Category: Financial Security for All

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Data Breaches, Credit Freezes, and Vigilance

Credit Freezes: Description, Pros and Cons, and Contact Information for Credit Reporting Agencies

Members of the Financial Security for All Community of Practice (FSA CoP) and our educational partners have developed research-based and experience-tested materials to help Americans deal with the aftermath of the Equifax hack. Below are links to their online blogs and publications:

Equifax Security Breach: Steps to Protect Yourself (Lisa Leslie, University of Florida IFAS Extension):
     http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/hillsboroughco/2017/09/15/equifax-security-breach-steps-protect/

To Freeze or Not Freeze My Credit Report (Kathy Sweedler, …

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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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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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Monthly Investment Message: March 2018

Barbara O’Neill, Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

oneill@aesop.rutgers.edu

March 2018

Factors That Promote Financial Success

During the last year, I had the opportunity to hear several well-known personal finance speakers talk about the characteristics and practices of financially successful people. Audiences are usually very interested in this topic because it provides a motivational roadmap and specific tips to follow.

 

At the 2017 Financial Planning Association (FPA) conference, the final general session speaker was financial author and …

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If I Work While Receiving Social Security, Will my Benefit be Reduced?

If you are under full retirement age, there is a $1 loss in benefits for every $2 earned in excess of a threshold ($16,920 in 2017) that is adjusted for inflation every year. A modified test applies for the year an individual reaches full retirement age.

If earnings for the months prior to reaching full retirement age are $44,880 or more (2017 figure), one dollar in benefits will be withheld for every $3 in earnings above the limit. Starting with …

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What are Health Savings Accounts?

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) were designed by Congress to provide tax advantages to individuals enrolled in high deductible health care plans. Deposits to an HSA are used to pay qualified medical expenses.

The 2017 maximums for annual contributions to HSAs are $3,400 for individuals and $6,750 for a family. Money in the account grows tax deferred, so an HSA serves as a type of savings account to pay future health care expenses.

For more information, see http://njaes.rutgers.edu/healthfinance/health-savings-accounts.asp.

We would like …

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Why Should I File an Income Tax Return if I Don’t Owe Any Money?

Even if you don’t owe any taxes, you may qualify for tax credits that would result in a refund.

For example, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit both provide refundable tax credits. This means that, if the amount of a refundable tax credit is more than the amount of taxes due, the difference will be given back to you as a tax refund.

By not filing a tax return, an individual is missing out on the …

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