Bill Gearhart: Hi I am Bill Gearhart, Director of Financial Services for AAA. The final aspect of building a sound saving strategy is how you can start setting and achieving your financial goals. I have ten tips to share with you.

Tip one, be honest with yourself. Make savings a part of your budget without committing more of your resources than you can truly afford. Maybe right now you are only ready to make a small change such as switching a portion of your checking account to a money market, account that pays higher interest. It's a start!

Tip two, good news; you have already made some progress on tip two by watching this video series. Educate yourself about your options and the resources available to you.

Tip three, diversify your portfolio. Include investments with long term pay-offs and some with more media benefits such as CDs.

Tip four, understand your risks. That includes potential fees, penalties and tax implications of taking early withdrawals.

Tip five, if you have high interest credit card debt, make it a priority to pay it off. This is money that can be working for you as an investment.

Tip six; look for savings opportunities through affiliations such as Credit Union at your job or your AAA membership.

Tip seven, keep accurate records. Hold on to financial statements. When you contribute to your IRA, write the tax here on the check. Keep track of the dates when your CD is mature.

Tip eight; diversifying assets is a good idea. But consider consolidating savings with one organization. Do your homework and see if you'll benefit.

Tip nine; consider using a laddering strategy when investing in CDs. By staging your investment over the years you'll probably out-earn an investor who puts one long sum into one CD. And tip ten, get help, ask your financial planner or your task consultant about any definitions or terms or conditions before you sign any paperwork.

AAA offers the information in this video series for educational purposes only. Carefully consider objectives, risks, expenses and tax implications before investing. These tips are a good starting point but the more you learn about managing your investments, the more you can take advantage of the opportunities that bring you closer to your financial goals.

Thanks for watching this video series and good luck with your saving strategy.