The topic I delivered was called, "10 Financial Tips in 30 minutes."   I delivered tips 1 - 5 last week and here are the remaining 5:

Last Tuesday, I had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to speak to a wonderful group of women via the Corning Area Woman's Club.  This club was organized in 1918 and is the oldest women's organization in the Corning area.  For those of you that live in New York, you may recall that the weather that day was less than favorable, yet the room was full of women eager to share in a common goal of fellowship and fundraising.  This was my first introduction to the group, and I was extremely impressed with their organization of the meeting.

I saved this question for the final installment of the mailbag blog because I thought it deserved a separate and focused answer. 

What are steps that someone can take to help financially assist during a lay-off, illness, or another reason that puts them out of work?

•  I love this question – it is at the core of why I decided not to charge people for my services based on assets only.  As Tom Hanks said in the movie Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get." 

Are Christmas clubs a good idea?  When do you open them? What type of financial commitment is necessary?  Or do you have another recommendation for savings?