Category Archives: Financial Education

Extra Money?

by Lauren Chaplin, Master Financial Education Volunteer

We have all probably at one point in our lives have been promised something that we didn’t get or were never able to cash in on. A friend who said they would watch your children because you helped them out. Your sibling putting gas back into your car after borrowing it. What about when you think you are going to get some amount of money? How should you prepare for that?

Every year, people go through this. You think you are going to get money back on your taxes or you have been promised a raise or a bonus. Some people fall into the trap of spending this money before they have it … counting their chickens before they hatch. The old saying goes directly hand in hand with how people SHOULD think when facing these ‘promising’ situations. Nothing is guaranteed. I am currently volunteering at a tax office and I have seen it firsthand: people are shocked when they are told that they actually owe money instead of getting something back like they thought. My simple advice is: your monthly budget should NEVER include funds that are not guaranteed.

If you believe that you will receive extra income one month; I believe that you should NOT figure this amount into your monthly budget. Why? Unless that money is in your pocket, it is not your money yet. You should also NOT spend it before you have it. You should not spend it before it is deposited into your account bank account. Often people have made charges to their credit cards with the anticipation that they would get money. For some, that money never arrives and they are stuck with a balance for months to come.

So what should you do?

1. Make your budget with just your regular income.

2. Stick to your budget. Try very hard to not to get tempted to spend beyond it.

3. Make a plan if your unexpected money comes along. Money Girl (at http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/money-finance/investing/got-cash-what-to-do-with-extra-money) has an article that offers a suggested PIP approach:

a. Prepare for the unexpected
b. Invest in the future
c. Pay off high-interest debt

4. Act on it when you get the money

Some people think that if the money is a small amount, then it’s not worth to have a plan for it or even split it. That is your choice. Sometimes putting it all into one category means that you can jump start or focus on the others when that first is taken care of. Having some sort of financial plan for when goals are met will help make the transition easier and keep you on track for the rest of your financial goals.

Protect Your Identity This Holiday Season

By Eileen Jones, Master Financial Education Volunteer

Make sure your holiday season is merry and safe with these important reminders for protecting your identity and financial info.

Before you deck the halls this holiday season, take a few minutes to review these important reminders for protecting your identity and financial information.

  1. Shop smart online and in the stores. You can put your financial information at risk whether you shop online or in-store. Be smart.  Before purchasing anything online, shop only at trusted websites and those that display a secure lock sign or URL that starts with “https://”. Instead of entering your credit card online, consider payment services such as Visa® Checkout.
  2. In stores, make sure to use your chip card at chip-enabled card readers. Or, pay with your phone using your digital wallet. When these options aren’t possible, use credit cards that provide zero liability protection.
  3. Don’t give your information to an unfamiliar charity. Identity thieves are known to prey on holiday givers by setting up fake charities or giving campaigns. Unless you’re already familiar with a charity, this is an easy way for scammers to collect your personal information and money. Be wary of sketchy phone calls and emails soliciting your information.
  4. To determine the legitimacy of a charity, you can research the charity yourself or use an online service such as charitynavigator.com, an independent charity evaluator.
  5. Select your ATM carefully. You’ve probably heard stories in the news about ATM skimming. With this scam, thieves attach electronic devices on or near ATMs to collect your card number and PIN. The easiest way to avoid using tampered machines is to use ATMs in well-lit areas or inside bank lobbies. Always shield the keyboard with your hand as you enter your PIN. If the ATM doesn’t look quite right, it’s better to avoid it entirely.
  6. Keep your travel plans off social media. Sometimes it’s hard to keep your excitement about a holiday trip to yourself, but it’s always wise to make sure your plans are only revealed to those you trust. Don’t mention your travel plans or post vacation photos on social media until well after your trip. Otherwise, you could be welcoming criminals to an empty house. (Think Home Alone!)
  7. Eyeball your credit report. It never hurts to check up on your credit report, especially during or following a busy purchasing time like the holidays. To receive a copy of your credit report, go to www.annualcreditreport.com.
  8. Shred unnecessary receipts. Receipts tend to collect in your wallet, purse or shopping bags. Sometimes the information on them can be enough for an identity thief to do damage. Shred those receipts, along with junk mail or documents containing your information, on a regular basis.
  9. Pay attention to data breach announcements.  If you hear of a data breach that could impact your personal information, take action as soon as possible. Place fraud alerts or credit freezes with credit bureaus and contact the creditors or banks associated with the breached company.
  10. Put identity theft protection in place.  Consider purchasing identity theft protection. It’s a great way to help protect your identity and keep track of your personal financial information. If you have it, make sure you’ve activated all of its features, so your product is doing the best detect-and-alert work it possibly can.

