Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

Graduations, Money, More Graduations, and More Money

This year, the month of May is filled with several graduations and graduation parties for my family. My son graduates from a 2-year college program as well as from high school. My nephew graduates from a 4-year college, and my niece graduates from high school. With all of these milestones and celebrations comes gifts for […]

WRITTEN BY: Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.417@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Joseph Maiorano, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Harrison County, maiorano.2@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/en/money-donation-donate-profit-give-652560/

SOURCES:

  • Harmon, M. (2018). Mindful Parenting: Enjoy Every Moment. Live Smart Ohio. Available at http://livesmartohio.osu.edu/mind-and-body/harmon-416osu-edu/mindful-parenting-enjoy-every-moment/
  • Long, H. (2015). What I wish I knew about money on graduation day. CNN Money. Available at http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/26/investing/graduation-2015-what-i-wish-i-knew/index.html?section=money_latest
  • ProCon.org. (2016). Is College Education Worth It? Available at https://college-education.procon.org/
  • National Endowment for Financial Education. (2018). Avoid Graduation Money Mistakes. Smart About Money. Available at https://www.smartaboutmoney.org/Topics/Education-and-Career/Graduation/Avoid-Graduation-Money-Mistakes
  • HOMEROOM. (2016). 8 Things High School Grads Need to Do Before Leaving for College. The U.S. Department of Education. Available at https://blog.ed.gov/2016/07/8-things-hs-grads-need-to-do-before-college/
  • Harmon, M. (2018). How Are You Spending Your Tax Refund? Live Smart Ohio. Available at http://livesmartohio.osu.edu/money/harmon-416osu-edu/how-are-you-spending-your-tax-refund/

How to use active learning to teach (the often dry, touchy and technical) personal finance topics

I am teaching two undergraduate courses in our OSU financial planning track this semester and have been thinking about how to best teach personal finance topics. They are often dry, technical, and uncomfortable. I learned about several new resources, books and websites, at a professional development event at OSU last December, where the speaker, HDFS […]

WRITTEN BY: Cäzilia Loibl

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Woods

How are you “spending” your tax refund?

I know not everyone is happy about the tax changes for 2018, but most people will benefit, at least a little, from the changes. With the changes to the tax code, some of you may be getting a slightly larger than usual refund for the 2018 year. Whether your refund increases or not, there are […]

WRITTEN BY: Misty Harmon, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County, harmon.417@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Joseph Maiorano, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Harrison County, maiorano.2@osu.edu

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • https://pixabay.com/en/laptop-online-digital-taxes-flag-2151350/

SOURCES:

  • https://www.debt.org/blog/spend-tax-refund/
  • https://www.consumerreports.org/taxes/smart-ways-to-spend-your-tax-refund/
  • https://cfaes.osu.edu/sites/cfaes_main/files/site-library/site-documents/News/FF_taxrefund.pdf
  • http://www.getrichslowly.org/2012/02/02/how-to-spend-a-tax-refund/
  • http://livesmartohio.osu.edu/money/maiorano-2osu-edu/whats-out-of-your-wallet/

REFERENCES:

  • Pilnick, Katherine. (February 21, 2013). 10 Smart Ways to Spend Your Refund, debt.org
  • Fried, Carla. (April 24, 2017). Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund, consumereports.org
  • Filipic, Martha. (February 2016). Use your tax refund to pay off debt and save, Family Fundamentals
  • Aberle, Lisa. (February 2, 2012). How to Spend a Tax Refund, getrichslowly.org
  • Maiorano, Joseph. (January 12, 2018). What’s Out of Your Wallet?, livesmartohio.osu.edu

Got Money?….for College

With one son in college, one in his senior year of high school and a daughter in 8th grade, the topics of college and money come up a lot in my house. From a young age, we have always been very open about finances with the kids. We have discussed various financial issues and concepts […]

WRITTEN BY: Misty Harmon, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Perry County

REVIEWED BY: Shannon Carter, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Fairfield County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Pixabay. Found at: https://pixabay.com/en/puzzle-money-business-finance-2500328/

SOURCES:

  • Flay, B. (2017). How to Pay for Your Children's Education. Debt.org. Found at: https://www.debt.org/students/parents-pay/
  • Ramsey, Dave. College Funding and Your Retirement. Found at: https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/college-funding-and-your-retirement
  • Federal Student Aid, The U. S. Department of Education. Found at: https://fafsa.ed.gov/
  • Johnson, Mia. 2017, October 2. 12 Myths about the FAFSA Form and Applying for Financial Aid. Home Room, The Official Blog of the U.S. Department of Education. Found at: https://blog.ed.gov/2017/10/12-myths-fafsa-form-applying-financial-aid/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term
  • Press Office. The U.S. Department of Education. 2017, October 3. 2018-19 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Opened Oct. 1st. Found at: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/2018-19-free-application-federal-student-aid-fafsa%C2%AE-opened-oct-1
  • National Center for Education Statistics. College Navigator. Found at: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
  • Wang, M. 2012, October 4. No Income? No Problem! How the Gov't is Saddling Parents with College Loans They Can't Afford. ProPublica. Found at: https://www.propublica.org/article/how-the-govt-is-saddling-parents-with-college-loans-they-cant-afford
  • Flay, B. (2017). Students and Debt. Debt.org. Found at: https://www.debt.org/students/
  • Open Education Database. Found at: http://oedb.org/advice/hacking-financial-aid-33-ways-to-get-money-for-college/
  • Federal Student Aid, The U. S. Department of Education. Found at: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/prepare-for-college/choosing-schools/consider/costs
  • Next Gen Personal Finance and McKinney. Found at: https://www.timeforpayback.com/
  • Martin, A. & Lehren, A. W. 2012, May 12. Degrees of Debt: A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/business/student-loans-weighing-down-a-generation-with-heavy-debt.html?pagewanted=all
  • Edvisors Financial Aid Newsletter. Found at: https://www.edvisors.com/plan-for-college/advice-for-parents/mistakes-that-affect-aid-eligibility/

REFERENCES:

  • Flay, B. (2017). How to Pay for Your Children's Education. Debt.org. Found at: https://www.debt.org/students/parents-pay/
  • Ramsey, Dave. College Funding and Your Retirement. Found at: https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/college-funding-and-your-retirement

Financial Wellness for People With Disabilities and Their Families

Guest post by Michael R. Roush, Director, Real Economic Impact Network, National Disability Institute Often individuals with disabilities may not be familiar with the savings options available to them, or they may be afraid to save money in fear of jeopardizing their public benefits. However, individuals with disabilities can potentially access a wide variety of saving […]

WRITTEN BY: Michael R. Roush, Director, Real Economic Impact Network, National Disability Institute

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Woods, M.Ed. Healthy Finances Program Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

Perils of Budgeting on the Home Front

If you have ever asked, ‘how do I put together a budget’, you are not alone. It is difficult to set up a budget and stay true to it, with a myriad of expenses coming our way. Have you ever wondered what the biggest hurdles to budgeting are and how people get around them? Some […]

WRITTEN BY: Nancy Stehulak, M.Ed, Extension Educator, Henry County

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

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • pixabay.com

REFERENCES:

  • Manage Your Money, http://extension.missouri.edu/p/GH3830#spending

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