Despite opportunities for increased earnings, more than half of all American households do not own stocks, either directly or through mutual funds or employer retirement savings plans. In addition, about $1.5 trillion currently sits in low-interest bank accounts, losing purchasing power after taxes and inflation. Investing is an important part of the financial planning process. Yet, information overload and busy lives make managing finances successfully a challenge for almost everyone at some point.

To help county residents make the transition from “saver” to “investor” and familiarize them with dozens of specific investment products, Pike County Cooperative Extension offered the basic investing home study course called Investing for Your Future. Fifteen people took part in the first series of Investing for Your Future which consisted of 11 units that covered goal-setting, investment principles like diversification and finding money to invest. Other topics covered specific types of investments, including stocks, fixed-income securities, and mutual funds.

Overall, 70% of participants felt the series was Very Valuable and 30% felt it was Valuable. Of those taking part in the series, 30% had some prior experience with investing, while 50% had a little experience and 20% had no experience.

As a result of participating in this course, participants indicated they learned:

A 1 year Follow-up Evaluation showed that:

• 58% were able to reduce expenses to find money to invest;
  
  
• 33% increased the amount of money they invested monthly;
  
  
• 25% purchased one or more new investments.