AMES, Iowa – Over half of Iowans report feeling anxious when thinking about their personal finances and just under half report feeling stressed when discussing their finances. The anxiety and stress of some Iowans is greater, particularly those who find themselves unemployed or with reduced household income.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host a free virtual series, “Money Smart: When Money Is Short – Prioritizing Bills, Protecting Credit and Managing Debt,” on Mondays, April 4, 11 and 18, from noon to 1 p.m. or 6-7 p.m. Participation in the three-part series is free and open to the public.
“The virtual series provides tools to help manage money effectively, make better financial decisions and live according to your priorities,” said Carol Ehlers, a human sciences specialist in financial health and wellbeing with ISU Extension and Outreach.
Participants will improve their financial wellbeing by developing an emergency spending plan, creating a prioritized bill paying strategy based on future consequences, developing skills to improve their own credit and learning strategies to manage debt.
The topics – prioritizing bills, protecting credit and managing debt – are presented in one-hour online Zoom sessions.
Individuals may choose to register for either the noon series or the 6 p.m. series; the sessions will cover the same content. Human sciences specialists in financial health and wellbeing with ISU Extension and Outreach will lead the program using research-based strategies to decide which bills and monthly expenses to pay first, how to protect one’s credit record, and strategies to manage debt even when money is short.
The three-part series is free but pre-registration is required online by Friday, April 1. Register for the noon to 1 p.m. series at https://go.iastate.edu/BDFB5U or the 6-7 p.m. series at https://go.iastate.edu/W2U1NZ.
Individuals who register will receive an email confirmation with the Zoom link and class information.
Questions can be directed to Carol Ehlers at 712-732-5056 or xehlers@iastate.edu.
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