 

Remember: The holiday season is a time to celebrate with loved ones. Don’t let identity thieves put a damper on your spirit!

Taste of Extension Showcases 2015 Successes of VCE

On December 4 more than 76 people attended VCE-Arlington and Alexandria’s annual breakfast event for local, state, and federal elected officials and community leaders. Each year we showcase the recent successes of our programs and this year we focused on new developments at VCE in 2015. There was a lot of new information to share: Energy Masters is expanding into Alexandria thanks to a grant from the city; our full-time financial coach started in March and will be with us for more than two years through special arrangement with the CFPB; our new 4-H agent, Caitlin Verdu, started in October; a new SNAP FCS agent, Van Do also started in October and will be providing nutrition education to SNAP clients in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun Counties; and Paula Kaufman joined VCE in June as our new Master Gardener Coordinator.

Another new feature of this year’s event was that the Master Food Volunteers prepared the breakfast that was served to attendees. In past years the breakfast has been catered, but after Master Food Volunteers saw how unhealthy and tasteless last year’s breakfast was they volunteered to prepare the meal. Dishes included a leek and feta cheese frittata, chard, red pepper, and sweet potato frittata, homemade preserves, and parfaits made with yogurt, granola, and cranberry chutney. The fresh and healthy food was much appreciated by the guests.

Also at this year’s event we had the opportunity to honor Toby Smith, a long-time 4-H volunteer who received a Connect with Kids award from the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth, and Family. Toby runs a Junior Master Naturalist club and has served as chair of both the Arlington and state Extension Leadership Councils.

Every year this event is attended by Arlington county board members, state delegates and senators, aides of federal legislators, and community leaders such as the heads of Arlington and Alexandria departments of parks and recreation. They get to talk with volunteers and staff as they visit stations set up around the room highlighting all of VCE’s programs. This is an important event to help spread the word about the exciting work that Extension is doing and we look forward to having an even bigger and better event in 2016.

Family Nutrition Program Assistant Haregowoin Tecklu demonstrated how coffee is roasted and prepared in her home country of Ethiopia.

Family Nutrition Program Assistant Haregowoin Tecklu demonstrated how coffee is roasted and prepared in her home country of Ethiopia.

4-H club members Aziza Hasen, Areli Ibarra, and Rebecca Nance joined 4-H volunteer Maria Jechoutek (center) and Alexandria 4-H agent Reggie Morris to represent local 4-H programs.

4-H club members Aziza Hasen, Areli Ibarra, and Rebecca Nance joined 4-H volunteer Maria Jechoutek (center) and Alexandria 4-H agent Reggie Morris to represent local 4-H programs.

Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation Deputy Director (DPR) Jennifer Fioretti, Emergency Services Director Debbie Powers, and DPR Director Jane Rudolph were among the guests who attended the breakfast event.

Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Deputy Director Jennifer Fioretti, Emergency Services Director Debbie Powers, and DPR Director Jane Rudolph were among the guests who attended the breakfast event.

Year-end smart money moves

By Master Financial Education Volunteer Eileen Jones

Working toward a healthier financial future before your New Year’s resolutions begin!

Time is of the essence! You’ve heard that at least once before in your lifetime. Well, the year is quickly coming to an end and now is the time to get your important year-end financial tasks in order. The deadline is December 31st, and unlike some deadlines in life, this one cannot be changed.

Here’s a list of smart money moves to that may help you end the year 2015 on solid financial ground.

  1. Assess any financial loss as this may save you in taxes:

Tax-loss harvesting is pretty simple – it means offsetting your realized taxable gains on your investments (capital gains) with losses (capital losses). That means selling stocks, bonds, and mutual funds that have lost value to help reduce taxes on gains from winning investments.   Tax-loss harvesting has a deadline of 31 December, so don’t waste time. The idea is to sell investments that are not expected to gain significant value in the near (or possibly far) future. Do not undermine your long-term investing goals by selling an investment just for tax purposes – research and make smart decisions that will ultimately save you money.

