Annie’s
Project Participants Learn about Family Money Issues
Situation:
Many
women are the principal operator or an involved business partner of
family farm businesses in Iowa. These women seek to understand modern
farm business practices and gain competence in making critical farm
decisions. Often these women have off farm employment that generates
income and benefits while also bringing challenges to the management
of family resources. Understanding and managing family finances is an
integral part of managing the farm business.
Response:
Annie’s
project is a 6 session program targeted to farm women that addresses
farm and family money issues including recordkeeping, production, marketing,
risk management, legal topics, technology, and human resources. The
program includes resource speakers from the farm business community,
computer lab work, discussion, and print resources. Family money issues
are presented by an Extension Family Resource Management Specialist
and include information on recordkeeping, spending plans, net worth,
credit, insurance, privacy, goal setting, communication, saving and
investing, and retirement planning.
Impact:
Three
Annie’s Project programs were held in SW Iowa between February
2005 and March 2006 in the communities of Harlan, Red Oak, and Shenandoah
with the classes filled to maximum with 25 participants each. The “Managing
Family Finances” session was presented at each program with evaluation
data collected from 22 participants at the Shenandoah program on March
2, 2006.
Responses to “Something
new I learned tonight” included:
- The calendar
for tracking expenses
- Different methods
to keep track of monthly expenses
- Time value of
money/start saving early
- Credit reporting
and credit scores, what affects them
- I can play a
greater roll in the record keeping
- Information
on IRA’s
- We’ve
not put enough money back into savings
Responses to “As
a result of the information shared, I plan to” included:
- Share financial
information with my children/family in case something happens to me
- Get an expenses
calendar going
- Talk to my son
before the wedding to get a plan in place
- Document inventory—finances
and household—do Getting Organized book
- Encourage my
children to start saving early
- Get a copy of
my credit report/score
- Call and stop
the credit card offers
- Set up a college
account for my kids (College Savings Iowa)
Contact:
Mary
Beth Kaufman
ISU Extension Family Resource Mgt. Specialist
906 6th Street, Harlan, Iowa 51537
Phone 712-755-3104
E-mail mbkaufma@iastate.edu
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