Do you have clear financial goals? Are you confident you will be able to retire someday? How can be sure you are making the right investments? Do you know how to change your credit report to reduce your expenses and increase your financial security? Do you know how to keep good financial records?

This course will prepare you for a lifetime of worthwhile personal financial planning. The tools you will learn are useful, realistic, and easy to work into your regular routine. They will help you gain control over the financial impact of the choices you make. You will learn to create and use a budget, borrow and invest wisely, make intelligent decisions about insurance, and plan for your financial future. You will develop a retirement savings plan, and you will be better prepared to make large purchases and plan for taxes. You will learn the essentials of household bookkeeping, recordkeeping requirements, and much, much more

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Whether you're a small-business owner, bookkeeper, or accountant needing a QuickBooks refresher, this course will make you more confident and secure in accounting for your business.

Introduction to QuickBooks 2016

Learn to manage the financial aspects of your small business quickly and efficiently with this powerful accounting software program. QuickBooks is designed especially for the small- to midsized-business owner who needs a fully functional accounting system that's also easy to use.

In 12 lessons, you'll gain hands-on experience as you master the tools you need set up a chart of accounts; reconcile your checking account; create and print invoices, receipts, and statements; track your payables, inventory, and receivables; create estimates; and generate reports.

Intermediate QuickBooks 2016

In this course, we'll go beyond the basics as you master QuickBooks' more advanced features and applications.

You'll learn to manage multiple company files, export and import list data from one file to another, and make journal entries. If your business handles inventory, you'll learn how to enter price levels and track discounts and credits. You'll even learn how to track mileage on vehicles you use in your business.

This course also covers many other common topics that small business owners encounter, including creating customer statements, assessing finance charges on overdue balances, using QuickBooks' batch invoicing features to create multiple invoices, and writing off past due balances when the customer won't pay.

Finally, you'll learn how to enter common owner transactions, including when the owner takes money out of the business or invests new capital. You'll even learn how to deal with those difficult situations where you may pay for a business transaction using personal cash. The course concludes with a discussion of how to track loans and use the budgeting feature to better plan and control your business.

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In today's online environment, web designers must create websites that are responsive to provide a positive experience in every viewport. These viewports range from small touch-screen environments to large-screen browsers where users interact using a mouse and keyboard. Modern web design requires building sites that are intuitive, inviting, accessible, and attractive in every possible device and environment.

In this course, you will learn to identify and address every aspect of responsive web design: from scaling elements and adjusting page layout, to adapting color schemes and implementing accessible forms. You will master the use of HTML5 linked to media queries in CSS3 to adapt content to fit your user's viewpoint, and see how jQuery Mobile can help you to mobile sites. This course will teach you to design and build fully responsive websites optimized for smartphones, tablets, and laptop/desktop viewing environments.

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When it comes to marketing for small businesses, money isn't everything! In this course, you'll learn how to use the same marketing tricks the big companies employ—without making a big dent in your wallet.

The small business marketing strategies you'll learn will fit into any budget—and some are even free! With the help of videos, spreadsheets, and hands-on activities, you'll build your skills in each lesson. You'll master cost-effective strategies, including strategic partnerships, local marketing, search engine optimization, social networking, email marketing, lead generation, and niche marketing. Along the way, you'll see many real-world examples from other small businesses much like yours.

Whether you're new to advertising or looking for a refresher, this course will make you a marketing pro. And by the time you're done, you'll have a personalized plan of action for increasing your sales—all on a shoestring budget.

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Enhancing your performance on both the SAT/ACT is instrumental in determining your choice of college. This course will prepare you for specific types of questions in Reading, English and Science and give you pointers on time management, anxiety relief, scoring and general standardize test-taking.

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Whether you dream of becoming a full-time author, writing books to advance your career, or penning your memoir or family history, this fun and information-packed course will teach you how to plan, research, write, edit, and publish your masterpiece.

You'll learn how to immerse yourself in your subject and get the information you need from research, interviews, and observation techniques. You'll see how to choose a writing style, structure, and slant that will appeal to your unique audience and keep readers hooked. You will also discover exactly how today's traditional publishing industry works and what techniques you can use—such as crafting standout query letters and proposals—to get noticed by editors and agents. Above all, you'll get invaluable strategies for setting a writing schedule, banishing writer's block, and actually finishing your book! By the end of this course, you'll have all the tools at your fingertips to get your book completed and published!

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Online Cooking with Chris Toy

Join best-selling cookbook author and cooking instructor Chris Toy, as he shows you step by step the secrets to some of his favorite recipes: Five Seasons Wok Roasted Whole Chicken, Wonton Soup, Stir-Fried Hoisin Pork, Egg Rolls and more! Start and finish in your own time! Students will have access to all the videos and Chris’s new cookbook. Get started by viewing all the recipes and online videos. Decide what you’d like to try first, then make a shopping list. Practice, eat, repeat as often as you like.

Upon registration, students will be sent links to access instructional videos as well as Chris’s phone and email information for personalized support.

Registration: $24.99 Includes a copy of Chris’s new cookbook, a $16.95 value!

Class access available until July 31, 2021

New Ventures Maine interactive classes and workshops are available online. Choose a Class to sign up for free online workshops and classes. Classes available include: Starting a Business, Manage your Money and Build your Career.They are not offering in-person classes at this time.

Individual appointments are available by video conference or phone. For more information you can email karleen.andrews@maine.edu or call her at (207) 557-1885.