  1. Give to your favorite charity or charities:

Charitable donations are an extremely effective way to reduce your taxable income when you itemize on your tax returns. If you’ve been meaning to make a donation and want to lower your tax bill for 2015, be sure to make your contributions by December 31.

Charities like Goodwill and Salvation Army are a great place to donate your gently used household items and clothing. Forget Spring Cleaning – end-of-year cleaning can be very beneficial.   It can make you feel good about helping others while benefiting you through tax write-offs. Go ahead – clean out closets – but don’t forget to itemize your donations and always get receipts for all non-cash donations.

  1. Consider giving money to your favorite family member(s):

Give to family members, especially if you are approaching the later years in life.  Take advantage of the IRS tax law that allows an individual to give up to $14,000 a year to as many individuals as you choose without paying gift taxes. Giving cash, stocks, bonds, and real estate reduces your estate. This can also help reduce your stress levels as “cleaning house,” if you will, lowers one’s burden in life.

  1. Bundle your tax write-offs:

One way to maximize the value of tax deductions is to bunch two years’ worth of itemized deductions into a single year, especially if you expect your income to be higher. For example, if you have unreimbursed work expenses that you incurred early in the year, you might be able to pull next year’s expenses into this year and double up your 2015 deduction.

Homeowners with mortgage payments: consider making an extra mortgage payment or prepay taxes (state and real estate), this will allow you to take additional deductions on your 2015 tax return.

  1. Max and Match – reduce your taxable income:

Even if you contribute regularly to your 401(k) or 403(b), take a few minutes to see whether you can make an additional contribution before the end of the year—especially if you aren’t on track to contribute the full amount your employer matches. The maximum you can contribute in pretax dollars for 2015 is $18,000, or $24,000 if you’re age 50 or older, and contributions must be made by December 31, 2015.

You may be able to reduce your taxable income1 by making a contribution to an IRA or spousal IRA. While you can make an IRA contribution for 2015 by April 18, 2016 (the tax-filing deadline for 2016 due to a federal holiday), doing so now will give your money more potential to grow in a tax-advantaged way. The maximum contribution is $5,500 per person ($6,500 if you are age 50 or older) or 100% of employment compensation, whichever is less.

  1. Don’t forget money in your Flexible Spending Account (FSA):

There are two types of flexible spending accounts that allow you to set aside pretax money and then reimburse yourself, with calendar-year “use-it-or-lose-it” deadlines: health care and dependent care. The U.S. Treasury Department has relaxed the rules a bit this year. Employers can allow participants to carry over up to $500 in unused funds into next year, so make sure your balance doesn’t exceed that. Some plans allow you to submit 2015 claims until March 2016—check with your employer

  1. Health plan analysis:

Do you receive health insurance through your job? If so, many offer more than one option and choosing the right one can be financially beneficial. If you don’t go to the doctors often or regularly, enrolling in a plan that is more affordable because the co-pays and the deductible are high, may be your best option. Your company should provide you with all of the necessary paperwork so you can read up on each plan – be an educated consumer when choosing the right health plan for you and your family.

  1. Assess your W4:

Are you claiming too many dependants so that the IRS is holding onto your money rather than you? Or at tax time, do you owe the IRS a huge amount of money? Now is the time to assess whether you need to change tax withholding from your pay check. Getting a big tax rebate check is nice, but unless you are using it wisely, you are missing out financially.

  1. Consider converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA:

Who wouldn’t want the tax-free growth potential and withdrawals in retirement that a Roth IRA offers?  The problem is, not everyone can contribute to a Roth IRA because of income limits. But you may be able to convert existing money in a traditional IRA or other retirement savings account into a Roth IRA. Because pretax contributions and gains in a traditional IRA are generally considered taxable income when you convert, later in the year is a good time to take a look. That’s because you have more information about your taxable income for the year, which may enable you to convert a more targeted amount to ensure that the income from the conversion doesn’t bump you into a higher income tax bracket. If you don’t have an existing traditional IRA, you may want to open one, make a nondeductible contribution, and convert it to a Roth IRA before it accumulates any earnings. That way it would not be considered taxable income.

