Arlington Community Education

Are you ready to “cut the cable?” Watching TV has changed over the last 20 years. Now you can choose from hundreds of channels and watch TV on just about any electronic device at any time, anywhere. Explore all the ways you can watch now: traditional cable, over the air, streaming, and live TV over the Internet. We will discuss some of the pros and cons of each and whether your TV is “smart enough,” or if you will need additional hardware to use the Internet services. There will be demonstrations and time for your questions.

Advanced Concepts This class is for those who have already taken Estate Planning Essentials or who have a solid knowledge of estate planning basics. We will dive deeper into end-of-life planning. We’ll cover how to structure trusts for children and heirs to support them on their life journeys, while still encouraging their personal growth and achievement. We’ll then discuss additional tax planning techniques to minimize estate and capital gains taxes, potential new tax law changes, as well as charitable giving tools that can build family unity and shared purpose. Please note: This is an online class. Prepare for Long Term Care As we get older, many of us wrestle with important questions: Do I want to age in place or move to a new living environment? What will my health needs require? What can I afford? This class will focus on leveraging your assets to provide for your best possible care, while also protecting assets for children or other heirs. 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. Please note: This is an online class.

Conquer your money worries and learn to organize your finances with a simple framework. 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 of life’s milestones. We’ll explore the impact of debt on your personal finances and review strategies for paying it off. With a pathway to a debt-free future, we’ll move on to your most powerful wealth building tool: budgeting. Learn how to allocate money so you can balance priorities and save intentionally. We’ll also demystify the process of saving for retirement and focus on how employer-based retirement programs work and ways that you can save on your own. Leave class with a plan in place to secure your financial future.

Do you feel stuck in your current job or career unable to grow to the next level? While the tech landscape is hot in Boston, opportunities abound for nontechnical professionals too. Learn about how you can transition your career and enjoy the high salary, benefits, and perks of a technology company. In this class, you will learn about types of tech companies and identify how your current skills can be a great asset by using skills matrix methodology. You will learn the tools and processes to build a strong resume and get practice time with a hiring manager who will share tips on making connections.

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.

You can’t afford to miss this course! Get empowered to make educated and informed decisions about your investments: how to allocate assets, choose equity ETFs, pick new stocks, and manage a stock portfolio. Develop your skills as an amateur “equity analyst” and learn how to monitor the performance of a professional mutual fund manager or advisor. Topics include understanding the stock-picking wisdom of iconic investors such as Peter Lynch and Warren Buffett, using online resources like Google and Yahoo Finance, and managing an existing portfolio of stocks that may already contain strong winners or significant underperformers. We’ll also cover financial ratios, reading a basic balance sheet, and recognizing an undervalued vs. overvalued stock.

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 call or email (communityed@arlington.k12.ma.us) the ACE office to learn more and register.

Get personalized help with planning, executing and enhancing your website. This one-on-one website mentoring will help give you direction on how to create an impactful website that includes engaging content that speaks to your distinct customers and help build your brand. We work together to prioritize which efforts to work on first. Our marketing expert will meet you virtually for one two hour session. Times are flexible; please call or email the ACE office to learn more and register.

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.

Considering starting a podcast? These spoken word audio episodes are an enriching way to express yourself creatively, complement business goals, and create deeper connections with an audience. Whether for marketing purposes or simply as a side-project, podcasts provide an awesome avenue to cement yourself as an expert. This class will help you choose the kind of podcast you want to create, benchmark what exists, and create a unique concept. Find out what equipment you may need to create and run a podcast, and learn to build and plan a seasonal roadmap. Get introduced to the tools you will need to manage your podcast and discuss best practices. Please note: Bring your own laptop to each class for editing purposes.

This seminar is designed for people who may qualify for public health programs and want to learn more about MassHealth, Prescription Advantage, Medicare Savings Programs, Low Income Subsidy, and Health Safety Net. Led by Elaine Miller, a certified MassHealth counselor and Medicare specialist, attendees will learn current income and asset guidelines, other eligibility requirements, and how to apply for a specific program designed to help low to moderate income people with their health related costs. Please note: Computer and/or internet access can be supplied in order to take this class.

Boost your career by learning the most popular programming language in the world, Python. Used by nearly every business out there, it is easy to learn and will help upgrade your career and open the door to new possibilities. We’ll also cover the basics of data science, another vital career skill. Learn how to understand data and gain knowledge using scientific methods, processes, and algorithms. Each session will combine lecture and practice time, leaving you with the skills to program in Python and analyze a data set like a data scientist. Programming and computer science are the future, and this class will provide the tools you need to get started and go to the next level. Please note: Bring your own laptop to each class.

Turn your great idea for addressing a local or global need into a successful 501(c)(3) organization. Get an overview of general nonprofit governance topics: crafting a mission statement, writing a business plan, obtaining pro bono assistance, navigating legal and human resource issues (including board and volunteer management), and developing a sustainable fundraising plan. We’ll also address more technical aspects: writing bylaws, incorporating in Massachusetts, understanding IRS requirements (or working successfully with a fiscal agent), and staying “in compliance.”

Get one-on-one help with your smartphone, tablet, or computer, and whichever computer or software applications are trying your patience. Our instructor will meet with you virtually or in-person to help troubleshoot and answer questions about MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), communications (email, Facebook), how to organize your desktop, and more. You may need to provide your own laptop or device for this single, two-hour session. Sessions must be scheduled in advance. Times and location are flexible; please call or email the ACE office to learn more and register. Additional fee may apply for travel outside Arlington.

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.

WordPress is a user-friendly and customizable platform that lets you create a website, make changes easily, and indefinitely. No need to be a programming wizard to learn how to use it. Whether you have a website you’d like to learn how to manage better or you have an idea for a site or blog, we’ll cover everything you need to get started. Start by setting a theme, then we’ll learn how to customize it with images, videos, and unique text. Become familiar with creating dropdown menus, links, and more for a professional appearance. Review how to choose a domain, and the tools involved in building a unique website. Leave the course with a working site that you can manage yourself. Please note: Bring your own laptop to each class. To get the most from this course, you must be familiar with how to use a personal computer and be comfortable with the internet.

Do you love writing and have a passion for a cause? Learn how to write a winning grant proposal that will secure funding for your favorite nonprofit or research organization. Grant writing is both an art and a science, and you will have the chance to explore both the science of structuring a request and the art of capturing the reader’s attention by writing your own proposal in this class. Millions of dollars are available each year from foundations and private corporations and we’ll discuss how to access these grant opportunities. We’ll also explore the ins and outs of logic models, budgets, and time task tables. Whether you're looking to start a new career as a grant writer or build upon existing skills, this class will help you capture the attention—and financial support—of donors.

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.

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.