The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-04
WHAT GIRL SHOULD
 DO WITH SAVINGS

If girls salary or wages makes possible a margin of saving, if self denial Is practiced, what method will she find easiest, not only to begin but to continue? Miss Olive Van Horn, whose series of talks for business girls on these and kindred topics at the Smith College club has aroused much discussion, has many practical suggestions to offer. Miss Van Horn is the national industrial secretary for the Young Women's Christian association. As such she not only directs the national work for and by self-supporting girls of industry. but knows first hand their hours, their wages, their working conditions and obstacles they encounter on the road to success.
 "A magical or easy way to save." she repeated with aslaugh when seen at her office at 500 Lexington ave- nue. T only wish that there was any, thing so fascinating! At first most girls are only able to save at all by being attracted into saving for a definite object, such as a fur coat or some other coveted purchase. Yet while Christmas clubs and vacation savings are not really permanent savings at all if spent, they serve to encourage many girls to get the sav- ing habit. The girl who can keep her first $100 in the bank after she gets it there is the one who has a future"
 AS for the safe and best yielding investment after this first savings bank step, Miss Van Horn cited many others. Endowment life insurance. United States treasury notes and building and loan associations "The big advantage of such investments to most girls Is the fact that payments on all of these regularly fall due," she began. CT cannot save, but can pay my bills as one girl put it, seems to make the whole difference. The amount that you resolutely in tend to put aside each month all too often Is subject to acute fluctuations as you see something that you wish to buy or to do. This girl had joined a building and loan association and the monthly payments or bills as she called them, had become a recog- nized and a fixed part of her monthly expense.
 Before starting to pay for bonds on the instalment plan, look we'll into the interest and how much of your monthly payment actually goes into the bond or principal. Often when you have saved your first $250 it is far better to get your bank to pur- chase bond for you. On this you pay your s250 as first payment, the bank carrying the rest as a loan, you paying monthly instalments. The big advantage of this is that the in- terest on the bond becomes your own with the first payment and will pay the interest on your loan from the bank. In this way your loan costs you nothing.
 In a building and loan association you can pay a stipulated monthly pay ment drawing such excellent interest that at the end of the stated period of some years you have several thousand dollars at your disposal. Payments run as low as $5, $10 or $15 monthly.
 The endowment insurance policy was also warmly recommended as savings investment. The sooner a girl takes out policy the cheaper it Is and the more quickly it will ma ture.' How else can savings heavily protect your dependents in case of your death as well as accomplishing in large sum at the end of the stated period?" asks Miss Van Horn, Aside from this life insurance pol icy Is an excellent investment as col lateral for loan in emergency need" Another investment for the moder- ately salaried young woman Is build ing or buying a house, that is if she has a family or living arrangements | that will enable her to live in it and cut off her furnished room or apart ment rent. "A house on a modest scale that will not unduly overburden her. if bought on the building and loan plan. Is one of the best invest ments." she continued. After a few years when 50 per cent of it's assessed value has been paid off, it is DOS. sible to take out a permanent first mortgage. At this enviable point in her savings career a womans rent or its equivalent In payment are no longer necessary. or at least they are greatly reduced Aside from taxes her sole carrying expenses becomes comparatively small yearly inter. est. Building, house, of course, is only possible Tor the woman who has accumulated her first few hundreds of dollars which can go toward her first payment. After that her month- ly payments are usually considerably less than she has been paying out in rent. Not every girl, of course, has hundreds of dollars already banked, but that is the point toward which she should strive at the earli- est possible moment that her budget allows for margin above sufficient good wholesome food and adequate clothes that enable her to present a pleasing appearance"
 After that point comes for the