  1. Are you over 701/2 year of age? Take your minimum required distribution:

As soon as you turn 70½, IRS regulations generally require you to withdraw a minimum amount of money each year from your tax-deferred retirement accounts (i.e. traditional IRAs, annuities, 401(k) plans); otherwise, you may have to pay penalties of up to 50% of your minimum required distribution (MRD). Be prudent – pay attention – don’t let the IRS take your hard-earned money!

Even if you reached 70½ this year, you have until April 1, 2016, to take your 2015 distribution. However, it still might be a good idea to take your 2015 distribution now, before the end of this year. Waiting will mean that you will have to take two distributions in one year – 2015 and 2016. If this pushes you into a higher tax bracket next year, you will have to give the IRS more of your money. Being mindful now may mean saving money in the long run!

Remember: the benefits of these suggestions can last a lifetime! Don’t regret wasting these opportunities.

 

Small Steps to Student Loan Debt Victories

Two women are on track to rehabilitate student loan debts that are in default*.

Arlington residents learned about a new** loan rehabilitation program for federal loans during an Extension class in March. Extension offered the class, Student Loan Debt Repayment, to affordable housing residents through our partnership with the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH***).

After attending an Extension class, two woman contacted the Department of Education about rehabilitation plans to exit default. One woman’s payment plan was set at $5 per month. Both woman have made consistent payments each month since March. They are on track to exit default after their October 2015 payment.

“It’s really a relief to be able to get this burden taken care of so I’m really excited about it,” said one of the women.

*Default happens when no payments are made for 270 days. The consequences (https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/default#consequences) of default aren’t pretty. The entire unpaid balance of the loan and interest is immediately due. Debt collectors take over the loan and starting calling. Debts will increase because of late fees, additional interest, court costs, collection fees, attorney’s fees and any other costs associated with the collection process.

**The Department of Education introduced new rules (http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2014/07/22/e23ee706-11db-11e4-8936-26932bcfd6ed_story.html) in 2014 that enable a borrower to get out of default by making nine consecutive on-time and in-full monthly payments. Borrowers are offered repayments rates based on their income, family size and state of residence.

***APAH serves individuals and families earning between $20,000 and $60,000 per year.

Teen Workers are Saving Now for More Spending Power Tomorrow

teen worker bannerTeen workers are saving for the three Cs: Cars, Computers and College. Plus building emergency funds for unexpected expenses.

This is according to the teenagers who took the First Time Worker Pledge in our new class Making the Most of Your First Paycheck. The class uses materials from America Saves.

Extension has partnered with three groups to provide savings classes for teen workers this year. More than thirty teens pledged to save part of their paycheck. For example, one teen is saving $200 a month for 60 months to buy a $12,000 car. Another is saving $500 a month for six months for school costs.

Bicycling nonprofit Phoenix Bikes has a community bike shop in Arlington and its Earn-A-Bike program teaches bike repair to youth. Master Financial Education Volunteer Will Mason led four Phoenix Bikes employees through the savings orientation. Thank you to Phoenix Bikes’ Executive Director Meg Rapelye-Goguen for making the event happen.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington’s Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Branch in the City of Alexandria provides youth programs and mentoring. At the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Branch, 14 teens pledged to save: 11 young men and three young ladies. Thank you to Dunbar staff Alston Waller and Patrice Hall for recruiting participants. Master Financial Education Volunteers Judith Kom and Katrin Kark gave a well-received presentation.

Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation’s Teen Entrepreneurial Amusement Management (T.E.A.M.) workers manage amusement rentals, including bouncy castles, cotton candy machines and rock climbing walls. Fourteen T.E.A.M. employees pledged to save: nine young men and five young ladies. Thank you to Parks and Rec staff Desi Jerry and Charlie Eby for help setting up the event. Charlie, who worked for the county when he was a teenager, gave a pep talk at the event. Master Financial Education Volunteers Bill Ross and Star Henderson lead the presentation.

Another crop of T.E.A.M. hires will participate in Making the Most of Your First Paycheck later in July. We expect more than 25 teens to pledge to save at this class.

Volunteer Spotlight: Jackie Rivas

Our volunteers rock. Want proof? Meet Jackie Rivas.

