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Subscribe at careercollegecentral.com 20 away, even if you are dealing with a tight budget or paying off debts? Where is the best place to put your savings, whether it is a fund for retirement or just a rainy day? What is a certificate of deposit, a savings bond, a 529 plan, or a 401(k)? How can you prioritize your savings goals and their varying timelines? We will talk about how to save for both the planned and unplanned using SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time- bound) goals. Budgeting ese are a lot of moving pieces to keep track of ! e best way to make sure you are staying on top of it all is with a budget. Your budget can be leveraged to ensure that you are maintaining good credit, paying off debt, and saving a little (or a lot) for the future. ere are as many options for how to budget your money as there are people using them, but there are some basic components that apply no matter what. We will help you get started with a look at fixed expenses, flexible expenses, total income, disposable income, and how to create a plan that can adapt to changes in your financial needs. Identity Theft Stories of mass data breaches and compromised personal and financial data have become a regular feature in our news cycle. Protecting sensitive data has become more and more important, and it is essential to know what risks are out there. Securing information both on paper and online, protecting your Social Security Number, credit reporting, and understanding liability for credit and debit card purchases are essential to mitigating those risks. We will review your rights as a consumer and share some best practices for ensuring that your finances are safe. Has your identity already been compromised? We can recommend where to go and what to do so you can find the best recourse possible. It is never too late (or too soon!) to start improving your financial literacy and the health of your finances. It can be overwhelming to think about all these different areas, but we look forward to guiding you through this series to help you be informed and successful in each of these core topics. Look for our next article in the spring edition of Career College Central, in which we will dive into the most common types of financial institutions. Mallory Herrmann is a writer and editor whose work has also been featured in Unity Magazine and the Lee's Summit Tribune. She can be reached at mallory@malloryherrmann.com. MALLORY HERRMANN CONSULTING EDITOR