1– It’s YOUR money. You’ve earned it. The first step is to find out if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). To see the 2008 Earned Income Tax Credit Requirements, click here For more information, call United Way 2-1-1 by dialing 2-1-1 or 1-904-632-0600 (Out of Area call 1-866-318-0211). 2– It’s YOUR money. Claim it. If you think you may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), go to one of our FREE Tax Preparation Sites with your W-2 form. IRS-trained volunteers will prepare and e-file your taxes for free, so you’ll have your refund in 10 business days or fewer. 3– It’s YOUR money. Learn about it. You can benefit from free financial classes to help you learn about budgeting, savings plans, credit restoration strategies, and more. The “Get Checking” class offers a completion certificate, which will help you open a bank account even if you’ve had problems with financial institutions before. Other classes will help you qualify for an Individual Development Account 4– It’s YOUR money. Save it. Once your taxes have been prepared, you need to decide what to do with your tax refund. Whether you want to save for your education, a car, your first home, or to start a business, there are programs to help you make the most of your savings. The IRS Split Refund option allows you to electronically deposit your refund to as many as 3 different bank accounts. To encourage long-term savings, the volunteers at the VITA locations will present a number of financial products available to you. With a completion certificate from one of our classes, you could be eligible for an Individual Development Account that matches every dollar you save by 2-to-1 or more. Now it’s up to you. Set your goals and start saving with Real$ense. More about Individual Development Accounts Khristine Gray, in the accounting department of United Way of Northeast Florida tells—in her own words—how the Real$ense Prosperity Campaign changed her thinking—and her life. I was 19, it was January 31, and the W-2 finally made its way into my hand. A low annual income combined with having a dependent child to claim ensured that a refund awaited me, so I eagerly headed to the nearest “here today gone tomorrow” tax preparation office. Iwas given the option of receiving my money as a Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL) the next day or receiving it within a few weeks from the IRS. A lack of patience and financial knowledge always persuaded me to opt for the RAL. A $300.00 “convenience fee” from a $3000.00 tax return never seemed like a bad trade to me, so that was my annual routine each tax season for the next seven years. In 2006, I became a part of United Way of Northeast Florida as a 2-1-1 Information and Referral Specialist. During the tax season, we provided information to callers about the RealSense Prosperity Campaign, an initiative of United Way that provided many services to working people, including free income tax preparation, free financial education classes, and matched savings accounts, called Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). One particular day I decided to take a closer look at the webpage that I so frequently gave to others. My eyes were immediately drawn to the section that discussed the matched savings program and I saw that one of the options for the savings was to complete a post-secondary education degree. As I read about it, I remembered my thoughts a few months earlier when, while sitting in an evening class during a lecture, I wondered how I would ever be able to complete my education even though I wanted to so badly. How, I wondered with tears streaming down my face, could I—as a single woman raising future women—effectively convey the importance of attaining an education if I didn’t lead by example? The RealSense webpage that day provided me with hope, but more important, with a will. And as we all know, where there is a will—there is always a way. I enrolled into a MoneySmart course with Ms. Wanda Davis at the Jacksonville Urban League and she helped me create a budget. Then, I enrolled in the IDA program and I am proud to inform you that I have received my associate’s degree—a degree that I completed with honors. And with the assistance provided by RealSense and the IDA program, I look forward to entering UNF’s accounting program in the fall. In addition to enrolling in the IDA program and MoneySmart course, I have also received free tax preparation assistance at St. Matthew’s Christian Community Care Center for the past 3 years. Since RealSense has contributed so much toward the betterment of my life, I was inspired to volunteer as a greeter during the 2008 tax season. And even better, my family has seen the benefit of the RealSense program as well. My mother recently began taking a MoneySmart course and my grandmother is making preparations to have someone from the RealSense Speaker’s Bureau come and speak to her congregation. Although the free tax preparation services are an important aspect of the RealSense Prosperity Campaign, in my opinion it’s only one small piece of a bigger picture. Therefore, I am personally working to encourage everyone I meet to get involved with RealSense and to encourage their friends and family to take advantage of the free tax preparation, the free financial courses, the IDA program, and most importantly, to volunteer so that we can all play an active role in helping our community become “MoneySmart” through acquiring financial “RealSense”.