Waynedale Political Commentaries

INDIANA ENCOURAGES FINANCIAL LITERACY – Straight From The Senate

Indiana has worked to establish a strong reputation for responsible money management. By maintaining an honestly balanced state budget and keeping taxes low, living in Indiana has become synonymous with taking home more of your paycheck.

Just as it is important for Indiana to make wise investments and set aside funds for unexpected financial challenges, we want Hoosiers to have access to resources that help them excel at managing their personal finances. The fiscal strength of Indiana as a whole starts with the financial literacy of individual Hoosiers.

Responsible money management can help you avoid debt, save for retirement and make sensible investments. What’s more, having a thorough understanding of your finances can help you avoid falling victim to scams and frauds, which are all too common in today’s world.

Surprisingly, 41 percent of Americans don’t consider themselves to be knowledgeable and informed on many personal finance topics. For that reason, the Indiana Secretary of State recently launched a new website to help Hoosiers across the state improve their financial literacy.

Indiana Money Wise – found online at www.indianamoneywise.com – is a free, money planning database focused on improving each stage of financial planning for Hoosiers of all ages.

The website caters to specific needs and questions, whether it’s planning for college, saving for retirement or investing your hard earned dollars. Additionally, you can access a complimentary monthly e-magazine that provides timely tips on key topics for financial planning success.

This month’s e-magazine issue discusses back to school savings and planning for college. It also highlights recent financial scams that Hoosiers should be on the lookout for, so they can avoid becoming a victim. These financial resources provided by the Secretary of State are not funded by Hoosiers’ tax dollars, but instead by fines imposed on violators of securities laws.

As the Indiana General Assembly prepares for the next budget session in January, we will continue our prudent and responsible supervision of our state’s finances. I hope you do the same. If you have ideas for Indiana’s continued financial management, please contact me at Senator.Long@iga.in.gov or 800-382-9467.

David Long - IN Dist. 16 Senator

David is a former Republican member of the Indiana State Senate representing the 16th district which encompasses Waynedale. He served as the President Pro Tempore of the Indiana State Senate. David writes the "Straight From The Senate" column for the newspaper. > Read Full Biography > More Articles Written By This Writer