving a goal it must be:
? Specific: Having something specific in mind is the first step to achieving any goal. Plenty of people set a goal for the year to “save more money,” but being more specific makes it more likely to happen. You don’t set out on a trip without knowing your destination, and the same goes for goal setting.
? Measurable: To make the goal measurable, set an amount you want to save instead of just saying “more.” Decide how much would make you feel more financially stable, and start there.
? Attainable: Next, ask yourself if that amount is attainable. If the amount you’d like to save by the end of this year is $1 million, chances are it’s going to be difficult to get there. But you might be able to get there by the time you re-tire, or sooner, depending on how much you have now and how much you are able to set aside each year.
? Realistic: Consider adjusting your goal to be more realistic, based on where you are now, your budget and other life factors.
? Timely: Making your goal timely will make it easier to figure out how much you need to start saving each month, or, better yet, each day. The amount you determine you need to save each day is how much you need to decrease your spending on a daily basis. The next time you’re confronted with a spending decision that might compromise your goal, simply do the math to figure out how many days’ savings you’ll be giving up. Then ask yourself, “Is having this scarf/TV worth putting off my goal?” Breaking the process into small, daily decisions makes it easier to “find” the money to get you to your goal. Now that’s SMART!
Visit feedthepig.org for more money-saving tools and tips.
BANKING & PO BOX
If you use bank auto bill pay to process your tithe, offerings, local hire payroll, etc., please make sure the bank has our current address:
351 S. State Road 434
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
Please have your checks marked for its purpose for proper application.
JEWEL 6.0
If you have been to one of the treasurer’s work-shops, you already have your new CD. If you were not able to attend a workshop or your work-shop date is in the future, you should receive a CD in the mail.
Please follow the instructions you received with the CD to install on your computer. It doesn’t matter if it is not the end of the month. Make a backup (File, Copy to Disk), Uninstall Jewel from the Control Panel. Put the new CD in the drive and install.
If you experience any difficulty in installing, call or email Allan or Myrtle.
END OF YEAR DONOR
RECEIPTS
With Jewel 6.0 comes a little different look for the Donor Receipts. Previously, to meet IRS re-quirements, any donation over $250 at one time had to be listed separately. A detailed receipt had to be printed for each donor. This used lots of paper because all donations were detailed, not just the ones over $250.
Now the summary receipt has an added section called Tax Reportable Summary (for those dona-tions over 250). This lists the date and the amount of any contribution made over $250. The Total Tax Reportable is only a total of the contri-butions over $250 and is only used for additional information required by the IRS.
The Contribution Summary is still at the top and shows the total amount that may be deducted from the donor’s taxes, whether cash, or check of any amount.
The Check Summary at the bottom, as before, lists the date, amount, and check number regard-less of the amount of the check. But this total would not include any cash donations.
The IRS will not accept a receipt printed after the taxes have been filed and would thus not allow the deduction for contributions if the donor is audited. Therefore, the receipts need to be in the format that the IRS has mandated.