Master Financial Education Volunteer Jackie Rivas

Master Financial Education Volunteer Jackie Rivas

Name: Jackie Rivas
Lives: Arlington
Works: Staff Accountant at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission
Master Financial Education Volunteer Since: 2011

Q: What do you like to do for fun?
A: I like to run on the bike path and ride bicycles.

I like to go to the movies. The Mexican movie “Paradise” was very cute. It is about an overweight couple. She stumbles on a diet center, and she gets her husband on a diet too. He starts to lose weight and she doesn’t. It was a nice insight into normal people.

Q: What is your favorite thing to save for?
A: My favorite thing to save for is to travel. My last exotic trip was Cambodia. I went to the Temple of Angkor Wat and took a cooking class in Siem Reap.

In Phnom Penh we spent a day at a bear rescue center. There is a popular dish called bear paw soup. This place will buy bears from restaurants to save them.

We also went to an elephant rescue center. If you go to Asia, do not ride elephants. It’s really hard on the elephant. It hurts their backs.

Q: Which do you enjoy most about being a Master Financial Education Volunteer?
A: Learning from the participants. I taught at Greenbrier Learning Center, and there was a woman who has implemented all the strategies we’ve been teaching.

She qualifies for food from Arlington Food Assistance Center, but she is determined to save $200 a month. I work with people who don’t save that much who make a lot more than she does.

When she doesn’t reach her goal, she looks for things she can cut. If she needs to cut cable, Internet or Starbucks, she does. This is someone who is highly motivated. It is amazing what people can do with limited resources.

Q: What else have you learned from teaching classes?
A: Some people have had bad experiences with banks in other countries. You need to talk about how banking in the U.S. is different from what they may have experienced elsewhere. U.S. banking is insured by the federal government. There are rules and regulations that protect the depositor.

It’s fairly prevalent in Mexico and Central America countries that if people don’t have access to banks and borrowing, they get a group and they all put money into a pot and lend it to someone.

They take turns borrowing the money and paying it back. It requires a lot of trust.  I’ve found it very educational to work with these people and learn about their creative ways to meet their needs.

Five Recent Immigrants Complete Money Smarts Pay Program

Buchanan Gardens residents Marilu, Corina, Freddy, Glenda, and Jenny display their graduation certificates from the Money Smarts Pay program.

Buchanan Gardens residents Marilu, Corina, Freddy, Glenda, and Jenny display their graduation certificates from the Money Smarts Pay program.

On June 9 five residents of Buchanan Gardens Apartments in Arlington celebrated their completion of the three-month Money Smarts Pay program. All five are native Spanish speakers and are recent immigrants from countries like Guatemala and Bolivia.

Money Smarts Pay is a three-month intensive money management program in which participants attend classes, meet one-on-one with financial coaches, and work on a set of specific action steps to improve their financial well-being. Actions include things like setting short and long-term goals, accessing their credit reports, tracking their spending, establishing a budget, and saving money from their paychecks.

Money Smarts Pay (MSP) was started in August 2014 in cooperation with the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing and with financial support from the Arlington County Affordable Housing investment Fund. Thus far we have led five MSP programs in English and two in Spanish, with another six planned for fiscal year 2016.

We were prompted to create this hybrid approach to financial education through a desire to achieve lasting results for participants. We felt that an approach that combined coaching with classes could do this better than either service alone. We are encouraged to say that this new model is starting to bear fruit. The first cohort of participants completed their course in November 2014 and we conducted follow-up evaluations with them in May.

  • One client has saved $3,000 toward a home purchase, contributes $50/month into a 401(k) and had $1,400 in it as of June 1, paid off $1,500 on a credit card bill, and has savings accounts for her children.
  • Another client saved $500 during the course of Money Smarts Pay and has now saved more than $3,000. She will use some of the savings to take her two sons on vacation to Florida this summer.

The most recent group of MSP graduates say that the program helped them be more conscious of how they spend their money, better determine the difference between needs and wants, and helped them commit to specific savings goals. We look forward to continuing the Money Smarts Program and to empowering local low-income residents to take charge of their financial futures.

