Category Archives: Financial Education

New Volunteers, Round 1

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Megan Kuhn

jose

Eight people joined the ranks of our Master Financial Education Volunteers on August 16th. The newbies include an affordable housing developer who speaks both Arabic and Vietnamese, two Spanish speakers and a mix of young professionals and retirees.

While their motivation for volunteering varied, these individuals had one factor in common: prior professional or volunteer experience in financial counseling and or money management instruction. For the first time, we offered an expedited volunteer training for finance-minded professionals.

jay. dinan and jose

Please welcome: Tom Hoopengardner, Donna Di Felice, Eric Miller, José Olivas, Diana Yacob, Katrin Kark, Jay Dowling and Thu Nguyen.

Thu and Katrin

Of course we don’t require prior financial experience to volunteer with Extension. Our regular, 2-day volunteer training is slated for Sept. 6 and Sept. 13.

Donna, Tom and Eric

Upping Our Financial IQs

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Megan Kuhn

Do money smarts really pay? We think so, and plan to prove it through an exciting new program.

We are combining classroom instruction with one-on-one coaching to better help people establish positive financial habits through a program we’re calling Money Smarts Pay.

In 3 months, Money Smarts Pay participants will tackle:

Goal setting & budgeting in class 1
Credit & debt management in class 2
Strategies for saving & choosing financial services in class 3.

Robert and Femia

During the weeks between classes, participants meet with the same financial coach for in-person cheerleading and over the phone check-ins. We hope this extra encouragement will help people make the lasting changes they learned about in class.

We inaugurated Money Smarts Pay last week at Arlington Mill Residences, the first of six places where the program will be introduced. Arlington Mill Residences is a rental complex owned by our Money Smarts Pay partner, the nonprofit affordable housing developer Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH). APAH serves individuals and families earning between $20,000 and $60,000 per year.

Jay and Joan

Money Smarts Pay at Arlington Mill is being taught in English, and an English session will be offered at Buchanan Gardens starting in November 2014. Money Smarts Pay will be offered in Spanish at Columbia Grove starting in September 2014.

The materials we are using for Money Smarts Pay is a mix of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new Your Money, Your Goals toolkit and the FDIC’s Money Smart for Adults curriculum.

Our 2-year partnership with APAH is possible through a generous grant from the Arlington Community Development Fund, which awarded the program a total of $27,000.

A very big thank you to our Master Financial Education Volunteers who are making the Arlington Mill series possible: Femeia Adamson, Roger Brown, Shauna Dyson, Nichole Hyter, Desiree Kaul and Joan Smith. Another thank you goes to APAH’s Arlington Mill staffer Carla Marin for the heavy lifting on-site, including classroom setup.

If you would like to coach a participant or teach a class in an upcoming series, please send an email to Megan.Kuhn@vt.edu.

Volunteer Spotlight: Marie Baumann

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Megan Kuhn

Each month Extension’s financial education program is profiling an outstanding volunteer. To nominate someone, please email Megan Kuhn at Megan.Kuhn@vt.edu.

Name: Marie Baumann
Lives: Arlington
Works: Retired nonprofit administrator

Marie Baumann has served as a Master Financial Education Volunteer since 1992, making her our longest-serving volunteer. She recently provided one-on-one financial counseling for two individuals.

Q. What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?
A. I’m an artist. Finance and art is an odd combination. A lot of people think the two skill sets are totally different, which they are. But I do both

Q: What kind of art?
A: Watercolor painting mostly.

Q: Who is your favorite painter?
A: Right now, Andrew Wyeth. I just saw an exhibit by him at the National Gallery, and I loved it. He used very little color. A lot of it was black, white and gray. He did a lot of landscapes, scenes, buildings, interiors. He used a very spare palette and spare details.

Marie Baumann is our longest-serving Master Financial Education Volunteer. She has volunteered with Extension since 1992.

Marie Baumann is our longest-serving Master Financial Education Volunteer. She has been volunteering with Extension since 1992.

Q. How did you become interested in financial literacy?
A: I became interested at first for my own financial planning and education to better manage my own finances. I was not taught financial literacy, and I don’t think people these days are adequately taught either. So, I wanted to try to help somebody who has not been taught.

