Finances Information

Local News

Opting Out of Prescreened Offers
(Posted on 1/25/2011)
Companies may solicit new credit card accounts and insurance policies using prescreening to identify potential customers for products they offer. If your mailbox is overflowing with this kind of excess mail there is a solution.

Telemarketers--You Don't Have to Listen to Them!
(Posted on 7/30/2010)
Are you still getting telemarketing sales calls you don't want? The Federal Government created the "Do Not Call" registry to make it easier and more efficient for you to reduce the number of unwanted calls you receive. CELL PHONE NUMBERS ARE BEING RELEASED TO TELEMARKETING COMPANIES ALSO.

Credit Report / Credit Score: WhyYou Need to Know This Info!
(Posted on 7/30/2010)
Credit reports and scores are a guide that impacts your ability to qualify for consumer loans, mortgages, rental property, employment, and insurance. The cost of using credit rises if your report contains negative information.

Free On-line Course for Taking Control of Your Money
(Posted on 7/30/2010)
Free On-line Course for Taking Control of Your Money! Don’t let money-or lack of it-control YOU! ISU Extension’s free web course offers tools and strategies to help you take control of your money.

News from Iowa State University Extension

Upcoming July FEFE Workshop to Train Teachers in Financial Literacy
(Posted on 5/22/2012)
Summer vacation is beginning for students, but for their teachers, the learning isn’t over. Those who attend the Family Economics and Financial Education (FEFE) workshop will gain updated information and creative classroom activities on financial literacy to share with their students next school year.

Study Addresses Student Debt and Financial Literacy at Iowa State
(Posted on 5/17/2012)
One in eight Iowa State University students don't realize they owe student loans, while two in five don't realize how much they owe. Professor and ISU Extension and Outreach Specialist Cynthia Needles Fletcher was one of the researchers who conducted the study, which represents the latest effort to address ISU student debt and financial literacy.

ISU Extension and Outreach Offers Home Buyer Education Online
(Posted on 5/1/2012)
USDA Rural Development and other lending agencies require first-time homebuyers to complete education from a certified provider to qualify for the agency’s rural housing loans. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers an online course, A Place of Your Own, to meet this need.

Will Insurance Protect You from Storm Damage?
(Posted on 4/17/2012)
Storm damage comes in many forms. Will insurance cover the damage? It depends on what caused the damage and it depends on the insurance. Timothy Griesdorn, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialist, suggests reviewing insurance coverage every year to make sure it meets your needs.

Money Smart Week to Help Iowans Manage Personal Finances
(Posted on 4/3/2012)
Iowans have a chance to brush up on money management skills during the 10th annual Money Smart Week April 21-28. Money Smart Week includes activities in Council Bluffs, Creston, Harlan, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and the Quad Cities. Iowa's Money Smart Investor Conference is Saturday, April 21, in Des Moines at Drake University Olmstead Center.

Science of Parenting: Kids and Money
(Posted on 4/2/2012)
Giving an allowance, paying for chores, offering money as a reward for good grades: are these successful parenting strategies? How to help children develop a healthy relationship with money is up for discussion in this month’s Science of Parenting podcast from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

New ISU Money Tip$ Blog Offers Research with Personal Touch
(Posted on 3/19/2012)
Iowans are invited to join the conversation on ISU Money Tip$, a new blog from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The blog offers posts from ISU Extension and Outreach family finance specialists on topics such as long-term goals, day-to-day financial decisions, managing credit and getting ahead.

Extension and Outreach Financial Coaching Course to Begin
(Posted on 3/15/2012)
Sharpen Your Financial Coaching Skills, a course from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, is designed for volunteers, clergy and others working in nonprofit groups and organizations who assist people with financial management concerns. The next course begins in April at five locations in Iowa.

Iowa Tax Credits Can Help Parents
(Posted on 3/6/2012)
Iowa tax law includes two tax credits to help families with pre-school and school-aged children. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach family finance program specialists talk about the Iowa Tuition and Textbook Credit and the Early Childhood Development Credit.

ISU Extension Volunteers Offer Tax Help to Rural Iowans
(Posted on 1/26/2012)
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach supports Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), a program that provides free tax preparation for low- and moderate-income Iowans. ISU Extension and Outreach works with local partners to recruit and train volunteers and provide technical support for VITA sites in 42 rural counties.

Staff

Mary Beth Kaufman - Family Finance Program Specialist
Phone:
Fax:
Email: mbkaufma@iastate.edu