Thanks to our volunteers
Next Step KC held a volunteer appreciation event at Union Station to thank our volunteers for their assistance in preparing 2015 tax returns.
We deeply appreciate their wonderful support in helping us help the community.
Next Step KC held a volunteer appreciation event at Union Station to thank our volunteers for their assistance in preparing 2015 tax returns.
We deeply appreciate their wonderful support in helping us help the community.
Money Smart KC has launched a new website that offers easy access to everything financial.
Whether you need to improve your credit, find emergency services, save for retirement or budget for your next purchase, you’ll find it at MoneySmartKC.org.
Discover links to local and national resources, access to live support, events/classes near you and much more for providers AND consumers.
Money Smart will kick off its efforts with a Sat., April 2 event at the Kansas City Central Library from 10:30 to 2:30 pm. Several informative topics will be covered. Download a flyer
Community groups are planning to kick off the 2016 tax season with a community event on Saturday, Jan. 30, 10 am to 4 pm, at Union Station.
Those attending will have an opportunity to have their taxes completed for free (incomes of $54,000 or below).
The event is sponsored by United Way of Greater Kansas City and Next Step KC.
Trained volunteers will be available to help individuals prepare tax returns.
Congratulations to Metro Lutheran Ministry for expanding their program's outreach to Kansas City, KS. Click on the link to learn more: http://www.kckansan.com/2014/11/learning-to-earning-program-officially.html
Next Step KC is enabling more loans, recruiting more referral partners and are pleased to announce we’ve added an additional partnering bank.
Our newest bank is UMB which will provide Small Dollar Loans through three of its branch locations: 6th and Minnesota, Ivanhoe Community Center, and the Plaza.
This video tells the story of California borrowers, but we hear the same stories from local borrowers, too.
By Katie Bryan, America Saves
Do you have $1,000 set aside for emergencies? If you already do, you could probably use another $1,000 in that account. Experts recommend keeping at least three months expenses in a reliable, liquid account – though even an extra $1,000 can be a life-saver. But finding $1,000 to save isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve put together this 4-step plan on how to save $1,000 in 10 months.
Get Started with These 4 Steps
Once you have at least $1,000 in your emergency account, continue your savings success and continue to build your emergency savings or apply that money to a new savings goal. Perhaps you have debt you need to pay down or want to save for a car or home.
No matter what you are saving for, America Saves can support you with tips and advice through emails and text messages. Sign up for these by taking the KC Saves Pledge today.
Katie Bryan works for America Saves, managed by the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America (CFA), which seeks to motivate, encourage, and support low- to moderate-income households to save money, reduce debt, and build wealth. Learn more at americasaves.org.
Did you buy health insurance coverage from the Health Insurance Marketplace? Are you getting advance payments of the premium tax credit to help pay for your 2014 health insurance coverage? If you are, it’s important that you report changes in circumstances, such as changes in your income, marital status or family size, to the Marketplace.
Why? Receiving too much in advance can reduce your refund or even make you owe money when you file your federal tax return in 2015. You should report income and family size changes to the Marketplace when they happen throughout the year. Reporting changes will help make sure you get the proper type and amount of financial assistance rather than getting too much or too little in advance.
The Marketplace makes advance payments of the credit based on an estimate of the credit that you’ll claim on your tax return when you file in 2015. If you report changes in your income or family size to the Marketplace when they happen in 2014, the advance payments will more closely match the credit amount on your 2014 federal tax return. This will help you avoid getting a smaller refund than you expected or even owing money that you did not expect to owe.
From our friends at Apprisen
Independence is the freedom from control: the control from other people, organizations or other states. Yes, even the freedom from the control of money. Money dictates many aspects of our lives – where we live, what kind of car we drive, where we shop. Often times, without realizing how it happened, the decision of where we spend our money could jeopardize our financial dreams. So, as our nation celebrates its independence, it’s time to declare our financial independence. Here are some ways to get started:
The wonderful NextStep KC volunteers has helped 4,600 households prepare state or federal tax returns for FREE (as of March 16) getting $6.8 million in tax refunds.
All of us at Next Step KC would like to send a special thank you to those who joined us for our official launch event. We look forward to the future and making a difference in the financial lives of people in the Kansas City metro area.
We are excited to present our first video promoting the official launch of Next Step KC.
Grace Groner was born in 1909 in rural Illinois. Orphaned at age 12 and never married, she began her career during the Great Depression. She became a secretary, lived in a small cottage, bought used clothes, and never owned a car.
When Groner died in 2010, those close to her were shocked to learn she was worth at least $7 million. Even more amazing, she made it all on her own. The country secretary bought $180 worth of stocks in the 1930s, never sold, and let it compound into a fortune. She left it all to charity.
Join us on November 20 at Hamburger Mary's KC. We'll have a lot of fun playing Ham-Bingo!
Join us as we assist 10,000 Kansas City taxpayers with their preparation needs.
The Kansas City Star, in a Sunday editorial, wrote an extensive piece on Kansas City's direct involvement in the growth of online payday lending.
The editorial states: "This region has embraced the noxious online payday loan industry in a big way." It then lists the direct financial and political involvement by several Kansas City area individuals in online payday lending.Payday lenders, in an effort to avoid tighter state regulation, are going online to provide high-interest lending. The move to online lending is described in a front-page Kansas City Star article.
A recent article - The Real Reason the Poor Go Without Bank Accounts - explores the growing alternative financial services industry including check cashers, payday loans and others. Author Lisa Sevron writes about research in which she worked as a teller at a payday loan to better understand why consumers use them.
The Moneywise Financial Empowerment Tour will be in Kansas City on Saturday, September 21, 2013, 8:30 – 4:30 PM.
The FREE event will be held at St. James United Methodist Church at 5540 Wayne Ave., Kansas City, Mo. 64110.
The event includes several national speakers and covers topics including reducing debt, saving and investments, new housing programs, starting a business and retirement.
The small dollar loan program has been specifically developed to help individuals to provide an alternative to high-cost payday loans and other predator lenders.