Q. After 22 years of volunteering in financial education, what observations can you share?
A. People never cease to surprise me with the range of financial illiteracy and financial problems.

Financial problems seem to go hand in hand with other problems such as emotional, legal and personal relationships. Often when you address the financial side of it, you’re not treating the whole person. You can’t. I usually say, “I’ve done what I can for you. You need to seek legal help or therapy.”

The rare client I have that is motivated and makes real changes in his or her life, that’s what keeps me motivated.

Q: What client success are you most proud?
A: The most interesting client I had. I worked with her for at least four years off and on. Her husband died at an early age and left her a lot of money. We worked through how she would invest the money and provide for herself and her child.

Q: What challenges have you had with clients?
A: People don’t follow through. One person couldn’t keep appointments, and she would not always reschedule. I would show up and sometimes she wasn’t there. I had to drop her. That was disappointing because she really needed help.

Q. We have training sessions for new volunteers in September. What advice do you have for the newbies?
A. A lot of them are tentative and unsure of themselves. You undoubtedly know more than your client does, so don’t be afraid. If you don’t know, say “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”

Forgetfulness is Costly

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Megan Kuhn

I re-learned an expensive lesson last week.

Regularly reviewing credit card statements and other financial accounts is a good habit to develop. If I followed my own advice, I would not be out $70.

I sold my home in June, but forgot to cancel the home warranty until July. Had I been reviewing my statements, I would have thought about the automatic debit sooner and canceled the home warranty on time.

I first learned this lesson right out of college when a restaurant double charged me for dinner. It was a simple fix, but if I had not been reviewing my debit card transactions, I would have never noticed the error.

What financial lesson have you re-learned?

VCE-Arlington Selected to Test New National Financial Toolkit

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Megan Kuhn

What does money mean to you? What is your first memory of money?

How we view and use money isn’t always logical. We don’t always do what we “should.” Our background and experiences impact our decision-making when it comes to money. For some, saving for retirement will take a backseat to helping family pay off an unexpected expense. For others, giving to their community of faith is a top priority.

Understanding cultural and emotional factors that influence financial habits is key, both for keeping our values in check while serving clients and for helping clients bridge cultural and emotional roadblocks. The aim is to improve our cultural sensitivity toward clients from different backgrounds.

More than 20 of our Master Financial Education Volunteers recently discussed the emotional and cultural factors that impact people’s decision making when it comes to money. Money meant freedom, vacations. First money memories included piggy banks and paper routes.

Fairlington Day Festivities

Posted on May 23, 2014 by maraea

Virginia Cooperative Extension participated in Fairlington Day this past weekend. Agents and volunteers showcased Extension Arlington’s many faces by preparing delicious healthy eats, giving tours of the food gardens, organizing 4-H kids’ activities and providing information on the many great programs we coordinate. Getting out into the community and sharing information is what we do so if you have an event coming up that you would like us to participate in, please get in touch with our Marketing and Communications Associate, maraea@vt.edu

: Extension Agent Emily R getting the kids involved

: 4-H Extension Agent Emily R helping out

: Master Financial Volunteers with lots of great information

: Energy Masters educating on energy efficiency

: Master Food Volunteers at work

It’s National Volunteer Week! THANK YOU! And How to Get Involved…

Posted on April 9, 2014 by maryev8

This week we celebrate National Volunteer Week.
It is time to say THANK YOU to all our volunteers.
Cooperative Extension relies on volunteers, and we believe that active citizen involvement in our programs ensures success. The work of volunteers at state and local levels helps leverage our paid faculty and staff resources into a much greater impact and benefit for the people of Virginia.

For Extension Volunteer Stories see http://www.ext.vt.edu/news/centennial-articles/stories/index.html

Get Involved
There are many ways you can get involved as a volunteer with Cooperative Extension to bring your talents and skills to benefit the community. Some of them are listed below. If you are interested in volunteering, but not sure in what way, contact our offices: Arlington 703 228 6400 and Alexandria 703 746 5546. Staff will be happy to help you find a way to share your time and talents.

