Foreclosure and the WHPE

Lunchtime Learning in February 2010 was focused on materials available through the Wisconsin Homeowner Preservation Education site. On this site find information on: Overview – a description of the learning objectives and core competencies of the WHPE curriculum Budgeting Basics – learn how tracking income, debts, and expenses and creating a spending plan can save […]

Tax Time as a Teachable Moment

This paper provides an overview of income tax preparation as an opportunity for consumer financial education using illustrative data collected from programs located in New York City, Philadelphia, and Detroit during the 2009 tax filing season. The tax preparation process may represent a useful ‘teachable moment,’ based on examples from three community-based tax preparation programs. […]

Core Personal Finance Competencies

This Issue Brief defines the most basic financial concepts that adults need to have to be able to develop a financially secure household over the life course. Drawing on the literature and a focus on the one-third of US population who fail to complete traditional public education, this set of competencies deliberately focuses on the […]

Video Games and Financial Learning

This issue brief identifies some of the games available for financial learning as well as excerpts several articles on this topic in top financial and economics journals. Issue Brief: Video Games and Financial Literacy

Behavioral Finance

This presentation covers the behaviors of people related to financial planning and strategies decision makers use when faced with decisions that involve uncertainty. Provided here as an easy to view pdf titled Behavioral_Finance, or for presenting the information as a slide show link here to the PowerPoint on Behavioral_Finance.

The CARD Act

The CARD Act of 2009 launched a number or new changes to the credit card market. See the presentation slides… Plastic_aug2009

Mortgage Loan Modifications

Starting in 2009, federal efforts began to focus on loan modifications as a solution to foreclosure. This presentation reviews the modification process and issues for consumers and counselors. Read more… LoanMods_Jun8_final See also https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/whpe/

The Credit Counseling Industry

There are dozens of nonprofit providers of consumer credit counseling in Wisconsin. Some are local agencies, others part of a national network. Some credit counselors work on 24 hour hotlines, others hold office counseling over regular business hours. Regardless of the format, however, financial educators need to understand the role of counselors as a complement […]

Nothing like a recession to bring out the scam artists

The recession of 2008-2009 was more severe and longer than many previous economic downturns of the last half century, but it had one feature common to times when jobs are more scarce: a burst of shady financial products and services preying on people in hard times. This brief highlights a few of the issues consumers […]

Stimulus Package and Making Home Affordable

This presentation covers the consumer implications of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) and the Homeowner Affordability and Stability (HAS) Plan. Provided here as an easy to view pdf, or for presenting the information as a slide show link here to the PowerPoint titled: Consumer_Implications.