Many thanks to the Master Financial Education Volunteers who helped with the most recent MSP courses in English and Spanish: Eileen Alicea, Carlos Cueto-Diaz, Ben DuPuis, Starlett Henderson, Katrin Kark, Desiree Kaul, Vanessa Louchart, Courtney Mallow, Jose Olivas, Meggan Orenstein, Phoebe Wilson, and Paul Zee-Cheng.

 

Virginia Cooperative Extension Selected to Host Financial Coach to Help Economically Vulnerable Clients

The Arlington office of Virginia Cooperative Extension announced today that it has been selected by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to participate in the federal agency’s Financial Coaching Initiative. As part of this initiative, VCE—Arlington is hosting a full-time financial coach to work with its clients to help them with their financial goals.

“Diana Yacob started as our financial coach on March 30th,” said Jennifer Abel, Senior Extension Agent and Unit Coordinator. “She originally served as one of our Master Financial Education Volunteers, has a master’s degree in personal finance, is an Accredited Financial Counselor, and speaks Spanish. She has already begun meeting with clients and has a substantial caseload. We are very excited to be able to add this professional service to the array of financial education programs that we offer to Arlington and Alexandria residents.”

Millions of consumers are economically vulnerable, including the 49.1 million people living below the poverty line, and the more than 68 million who are financially underserved. These consumers are the most likely to lack access to traditional financial services, which may include products that are more appropriate to their needs and less costly. In-person, individualized and trustworthy guidance can help these consumers make good financial decisions and reach their financial goals.

The CFPB Financial Coaching Initiative provides financial coaching services at critical points in consumers’ lives as they move along the path to financial stability. The program helps both veterans as they transition from active duty status as well as economically vulnerable consumers seeking other services from social services and other providers.

VCE-Arlington was selected as part of a competitive process involving hundreds of organizations nationwide. All of the nonprofit organizations selected to host financial coaches for economically vulnerable consumers also provide services that complement financial coaching, such as job training and education, social, and housing services.

The coaches hired for the program have experience working with the populations they will service, are accredited by the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education, and will be trained in financial coaching techniques.

More information on the CFPB’s Financial Coaching Initiative is available here: www.consumerfinance.gov

 

Volunteer Spotlight: Jen Lanouette

Our volunteers rock. Want proof? Meet Jen Lanouette

Master Financial Education Volunteer Jen Lanouette

Master Financial Education Volunteer Jen Lanouette

Name: Jen Lanouette
Lives: Arlington
Works: Social Work Student at Catholic University
Master Financial Education Volunteer Since: May 2013.

Jen Lanouette has been coaching clients since she became a Master Financial Education Volunteer. She enjoyed one-on-one coaching so much, it helped spark a career change.

Q: What are you studying in grad school?
A:
Social work. The Master Financial Education Volunteer program — working with clients one-on-one — is one of the things that prompted me to make a career change.

Q: What advice do you have for your financial coaches who are meeting with a new client for the first time?
A: Really listen to your client and what they see as their problem and challenges. Go at the pace they set. As volunteers, we are armed with a lot of information. But it is important to respect where your client is in the process.

Also, don’t be afraid to do additional research. Spend additional time gathering more information about challenges your client is facing. It’s important to keep learning about things that are specific to your client.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to save for?
A: I like to save for long-term priorities, like my daughter’s education and my family’s retirement. Savings to travel is another thing we prioritize. We are Outer Banks fans, so we try to save for a beach vacation.

Q: What’s your favorite money motto?
A: If you stick your head under the covers, it is not going to go away. When people don’t like financial stuff, there is a tendency to avoid it. The only way to deal with it is to dig in and start dealing with it.

Q: What do you do for fun?
A:
I really enjoy cooking. It’s probably my favorite hobby. And reading.

Q: What was the last book you couldn’t put down?
A: The Working Poor: Invisible in America and Broke, USA: From Pawnshops to Poverty, Inc. – How the Working Poor Became Big Business. Broke, USA is an analysis of payday loans, check cashing and rent-to-own businesses. It was really fascinating how predatory financial practices can be. The book profiled a lot of aggressive mortgage policies. For example, offering low income people mortgages and charging between 10 percent, 20 percent and 30 percent of the loan in upfront fees.

To nominate a Master Financial Education Volunteer for the spotlight, please email Megan Kuhn at Megan.Kuhn@vt.edu.