Arlington Community Education

Are you daunted by getting in front of an audience of coworkers, colleagues, or customers to give presentations? This class will show how to engage and inform your audience, not bore, confuse, or exasperate them. You'll learn how to tailor the content to the audience and the setting, eliminate distractions, and expertly use technology, including recognizing when to skip it. We’ll cover time management and other preparation that will make things go smoother on the day of the event, whether you are presenting on your own or as part of a larger panel. This workshop is appropriate for anyone who has yet to give their first presentation or who wants to improve their skills for either in-person or online audiences.

Do you feel stuck in your vocational or avocational pursuits and unable to focus on what you want to do next, much less how to get there? Explore possibilities within the framework of the book Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. Discover the tools and processes that will both challenge and enable you to connect with your authentic self, explore possibilities, understand what brings meaning to your work life, and map out an iterative plan to explore your next steps. Participation, an open mindset, and some homework are essential to this small-group class. Whether you’re 25 or 75, you can discover the joy of meaningful work (paid or not) and how to move toward it.

This class will focus on leveraging your assets to provide for your best possible care, while also protecting assets for children or other heirs. As we age, we face the possibility of contracting chronic or acute medical conditions that may require short-term or long-term assistance. This can be very expensive. For example, a nursing home can cost $15,000 or more per month. Primary payment sources for long-term care coverage in a nursing home, assisted living or home setting are private pay, long-term care insurance, reverse mortgages and MassHealth (Medicaid). There are a dizzying array of options and technical rules that make this a complex planning area, filled with opportunities and pitfalls. Learn about various long term care planning strategies, and the pros and cons of each. This discussion will include the eligibility rules of the MassHealth program, and asset protection strategies available to those engaging in advance or last-minute planning.

Conquer your money worries and learn to organize your finances with a simple framework that will help you accomplish your goals. Whether you are just starting out your career, or in your prime income years, optimizing the management of your household finances can reduce stress and position your family to confidently navigate all life milestones. With these guidelines, learn how and why to budget, pay off and avoid debt, save, and invest. Jump-start your financial life with these principles that will serve you—and your family—well over your lifetime.

Writing a winning grant proposal can be a fundamental avenue of support for your nonprofit’s project, program, or capital need. Discover what kinds of grant opportunities are out there and how to access the millions of dollars offered every year from foundations and private corporations. Through this class, you will learn how to conceptualize and write your own proposal for a nonprofit of your choice. You will also learn about logic models, budgets and time task tables. This class is applicable to new grant writers and those with experience who want to sharpen their skills.

This one-evening class, led by a state certified Medicare benefits counseling professional, is designed for those who are either new to Medicare, planning for retirement, or caregiving for elders who need insurance information. Learn how the four parts of Medicare work together to provide comprehensive health insurance coverage; where, when and how to enroll in Medicare Part A and B; how to avoid late enrollment penalties; and find the best supplement plans available using the Medicare Planfinder tool. Students will receive a SHINE kit with information about Medicare and other health care plan choices/costs available to Massachusetts residents.

Get introduced to the most widely used program in today’s job market: Microsoft Office. We will look at the three main applications: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Learn how each program is organized, where to find things, and some of the basic functions. We will create word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation documents and go over some basic functions in each type of document. Get tips and resources for learning more online. This class applies to all versions of Office since 2010 for both Windows and Macintosh. Experience using personal computers is strongly recommended.

Get one-on-one help with either QuickBooks desktop or Quick-Books Online. This training is ideal for new QuickBooks users who need help getting their company file set up correctly, or existing users who want advice on how to get the most from the software. Our certified local QuickBooks expert will meet with you virtually for a single, two-hour session. Sessions must be scheduled in advance. Times are flexible; please email the ACE office at communityed@arlington.k12.ma.us to learn more and register.

Caregiving for an older adult touches the vast majority of us in some way, which is why it is so important to be prepared. Lack of preparation can have a negative impact on so many aspects of our lives, including mental and physical health, loss of social connections, and reduced or lost income. This class will provide you with a better understanding of the aging experience and how to initiate a conversation about it. Learn to develop an effective action plan tailored to the older person’s needs; find out about a wide range of resources and services available in the community for older adults and caregivers; and gain caregiver coping skills.

Many people start their post-divorce life not fully understanding the financial impact of their settlement. It's hard enough adapting to a new life reality, but even harder to adjust to a new standard of living, new asset level, and new financial goals. This course will help you focus on the key issues that will allow you to settle into a financially successful post-divorce life. It is usually more effective to plan sooner, ideally before the agreement is final. You will start to develop the architecture of the financial plan for the rest of your life including managing your spending plan, your debt, and your assets. You will come out more confident about the future with a clear roadmap of what you need to do to get back on track.

Vacation homes often represent some of a family’s most cherished memories and legacies for children and grandchildren. However, planning for their transfer to the next generation can be messy and lead to significant family conflict. Also, adding your children as co-owners to your vacation home during your lifetime can have significant negative tax consequences, as well as expose your treasured home to your children’s creditors. With ample time for questions, we will review issues such as: Who can be an owner? How are decisions to be made regarding repairs and upkeep? Who can use the home and when? How do we fund future costs? We will cover planning techniques that create a smooth transition of your family home while protecting this family asset for generations to come.

The Shark Investor is a must-take class for investors seeking to turbo-drive their stock and ETF picks. The course applies principles gleaned from television’s Shark Tank to public market investing. From Mark Cuban to Lori Grenier to “Mr. Wonderful,” students will learn how to think like a shark when considering stocks: sizing up a CEO, scrutinizing a business model, and projecting business trends. The class moves on to learning how to pick “category killers” such as Starbucks, Lululemon, Google, Facebook and other household names. The class also covers the six equity ETFs that have trounced the S&P 500. Lastly, we’ll discuss one of the least understood aspects of investing: when to sell? If you’re looking to outperform the market averages, the Shark Investor is essential! Please note: This class is appropriate for all levels, no prior experience necessary.

Learn essential website best practices as well as key structural and content elements that will captivate your audience. We’ll look at how visitors navigate through the site, what your content conveys, whether you might be missing any lead generation opportunities, and more. This class is designed for both those who have an existing website or are in the process of creating one. Through a series of lectures and hands-on approaches, this class will help you design a website that not only looks good but effectively captures what your unique business is all about. Co-sponsored by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce Check out our take both website class options: Take Both Website Classes & Save.

Financial aid goes to families who plan and act in advance–before December of the child’s sophomore year of high school. Learn how to maximize your financial aid by understanding the process and why implementing strategies may increase a family’s eligibility even if you have a “high income” or own a business. All schools are not alike, so it is important to know your options and opportunities. A free financial aid analysis will be available to all attendees. Visit collegefundingadvisors.com

Think you know everything about your mobile device? Come find out so much more—fun and useful text messaging features, a new keyboard, document scanner, new “Do not Disturb” functions, password sharing, many new features in Photos and Siri, a more useful Reminders App, and much more. For those who have basic working knowledge of their iPhone or iPad and who want to take advantage of even more of what their device has to offer.