Money Smart is an excellent computer program that has helped me a lot, since it has given me knowledge about some simple financial issues that I did not know.  I learned how a bank works and how all its resources can help me.  For instance, if I want to buy a car or a house, I can go to them and ask them all the questions I have concerning it.  I learned how important my credit is, and what I can do to improve it.  Now I know how to ask for a credit report and why it is important to ask for one at least once a year.  I did it, and I realized that I have some problems with my credit because it seems somebody else is using my credit. Finally, I think Money Smart is a wonderful tool to learn about finances and how to put that knowledge in practice every day in my own life.

I am very satisfied with what I have learned in this program.  I can apply this knowledge in my everyday life, and I have already corrected many financial mistakes I have made that caused me to fall behind in achieving the financial goals I had set for myself.

I opened a bank account, but I didn’t know how to make good use of it and the bank closed it.  I felt very bad, and I thought all my dreams were gone, I could not send money to my mother,  it was difficult to cash checks, this situation brought financial hardship to me. After a while I decided to look for help, and that’s when I came to this program.  For me, the program has opened all the doors to the financial systems, and I have learned how to proceed correctly to meet my financial needs.

My first step was to open a new bank account. I applied all the knowledge I had acquired to make sure I opened the right account . I also  bought a calendar log to keep track of and control my expenses using a budget plan. At the end of the month I am  able to compare my budget to my real expenses. Now, I can analyze all my expenses and eliminate certain products or services that are unnecessary.

I learned how to manage my money, to reduce my expenses and increase my savings so that I could reach my goal: to buy a home.  Since I did not know how to use credit cards wisely  the results were negative.  I was paying too much interest.  I learned how to manage my credit better and learned the process to repair my credit.  I now know how to use bank loans to buy property.

This is a great program that can help everyone to improve their lives.  I am very grateful to Miami Dade College and the staff responsible for programs such as Working Solutions.

I did the closing on my property but thanks to Money Smart I changed my mind about refinancing.

I was receiving a lot of mail with good offers from different companies which would not check my credit or my income.  To me all of this was great until I did the Money Smart program, which taught me that if the offer sounded too good to be true I would end up paying a high price for it. I now know that it is much better to keep a record of how I spend my money, because I tend to forget little things that, however, add up.

I also learned what a bank teller does, what other bank employees do, because when I used to walk into a bank lobby I felt like an idiot just standing there, wanting to run away.

Now I know better and I know who I need to see at a bank, what to tell them, and what my needs are.