Scenario

Imagine that you're a single parent raising a child. You live in a small town where you grew up and went to school. You've worked at a local bank for 4 years, starting as a teller and advancing to the position of loan officer. You earn $50,000 a year. After you pay taxes and deposit a portion of your earnings into your 401(K) retirement account, your take-home pay is $40,375 a year.

You feel like you have great job security and enough income, so you've decided that now is the time to begin saving for a financial goal. You're creating a budget to help you do that. You also happen to be in a situation where you need to move. You plan to choose a new housing option that will help you achieve your financial goal.

My financial goal is to save $25,000 for education (personal, child, family, etc.) over a time frame of ten years.

• List and describe the steps you will take to create a financial plan and budget.