Russ Jablonsky, AAMS Financial Advisor 739 Clark St., Medford 715 748 6366 FINANCIAL FOCUS Three Stops On the Road To Financial Stability payments by your monthly gross income to calculate your debt-toincome ratio. If youâre paying a mortgage, try to keep this ratio to 35 percent or less. Without a mortgage, try for 20 percent or less. Achieving financial stability doesnât happen overnight â it takes a journey. And, as with every journey, youâll need to make some stops along the way. These stops, or milestones, can tell you how far youâve gone â and where you need to go next. Milestone 3: Keep moving forward Milestone 1: Build a foundation When youâre first starting on your financial journey â typically, when you are beginning your career â youâll want to build a foundation by acting on key issues, such as saving, paying down debts and investing for the future. Here are some suggestions: ⢠Start your emergency fund. Eventually, youâd like to have several monthsâ worth of living expenses kept in a liquid, low-risk account to deal with unexpected costs, such as large medical bills or a major car repair. For now, though, at least try to put away a few hundred dollars or a monthâs worth of expenses. To make it easier, have some money moved automatically each month from a checking or savings account into your emergency fund. ⢠Take your employerâs match. Contribute enough to your 401(k) and health savings account (HSA) to earn your employerâs matching contribution, if one is offered. ⢠Pay down your higher-rate debt. Try to pay down as much high-interest, non-deductible debt as you can afford. If possible, refinance debt at lower interest rates. As you move into your middle years â and beyond â itâs time to further solidify your financial situation and keep making progress toward a comfortable retirement. These moves can help: ⢠Maintain your emergency fund. By now, you should be able to keep up to six monthsâ worth of expenses in your emergency fund. A sizable emergency fund can help you if you need to switch jobs, and enable you to meet larger expenses without dipping into your long-term investments. ⢠Review your retirement goals. At this stage of your life, you should review your retirement goals regularly to determine whether youâre still on track toward meeting them. If you arenât, you may need to adjust your investment strategies. Of course, your goals may have changed over time, and this, too, may require adjustments on your part. You may want to work with a financial professional who can suggest appropriate moves to help you on your way. Reaching all these milestones will take diligence and commitment â but it will be worth the effort in helping you on your journey toward financial stability. Milestone 2: Gain a better foothold This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors cannot provide tax or legal advice. You should consult your attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation. Once youâve got your financial foundation in place, and youâre established in your career, consider these steps to gain an even better foothold: ⢠Continue building your emergency fund. Try to get at least a couple of monthsâ expenses in this fund. ⢠Put away more into your retirement accounts. If you can, try to put anywhere from 10 percent to 15 percent of your gross income into your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan. ⢠Check your debt-to-income ratio. Divide your monthly debt Making Sense of Investing 166965 Russ Jablonsky, AAMS Financial Advisor 739 Clark St., Medford 715 748 6366 FINANCIAL FOCUS Three Stops On the Road To Financial Stability payments by your monthly gross income to calculate your debt-toincome ratio. If youâre paying a mortgage, try to keep this ratio to 35 percent or less. Without a mortgage, try for 20 percent or less. Achieving financial stability doesnât happen overnight â it takes a journey. And, as with every journey, youâll need to make some stops along the way. These stops, or milestones, can tell you how far youâve gone â and where you need to go next. Milestone 3: Keep moving forward Milestone 1: Build a foundation When youâre first starting on your financial journey â typically, when you are beginning your career â youâll want to build a foundation by acting on key issues, such as saving, paying down debts and investing for the future. Here are some suggestions: ⢠Start your emergency fund. Eventually, youâd like to have several monthsâ worth of living expenses kept in a liquid, low-risk account to deal with unexpected costs, such as large medical bills or a major car repair. For now, though, at least try to put away a few hundred dollars or a monthâs worth of expenses. To make it easier, have some money moved automatically each month from a checking or savings account into your emergency fund. ⢠Take your employerâs match. Contribute enough to your 401(k) and health savings account (HSA) to earn your employerâs matching contribution, if one is offered. ⢠Pay down your higher-rate debt. Try to pay down as much high-interest, non-deductible debt as you can afford. If possible, refinance debt at lower interest rates. As you move into your middle years â and beyond â itâs time to further solidify your financial situation and keep making progress toward a comfortable retirement. These moves can help: ⢠Maintain your emergency fund. By now, you should be able to keep up to six monthsâ worth of expenses in your emergency fund. A sizable emergency fund can help you if you need to switch jobs, and enable you to meet larger expenses without dipping into your long-term investments. ⢠Review your retirement goals. At this stage of your life, you should review your retirement goals regularly to determine whether youâre still on track toward meeting them. If you arenât, you may need to adjust your investment strategies. Of course, your goals may have changed over time, and this, too, may require adjustments on your part. You may want to work with a financial professional who can suggest appropriate moves to help you on your way. Reaching all these milestones will take diligence and commitment â but it will be worth the effort in helping you on your journey toward financial stability. Milestone 2: Gain a better foothold This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC Edward Jones, its employees and financial advisors cannot provide tax or legal advice. You should consult your attorney or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation. Once youâve got your financial foundation in place, and youâre established in your career, consider these steps to gain an even better foothold: ⢠Continue building your emergency fund. Try to get at least a couple of monthsâ expenses in this fund. ⢠Put away more into your retirement accounts. If you can, try to put anywhere from 10 percent to 15 percent of your gross income into your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan. ⢠Check your debt-to-income ratio. Divide your monthly debt Making Sense of Investing 166965
The Medford Area Middle School Band would like to share a big thank you to all of our business/foundation donors as well as individuals who have supported the program via their Mattress or Kwik Trip Card Fundraiser. Individuals and organizations who have donated to the MAMS band program are: Medford Education Association, The Classes of 67-72, Patrick Marsh Foundation, Weather Shield LITE Foundation, Forward Bank, Nathan Bilodeau, AnnMarie Grant, and Purple Mattress. âIf you see people from these organizations, please thank them! We have been able to raise about $8,500 through donations/grants and $7,000 through fundraisers. The generous support of our community has allowed us to purchase: 2 piccolos, 4 clarinets, 4 alto saxophones, 1 tenor saxophone, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, and a bass drum stand,â said middle school band teacher Kendra Junk. âThese instruments are going directly into the hands of the students. The best part of being able to provide new instruments is how excited students get when they receive a new and working instrument,â she said. They consistently have instruments that need to be repaired and are often coming back from repair with a higher repair cost than the value of the instrument. They have several instruments in student hands right now that are functioning enough to work but are not in great shape. If you would like to donate to the MAMS band program, would like to read more about the condition of our instruments, or to see the complete list of donors please visit: https://bit.ly/SupportMAMSBand. âAs always thank you for your support of the MAMS Band Program,â Junk said. SUBMITTED
The Medford Area Senior High School Choir traveled to Holy Rosary Catholic Church on March 16 to put on a choir performance. Pieces including traditional arrangements as well as the choir members surrounding the audience with their voices. ALEX WILSON/THE STAR NEWS
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