Money Management

All My Money
A train-the-trainer curriculum designed for persons working with limited-resource audiences. Eight lessons cover basic money management skills. Completely revised for 2005.

America Saves
A nationwide campaign to help individuals and families save and build wealth. Anyone who agrees to work toward a savings goal such as homeownership, school tuition, retirement, or even debt repayment can join. Several free benefits are available to American Savers such as information and assistance about saving and building wealth, a subscription to American Saver, and free advice over the phone from financial planners.

Choosing a Financial Professional
Have you wondered if you should use a financial professional to help you with your finances? This series will help you think through what type of financial professional would be right for you, and provide you with resources to ask informed questions.

Getting Through Tough Times
Information for people experiencing "tough times" such as natural disasters, strikes, unemployment, divorce, death of spouse, chronic health problems, etc.

Goal Setting
Writing financial goals gives you direction in your money management. Use this information to begin a running list of your financial goals.

High School Financial Planning Program
Teenagers have great buying power but many lack knowledge about managing money effectively. Teens spend approximately $158 billion a year. In 2002, 61% of the U.S. population is expected to make online purchases. Yet, surveys show that most high school seniors are ill-informed about credit, saving and budgeting, and other important life skills involving personal finance. 

IRA Basics
Use this easy-to-read table to compare Traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs.

A Job For Me!
An educational curriculum designed for high school students and adults who are seeking employment for the first time or are re-entering the job market.

Make Savings Work for You
The video, Make Savings Work for You, provides information on saving and investing and features University of Illinois experts and certified financial planners. The video is available for purchase.

Our Family's Records
A good system for keeping track of your family's personal, insurance and financial information.

Personal Finances - Charting a New Course
University of Illinois Extension is no longer offering this course.

Spending Habits
Take a close look at your spending habits and see if you can reduce your expenses. This information will help you get organized!

Tax Breaks for Higher Education
This thorough fact sheet first gives the highlights of each of ten tax breaks available for taxpayers paying higher education expenses and then provides the detailed requirements for each one. It includes how claiming any individual tax breaks affects the taxpayer's ability to use the others. Updated for 2001 tax legislation.

Thrifty Living -- news you can use
Easy-to-read, useful information on money management and consumer skills for families and individuals with limited income.

Welcome to the Real World
This engaging simulation of the real world lets young people from 12 to 18 have fun while learning serious lessons about money management and career choices. Students learn to manage their salary and spending to reflect the lifestyles they've chosen. This CD-ROM can be purchased.

Your Money and Your Life: A Financial Education Curriculum for Limited-Resource Audiences
This CD-ROM, train-the-trainer teaching resource is designed to help you meet the needs of people just entering the workforce or trying to improve their job situation. Participant curriculum materials are interactive and relevant, specifically developed to meet the needs of low-literacy audiences. The curriculum includes ten lessons and may be purchased. Revised and expanded, 2005.

Reviewed and updated as of June 2005

E-mail: CFEwebsite.uiuc.edu

Consumer and Family Economics
Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics
University of Illinois Extension
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign