Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

Money

Bad Credit, No Credit, What’s the Catch?

There are a couple of area car dealerships that advertise “Guaranteed Financing. Bad Credit! No Credit! No Problem! Guaranteed on the spot financing available.”  As the father of a teenage driver, I became curious to find out if this might be an option. What’s the catch? I also wondered would this option help build credit […]

WRITTEN BY: Ken Stewart, Extension Educator,Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Monroe County

REVIEWED BY: Lisa Barlage, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Ross County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Dan Gold-N7RiDzfF2iw-unsplash

SOURCES:

  • Credit Karma, Buy-here, pay-here financing: What you need to know (2022) Kim Porter
  • Lending Tree.com, Why you should skip the 'Buy Here Pay Here' Car Lots (2022)
  • Bank Rate What You Should Know About 0% APR Car Deals, Michelle Black

REFERENCES:

  • Consumer Financila Protection Bureau, https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/educator-tools/buying-a-car/#anchor_start.

Is your tire going flat?

Have you ever been in a car that had a tire go flat?  Did you notice warning signs before it went flat? Maybe a warning light came up on your dash or you noticed a bit more vibration while driving? Even if you didn’t notice the signs, you knew when it went flat. Life gives […]

WRITTEN BY: Dr. Roseanne Scammahorn, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Darke County, Scammahorn.5@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Susan Zies, Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Wood County, zies.1@osu.edu

Getting Financial Aid Without Getting Scammed

Avoiding financial aid scams.   My first year of college I was invited by a person from my dorm to attend a sales presentation. When they said that I would receive a FREE glass beer mug I agreed. I attended the presentation, thinking that I would stay only long enough to get my mug. It turned […]

WRITTEN BY: Ken Stewart, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Monroe County

REVIEWED BY: Courtney Warman

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/photos/mentor-school-students-college-3513738/

SOURCES:

  • https://studentaid.gov/resources/scams
  •  http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scholarship-and-financial-aid-scams
  • https://studentaid.gov/articles/student-loan-scams   

What is Your Pedigree?

It’s Not So Much Who You Are as Much as It Is Your Credit Score Not to sound too much like an aging, gray haired individual but “back in the day”, people in a community knew who you were because of your pedigree. What is a pedigree? When speaking about humans, it is “a register […]

WRITTEN BY: Dennis DeCamp

REVIEWED BY: Dr. Roseanne E. Scammahorn

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://www.rawpixel.com/search/%20gentlemen%20shaking%20hands?page=1&sort=curated&tags=%24free

REFERENCES:

  • Resources https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedigree
  • https://www.fdic.gov/resources/consumers/consumer-news/2021-08.html

Your Financial Life~Claim Your Unclaimed Money

Looking for a financial windfall that is legitimate? There is a great possibility that personal property such as money with your name on it is just waiting for you to claim! Annually states return more than $3,000,000,000 in unclaimed property to one in every 10 persons. Lost and forgotten property is considered abandoned or unclaimed. […]

WRITTEN BY: Candace J. Heer, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Morrow County

REVIEWED BY: Courtney Woelfl, Program Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/
  • https://www.missingmoney.com/en/Property/Search

SOURCES:

  • Unclaimed Money from the Government; https://www.usa.gov/unclaimed-money
  • National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators; https://unclaimed.org/
  • The Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization (UPPO), Gift Cards/Stored Value Cards; https://www.uppo.org/blogpost/925381/Unclaimed-Property-Focus?tag=Gift+Cards#:~:text=Dormant%20unredeemed%20gift%20cards%20and,that%20address's%20state%20will%20apply

REFERENCES:

  • National Conference of State Legislatures, Abandoned or Unclaimed Property and Escheatment Statutes; https://www.ncsl.org/research/financial-services-and-commerce/abandoned-or-unclaimed-property-statutes.aspx
  • The Office of the Ohio Attorney General; https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Home
  • Federal Trade Commission: Consumer Information; https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/scam-alerts

Financial Consumers

Do you remember studying the food chain long ago? Plants capture energy from the sun to produce their own food, and are therefore called “producers.” The animals that eat those plants, or other animals, are labeled  “consumers.” When we think of humans as consumers, we may immediately think about our consumption of food and drink. […]

WRITTEN BY: Emily Marrison, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Coshocton County

REVIEWED BY: Courtney Woelfl, Program Specialist, Healthy Finances, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://unsplash.com/photos/bmj1Vl77ZWM
  • https://unsplash.com/photos/NpTbVOkkom8

SOURCES:

  • Egan, J. What’s the most important factor of your credit score? Experian. August 29, 2021. https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/what-factor-has-the-biggest-impact-on-credit-score/
  • What is a debt-to-income ratio? Why is the 43% debt-to-income ratio important? Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. November 15, 2019. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-debt-to-income-ratio-why-is-the-43-debt-to-income-ratio-important-en-1791/#:~:text=Your%20debt%2Dto%2Dincome%20ratio,money%20you%20plan%20to%20borrow

REFERENCES:

  • Mortgages key terms. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Retrieved October 18, 2021. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/mortgages/answers/key-terms/?_gl=1*17g9u5n*_ga*MTg0NTk3MTQyNy4xNjMwNDMwODA4*_ga_DBYJL30CHS*MTYzNDU4NzgxMi40LjEuMTYzNDU4ODI0OS4w

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