Financial Literacy Resources for Residents and Small Businesses

By Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul

Assemblywomen Luanne Peterpaul and Margie Donlon

April is Financial Literacy Month and we want to make sure Legislative District 11 residents and small businesses are aware of free services available to help them plan and manage their finances as we navigate the choppy waters of our current economy.

While it’s difficult to know from one day to the next what obstacles are rising from Washington, D.C., New Jersey offers a number of resources to help you navigate stock market fluctuations and reach your financial goals one step at a time.

Individuals may sign up for a financial wellness tool called NJ FinLit. The state has partnered with Enrich, a personal finance platform, to offer free financial education courses, retirement and home affordability analyzers, student loan and higher education tools, personal finance calculators, and real time budget tools. FinLit is sponsored by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury and is available at https://njfinlit.enrich.org/.

FinLit has innovative features, like “Money Personality,” which will help you understand how your personality can affect your financial habits, and “Budget Tool,” to help you build smart spending habits by keeping track of expenses.

Our LD11 office also helps residents navigate state departments that assist residents through our “Savings for Our Seniors” or S.O.S program. Each day our Constituent Services Team assists residents who are dealing with state departments to address issues including unemployment insurance, paying utility bills, obtaining food assistance, finding shelter, and more. Please reach out to our office at (732) 704-3808 to request a S.O.S. program application.

The LD11 team helps residents who have questions or need help completing the PAS-1 application for Senior Property Tax Relief Programs, available online at nj.gov/treasury/taxation/relief.shtml. Or you can fill out a paper application. If you have not received a PAS-1 application in the mail, please call our office and we will mail one to you. You may now fill out a single combined application for the Senior Freeze (Property Tax Reimbursement) and Stay NJ property tax relief programs for residents 65 and older and those collecting Social Security Disability Benefits. The single application covers ANCHOR, the property tax rebate program available to homeowners and renters of any age that meet the income criteria. A separate ANCHOR application for people under 65 will be available later this year. Please call our LD11 office at (732) 704-3808 if you need an application or assistance and a member of the LD11 staff will help you. The deadline for filing a property tax relief application is October 31, 2025.

Small businesses are the heart of our local economy. The New Jersey Business Action Center, www.business.nj.gov/, offers a range of resources for businesses. It also provides personalized online business registration guides, and live chats with knowledgeable representatives that business owners can speak to for advice on everything from how to start a small business to how to cope with new regulations.

The Business Action Center recently received a new $400,000 grant from the Small Business Administration to award to companies for the coming year. All of the Business Action Center’s services are offered free of charge. They are a resource for businesses trying to decipher government rules and regulations; finding the right employees; navigating the permit requirements for building and expanding; and even helping businesses build an export promotion plan.

The uncertainty of how to do financial planning in the on-again off-again tariff atmosphere of the Trump administration continues to create anxiety about the future for small businesses and individuals alike. However, people who make it their business to be financially literate and learn how to plan for the long term greatly improve their chances for personal and business financial success.