The City of Surprise and various other financial institutions will continue to offer financial fitness courses free to Surprise residents and employees. These classes have been very popular, and all attendees have made positive comments concerning content and usefulness.

Upcoming course offerings are posted on the city calendar.

For more information about the Financial Fitness classes, please contact Ruby Sitea at 623-222-3242 or ruby.sitea@surpriseaz.gov.

Past Class Offerings

Estate Planning Basics

• What an estate plan is and who needs one
• Strategies and concepts of estate planning
• Pros and cons of the probate process
• How the gift tax and generation skipping transfer tax works.

Tax Planning

• Tax planning vs. tax preparation
• Formula for determining one’s tax liability
• Current tax law changes
• Most common tax mistakes made by most people
• The impact of taxes on investments and qualified plan distributions

Home Financing

• Pre-Qualification vs.  Pre-Approval
• Loan process
• Banker vs. Broker
• Good faith estimate closing costs
• Mortgage myths
• Tips every buyer must know

College Planning

• What an estate plan is and who needs one
• Strategies and concepts of estate planning
• Pros and cons of the probate process
• How the gift tax and generation skipping transfer tax works.

Wills & Trusts Workshop

• The four main estate documents every individual should have
• The difference between a will and a trust
• Pros and cons of the probate process
• Key points about the 2009 Arizona Trust Code