Helping Families With Their Financial Resources

The Issue:
While having money does not guarantee happiness, not having money can be a problem for people. Even if they have it, people often do not know what to do with money to achieve their goals.

The Response:
Extension has many programs and publications with financial educational information to help people plan for financial security from two-page NebGuides on cutting expenses to a website with worksheets to help people develop a plan for paying debts and increasing savings. In addition, in-person programming and individual consultation provides the "human touch" so important in helping people change attitudes and behaviors.

Coalitions and Partners:
Extension work is always done with collaborators and partners. In the area of financial resource management, partners have included the financial service businesses across the state including credit unions, banks, and insurance and investment firms; nonprofit agencies and organizations including community, faith-based, family, and social service groups; and other educational entities.

Impact and Results:
With a variety of educational methods, extension financial education has reached thousands of people across Nebraska, in other states, and in other countries. People come up to program authors and presenters on the street or at other educational events and report how educational programming, sometimes from several years before, has helped and continues to help them with their financial resources. While formal evaluation means report definitive impacts and results, this type of informal impact-reporting shows that education can make a difference for people and their children throughout life.

Links:
http://unlforfamilies.unl.edu
http://www.PayDownDebt.unl.edu

Faculty Contact Information:

Kathy Prochaska-Cue, Ph.D.
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
137 Mabel Lee Hall
Lincoln NE 68588-0236

(402) 472-5517
kprochaska-cue1@unl.edu