Category: Financial Security for All

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How to Handle a Furlough: Develop a Plan

Barbara O’Neill, Ph.D., CFP®, AFC®

Extension Financial Management Specialist and Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University

Sometimes, just as people are making progress to improve their finances one small step at a time, something happens to set them back. For some people in today’s difficult economic climate, that setback is a furlough.

Furloughs (also known as “temporary layoffs”) have been in the news a lot lately and are being used by both public and private sector employers. In some cases, furloughs …

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Ten Steps to Seven Figures

Barbara O’Neill, Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

oneill@aesop.rutgers.edu

April 2019

Ten Steps to Seven Figures

One of the most frequently cited purposes of investing is to build wealth for future financial goals such as a new car, a college education for children, and financial security in later life. Many people even have a specific dollar amount in mind such as having $1 million saved by the time that they stop working. 

 

Below are ten recommendations to …

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Monthly Investment Message: November 2017

Barbara O’Neill, Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

oneill@aesop.rutgers.edu

November 2017

The Benefits of Financial Health

This article is adapted from a previously written blog post for the eXtension Military Families Learning Network: https://militaryfamilies.extension.org/2017/06/27/what-financial-health-means-to-me-ned/

After a successful course of treatment, many doctors tell their patients that their physical health status is NED, which is doctor-speak for No Evidence of Disease. The same NED acronym can also be applied to a person’s financial health: …

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Impactful Financial Education: How Cooperative Extension is Making a Difference

Extension Pre-Conference |  2017 AFCPE Symposium

Agenda and Attachments

7:15 am      Registration and Continental Breakfast – Sponsored by NEFE

8:00 am      Welcome and Introductory Activity

Erica Tobe, PhD, Michigan State University Extension

Elizabeth Kiss, PhD, Kansas State University Research and Extension  

8:15 am      Evaluation from a National Program Leader Perspective

Toija Riggins, PhD, USDA NIFA

8:30 am      Evaluation from a State Administrator’s Perspective

Michael Gutter, PhD, University of Florida/IFAS   

8:45 am      Getting Extension on the Map: Common Indicators, Common Reporting

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Getting Extension on the Map: Common Indicators, Common Reporting

The recently released briefing paper, “Cooperative Extension’s Capacity to Demonstrate Impact in Financial Capability and Well-Being: A Briefing Paper,” is a result of almost two years of collaborative effort by Extension FRM professionals to share and document programmatic similarities across the states in an attempt to develop three programmatic tools: 1) a common logic model, 2) a list of program outputs and outcome indicators, and 3) a crosswalk of NIFA indicators to programmatic indicators provided by participants.

It …

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Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Resources

Image of the US individual income tax return form - form 1040

The Financial Security for All Community of Practice has compiled the following list of informational resources related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:

 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Legislation

Background Information: Land-Grant Universities

Background Information: Other 

  • Here are
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What Are the Minimum and Maximum Amounts That Can be Saved Each Year in an IRA?

Federal tax law limits 2017 contributions to a traditional and/or Roth IRA to $5,500 for a worker with earned income ($6,500 for those who are age 50 or older before the end of the year). An additional $5,500 can also be saved for a worker’s spouse, regardless of whether or not the spouse is employed. In addition, spouses who are age 50 or older can contribute an additional $1,000 ($6,500 total) for a total of $13,000 of contributions if both …

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Monthly Investment Message: February 2018

Barbara O’Neill, Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

oneill@aesop.rutgers.edu

February 2018

A Hierarchy of Financial Decisions

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are an account that people can set up to pay for unreimbursed medical expenses such as deductibles, co-payments, and services not covered by insurance. Eligible individuals can establish and fund these accounts only when they have a qualifying high-deductible health plan (HDHP). HSA money gets deposited tax-free, grows tax-free, and comes out tax-free, if used according to …

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What Are the Income Restrictions to Qualify for a Deductible Traditional IRA?

People with earned income who are not in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, regardless of income level, may qualify for a tax deductible traditional IRA. Another group of taxpayers who can deduct a traditional IRA contribution in full are those with an employer-sponsored plan who have incomes in 2017 under $62,000 (single) and $99,000 (married couples filing jointly). The phase-out ranges (where contributions are limited in gradual steps as income increases) for singles and couples are $62,000 to $72,000 and $99,000 …

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