Family and Consumer Sciences

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Ohio State University Extension

Money

Halloween: Financial Horror or Financial Fun?

It’s predicted that more than 179 million Americans will take part in Halloween festivities this year, up from 171 million last year. Spending is slated to reach a record high dollar amount of $9.1 billion, up from $8.4 billion in 2016. Halloween has increased in popularity so much that it is beginning to rival holidays […]

WRITTEN BY: Donna Green, M.A., Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Erie County

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

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • http://search.creativecommons.org/

SOURCES:

  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecooper/2013/10/22/halloween-by-the-numbers/
  • https://nrf.com/news/the-evolution-of-halloween-3-trends-watch
  • http://fortune.com/2016/10/31/americans-spending-halloween-2016/

Protecting Yourself in the Face of a Data Breach

During mid-May through July of 2017, 143 million Americans were victims of a data breach at Equifax, a major credit reporting agency.  In this data breach, sensitive information such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and in some case credit card information were among the data accessed by hackers. If you were one […]

WRITTEN BY: Amanda Woods, M.Ed Healthy Finances Program Specialist

REVIEWED BY: Amy Meehan, MPH Healthy People Program Specialist

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • pixabay.com

SOURCES:

  • https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/potential-impact/
  • https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0275-place-fraud-alert
  • https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0497-credit-freeze-faqs
  • https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/09/free-credit-freezes-equifax
  • https://www.identitytheft.gov/Info-Lost-or-Stolen

Competing with Yourself—Challenges Save You $$

I have always been a competitive person. What I have found over the years is that being competitive grants me certain advantages. For example, people who are competitive typically persevere until they reach their desired goals and don’t give up easily. Yet being competitive also has its disadvantages. Always doing, being, having, studying, and/or attempting […]

WRITTEN BY: Donna Green, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Erie County

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

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • www.creativecommons.com

Working in the “Retirement Years”

By 2020, one in four American workers will be over the age of 55 and as the Baby Boomer generation continues to age into their retirement years, not working is becoming more a developmental process than an abrupt event. A recent Pew Research Center analysis of federal employment data reported that in May of 2000, […]

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Woods, Healthy Finances Program Specialist

Credit score basics

When teaching my undergraduate course in family financial management at OSU, I explain the role of credit scores in several class sessions. It is a key component of consumer credit decisions in general, car purchases, home purchases, and in making employment decisions. These lessons always remind me of the important role of credit scores in […]

WRITTEN BY: Caezilia Loibl

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Woods

SOURCES:

  • Brochure on the FICO score website: http://www.myfico.com/Downloads/Files/myFICO_UYFS_Booklet.pdf
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s website on accessing credit scores: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/check-our-new-list-see-if-your-credit-card-offers-you-free-access-one-your-credit-scores/
  • New York Times blog post about credit monitoring websites: https://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/web-sites-offer-free-credit-monitoring/?_r=0
  • FICO score’s “loan calculator” http://www.myfico.com/crediteducation/calculators/loanrates.aspx

Keep Calm and Treasure Hunt On!

I love garage sales and estate sales for different reasons. Garage sales are plentiful most weekends in the spring and summer, with the merchandise on sale priced pretty low.  As well, if you don’t like the price of an item, you can always ask the owner if “they can do better.”  However, items for sale […]

WRITTEN BY: Donna Green, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Erie County

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

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • http://search.creativecommons.org/

REFERENCES:

  • https://estatesales.org/what-is-an-estate-sale

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