By joining an OnLine Study Group you will be making an important choice: to transform your relationship with money. Participating in an OnLine Study Group will help you start implementing the program in Your Money or Your Life. Using this web site, A Study Guide for Groups or Individuals and Your Money or Your Life, your group sessions will be fast-paced, provocative and enjoyable.
Click on the links below to find out more...
By following the Study Guide for Groups or Individuals, reading Your Money or Your Life, doing the homework assignments and sharing your experiences on-line, you will begin to implement the first five steps in the nine-step program and anchor these key steps in your life.
In the process you will:
- Explore your relationship with money.
- Understand better the relationship between money and work.
- Begin to discover what is "enough" for you.
- Change habits, and possibly begin making major life changes.
Here are two keys to making this system work for you:
- Start.
- Keep going.
The objective of these sessions is not to finish. The object is to begin.
All of your on-line activities will be facilitated by a member of the Financial Integrity Speaker's Bureau. They have all followed the nine-step program in Your Money or Your Life for at least six months and they have volunteered to assist others in reaching FI (Financial Independence). You can learn more about the Speaker's Bureau by visiting the Financial Integrity web site. Speaker's Bureau members who serve as OnLine Study Group Hosts receive a modest stipend for their work.
OnLine Study Groups harness the creative energy and effectiveness of group learning and the communication power of the internet to help you improve your relationship with money. The tools provided on this web site will guide your group through a process — using exercises, reflection, discussion, and homework assignments — that will launch you on your journey.
Note, however, that most people who have implemented this program have done so on their own. The added support of a group can help you get started, but the real work on the program happens as you continue doing the steps on your own, or with your family.
Each session includes:
- Overview of the session.
- Group check-in: a chance to share your experience of doing the previous session's assignments.
- Individual exercise(s).
- Group discussion.
- Assignments for the next session.
The Kick-Off and Follow-Up sessions have slightly different formats.
Unlike face-to-face Study Groups, your OnLine Study Group will "meet" on this web site in a password protected "room" and use Your Money or Your Life, a printed copy of A Study Guide for Groups or Individuals and the additional tools provided on this web site — a special on-line edition of the Study Guide, e-mail, Discussion Forums and supporting web sites.
In reality, OnLine Study Groups don't actually "meet." Rather, on or before the date of each "meeting," group participants are expected to visit their Study Group Room to:
- answer the Discussion Forum questions for the day,
- post the results of their homework, and
- obtain their next assignment.
Optionally, on "meeting" days (or any time in-between) group participants are encouraged to participate further in Discussion Forums and exchange e-mail. You can preview a Sample OnLine Study Group Room by clicking here. This free sample includes all assignments; however the Discussion Forum software is available only to registered participants.
Even though you will not meet your fellow study group participants, over the course of the program you will get to know the other people in your study group (and they you) through the Discussion Forum and e-mail. You will also get to know your Host, who is a member of the Financial Integrity Speaker's Bureau and is committed to helping you get off to a good start with the program.
Here is an example of the OnLine Study Group schedule:
| Session | Meeting Dates 7 Weeks + Follow-Up |
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Pre-Session Preparation We strongly suggest listening to the original audio and workbook course: Transforming Your Relationship With Money & Achieving Financial Independence. Why? Doing so will give you an excellent overview of the entire program and context for the sessions ahead. We have also found that many who actively use the program began with the audiotapes or later merged them with the book. |
30 Days Before Kick-Off Session |
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Kick-Off Session Getting to know each other. Begin Step 1. |
Wednesday May 26, 2009 |
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Session 1: Getting Started Begin Step 2: Learn about your money behavior — keep track of every cent you spend. |
Wednesday June 2, 2009 |
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Session 2: Getting Out Of The Money Trap What do you have to show for what you've earned? Continue Step 1: Inventory your stuff. |
Wednesday June 9, 2009 |
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Session 3: What Is Money? Find out what money is and what it costs you. Continue Step 2: Track your life energy. |
Wednesday June 16, 2009 |
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Session 4: Knowing Where Your Money Goes Begin Step 3: Develop catetories for your spending; create a Monthly Tabulation. |
Wednesday June 23, 2009 |
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Session 5: Fulfillment & Purpose Look at your life purpose. Begin Step 4: Ask questions that can change your life. |
Wednesday June 30, 2009 |
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Session 6: Making Life Energy Visible Begin Step 5: Plot your income and expenses on a chart; put it where you will see it every day. |
Wednesday July 7, 2009 |
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Follow-Up Session: Looking At Your Progress Reflect on your experiences and celebrate your progress. |
Wednesday August 11, 2009 |