Here’s how to get involved volunteering locally with Cooperative Extension programs:

Arlington and Alexandria Extension Leadership Council (ELC)
The Arlington and Alexandria Extension Leadership Council is composed of interested residents, Cooperative Extension staff, and county and city liaisons who identify community issues and help ensure programs are responsive to real needs. Also, the ELC advocates in support of local programs and staff, and promotes greater awareness of the work of the Extension staff and volunteers. The ELC meets every two months. If you are interested in joining, please contact the Arlington or Alexandria Extension Office and come to an ELC meeting. ELC 2014 Brochure

.4-H Youth Development
4-H stands for head, heart, hands and health.

Every 4-H program benefits from this integrated approach to civic engagement and hands-on learning – and the dedication and service of caring volunteers. If you are interested in contributing your time to help further the development of youth in our community, please contact Reggie Morris, 4-H agent for Alexandria rbmorris@vt.edu or Emily Reiersgaard, 4-H agent for Arlington, emilyr@vt.edu

Master Gardeners
Master Gardeners encourage and promote environmentally sound horticultural practices through sustainable landscape management education and training.

Here serving Arlington and Alexandria we have the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia. Master Gardeners training will be offered in the fall. For details contact: Agriculture and Natural Resources agent, Kirsten Buhls kbuhls@vt.edu or Arlington’s Interim Master Gardener Coordinator, Jocelyn Yee jyee@arlingtonva.us

Arlington Regional Master Naturalists
The Arlington Regional Master Naturalist program is part of a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. If you’re interested in becoming an Arlington Regional Master Naturalist, go to http://armn.org/contact-us/

Master Food Volunteers
Master Food Volunteers help support Extension’s family and consumer sciences (FCS) agents through education and outreach programs related to food preparation, nutrition, food safety, and physical activity. Contact FCS agent Katie Strong kstrong@vt.edu for information about programs and trainings in the Arlington and Fairfax area.

Arlington Energy Masters http://www.arlingtonenvironment.org/energy/
Arlington’s innovative Energy Masters program promotes a more energy efficient and sustainable Arlington community. We engage professionally trained volunteers in retrofitting, weatherization, and water conservation techniques serving low-income apartment residents. If you are interested in applying for the 2014-2015 program later this summer, please complete the volunteer interest form.

Master Financial Educators
Financial volunteers receive a comprehensive training on budgeting, retirement planning, home buying, and many other finance topics, instruction in counseling techniques. Volunteers can choose to help individuals or community groups with financial education programs – including learning to reconcile debts, set goals, budget spending, and organization to improve money management skills. Please contact Jennifer Abel jabel@vt.edu for details of the next training.

Volunteering Counts!
Here is how volunteering counts in Arlington and Alexandria.
In 2012: the Arlington and Alexandria staff and volunteers of Virginia Cooperative Extension reached over 50,000 people with 650+ education programs. 850+ active volunteers contributed over 32, 000 hours. That outreach was conducted with a local office staff of about a dozen people. That’s the power of volunteers!

Interested in volunteering statewide or at national level for Virginia Cooperative Extension? See: http://www.ext.vt.edu/volunteer.html

America Saves. NOVA Saves. Are You Saving? Set Goals. Take the Pledge…

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Mary

This week is America Saves week.
Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Arlington coordinates the America Saves/ Northern Virginia Saves campaign (www.northernvirginiasaves.org).

Visit www.northernvirginiasaves.org to set your goals and make your pledge to save today!

In celebration of America Saves/Northern Virginia Saves week, VA Cooperative Extension Arlington collaborated with Arlington Community Federal Credit Union and Marymount University to host a series of “Lunch and Learn” professional development sessions.

Informative topics and speakers were:

Understanding Credit, Susan Shockey, National Program Leader at NIFA/USDA
The Truth about Retirement Plans & IRA’s, Ed Schweitzer, CFP(R) of Edelman Financial Services
Goal Oriented Savings, Momodou Bojang, Financial Advisor with ACFCU

Upcoming VCE Arlington Financial Education events:

Credit Report Reviews at DHS
VCE Arlington Financial Educators will offer credit report reviews through April at Alexandria DHS offices (703-746-5700) and Arlington DHS offices (703-228-1300).
Please contact your DHS office for days and times.

