Starting Off the Financial New Year with a Win (Or, Who Wants to Win an iPad?)

This is a guest post, written by Denisse Dubrovsky of the Doorways to Dreams (D2D) Fund.  We recently partnered with D2D Fund to promote the savings bond purchase option at this event on Capitol Hill. D2D Fund has several exciting promotions on-going through the tax filing season, read more below.

Tax Time is the financial New Years–we fill out forms, declare earnings, and are forced to think about our financial behavior throughout the past year. However, just as on January 1st we often make a list of empty resolutions, it’s not until we take that first step that we really commit to healthy change. For low-income households, or those looking to start saving, the tax refund can play a critical role in helping tax filers commit and take the first step towards savings and debt management. D2D Fund is offering two contests which aim to help tax filers think about this important first step: the BondsMakeitEasy #WhenIGrowUp contest and the Refund Rush highest score prize.

The availability and ease of buying and gifting Savings Bonds on the tax return can make the decision to save even more tangible. Importantly, the ability to gift bonds directly from one’s tax return provides a significant savings incentive–the idea of gifting future dreams for loved ones often leads non-savers to save. In order to remind tax filers that savings bonds can be the key to their loved ones’ dreams, the Bonds Make it Easy contest encourages families to think about their own dreams. One lucky winner, chosen from submissions of a one minute or less video of your child discussing her dreams for the future, will receive $1,000 in US Savings Bonds. For more on the contest and Tax Time Savings Bonds Campaign, visit the BondsMakeItEasy site. 

The tax refund provides a critical decision point that can influence retirement savings and debt management as well. To encourage tax filers to best assess their needs, D2D Fund is running a second contest for the highest scorer on Refund Rush. D2D Fund’s newest financial entertainment title, Refund Rush challenges the player to make the best decisions about how to split refunds. Clients in the game often face common challenges to savings, like having outstanding debt or not having a bank account. This fun, fast-paced game comes with important financial lessons and adding to the fun is that the highest scoring player between now and April 15 will win an Apple iPad. Details on the game and the contest are available here. Or just click Refund Rush to start playing straight away.

Whether saving for oneself, gifting dreams or managing debt, tax time savings can be the impetus to year round savings and improved financial stability. In honor of tax season, here is to a financially healthy and fit New Year starting out with only wins.