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SALT LAKE CITY -- With the holiday spending season upon us, it's easy to not realize the damage you've done until the New Year. That's why the Utah Association of CPAs is offering a free class to help you get a fresh start.

Think of the world of financial management like a sports game, only there are no spectators, just players. Bounce a check? Overextend your credit? You're in the penalty box. That's how CPA Sue Lister sees her job.
"We're trying to teach people how to get back in the game, the rules of the game, and help them develop strategies for getting ahead in the game," she said.
Lister is actually retired but works just as hard as before helping educate people about money. The New Year, she says, is the perfect time to start.
Look at any list of New Year's resolutions and there are a few you can count on to be there -- lose weight, get organized and get out of debt.

Lister and the Utah Association of CPAs are offering a free six-week education course that teaches people how to handle money effectively. It starts Jan. 6, right after New Year's. Classes will be held in locations up and down the Wasatch Front and are limited to 15 people.
"By keeping the group small we begin to trust each other, we kinda become each other's support system," Lister said.
They'll tackle topics from goal setting to saving money to improving credit scores. Strong support for an impossible to beat price? It's a banking no brainier.
To sign up for a class, visit ImagineAHappierYou.com.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