Finance Events in the Schools
VCE Arlington Financial Educators continue to host several Reality Store and Kids Marketplace finance simulation events in Arlington schools.

Financial Education Seminars
Check the VCE Arlington website calendar and your local library calendars for upcoming financial seminars presented by VCE Arlington in April and May.

New Year, New Financial Program Offerings

Posted on January 22, 2014 by jabel

As we move into 2014 we are pleased to offer many new financial education programs, along with old favorites. On January 22 we will start the ninth year of offering Money Talk: A financial course for women at the Arlington Central Library. This five-week course provides sessions on financial basics, insurance, investing, retirement planning, and planning for future life events. This popular course has occasionally drawn comments from men along the lines of “why are we being left out?” Thanks to volunteer Megan Kuhn, the gents no longer have to sit on the sidelines. Megan started a co-ed Money Talk course on Jan. 15. It runs five weeks as well and takes place at Calvary United Methodist Church in Crystal City.

In October we trained a new corps of Master Financial Education Volunteers and they have been enthusiastically creating new presentations. The team of David N., Dana, and Janet have developed a presentation for high school seniors and their parents on financial skills that all students should have as they head to college. They will be starting to offer this presentation to Wakefield, Washington-Lee, and Yorktown parents and students in February.

Other volunteer teams are working on programs for recently divorced women, reverse mortgages, and financial education for veterans. We are happy to be able to expand our offerings to serve other target audiences that have not gotten much attention from financial educators in the past.

In February we will start our fifth year of providing one-on-one financial counseling at free tax clinics in Arlington and Alexandria. These services will be available on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings through April 15. They will be followed by a series of money management classes for recipients of the services.

We also continue with our financial simulations for youth. On January 14^th we conducted a Kids Marketplace activity for 50 students at Ashlawn Elementary School. On the 24^th and 31^st we will be at Kenmore Middle School to conduct a Reality Store with all of the 8^th graders. We will also conduct a Reality Store on March 1 for the local chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

In April, be on the lookout for the new Ask a Financial Expert program at the Arlington Central Library. Our volunteers will be available to meet with people one on one and answer their budgeting, credit/debt, saving, record keeping, and basic investing information questions. The library will sign up and pre-screen patrons for this service. This is an exciting expansion of our long-running partnership with Arlington libraries.

Also in the spring we’ll once again offer our Spring Personal Finance seminar series at Arlington Central Library. If you have a topic that you’d like to see covered in this series, please let Jennifer know by dropping her a note at jabel@vt.edu.

Wishing everyone a prosperous and financially healthy year!

Kids Marketplace teaches students to make wise spending choices

Posted on December 13, 2013 by jabel

On November 26 eighty third graders from Carlin Springs Elementary School participated in Kids Marketplace, a simulation in which students receive a job and monthly income in the form of play money and have to make spending decisions at stations like Housing, Transportation, and Groceries. The students said that the exercise helped them understand how different jobs pay different amounts of money and that they need to focus on taking care of their needs first in terms of spending and then think about their wants. They also said that it helped them to understand why their parents have to say no sometimes when they ask them to buy things.

On December 5, 25 eighth graders at Williamsburg Middle School got to participate in Reality Store, the cousin of Kids Marketplace designed for middle and high school audiences. These events mark the start of a busy season for these activities. We conducted Reality Store for the Arlington Mill high school continuation program on Dec. 12 and will be at Ashlawn Elementary School for Kids Marketplace on Jan. 14, Kenmore Middle School with Reality Store on Jan. 24 and 31, and several other spots in February, March, and April. We rely on our dedicated Master Financial Education Volunteers to help staff the eight stations at Reality Store and ten at Kids Marketplace but can always use more hands, so if you would like to help run these events please contact Jennifer at jabel@vt.edu.

Nyambo Anuluoha helps students at the credit union station to save money

David Edwards helps students choose health insurance at the Personal Care and Medical station