An Interview with Jennifer Allen, Jump$tart Teacher of the Year

Jennifer Allen was selected as the first State of Kentucky, Jumpstart Financial Literacy – Teacher of the Year. She is a teacher at Madison Southern High School in Berea, Kentucky where she teaches Business and Marketing courses and runs the school bank and school store programs. She has presented to colleagues on using free resources for teaching various aspects of Financial Literacy (see her presentation PowerPoint below). Ms. Allen’s work as a Financial Literacy educator provides an important model, as she teaches both formal classes, and runs school-based activities (the bank and store) that provide important opportunities to apply what’s learned in the courses as well as other content, hands-on. In this interview Jennifer describes how she runs her program, identifies important free resources she’s found for it, and gives important advice on how to run a highly successful Fin Lit program on the high school level.

Links:

• Kentucky Teacher – (Posted November 2011)
  http://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2010/11/ky-jumptart-names-financial-literacy-teacher-of-the-year/
• If It’s Free, It’s For Me (PowerPoint) attached
• Junior Achievement http://www.ja.org/
• The Economics of Seinfeld (Yada Yada Yada Econ.com) http://yadayadayadaecon.com/
• National Endowment for Financial Education (Nefe) http://www.nefe.org/

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• (C) Talking Financial Literacy is copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008 – 2011. All rights reserved.

See TransformationEd.com for full details of speaking engagements and opportunities to meet Dr King and Mark.

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Economic Education: Picking up Steam in the Old South

Listeners from around the world will benefit from learning about the model used by Mississippi Council on Economic Education (MCEE)  to take advantage of the many ideas and highly useful resources available through their website and its subsidiary links. This interview with Ms. Swartzfager gives the insider insight that will make the huge array of resources very accessible to the listener.

Ms. Selena Swartzfager is the President of the Mississippi Council on Economic Education. Before assuming the responsibilities of President of the MCEE, Selena was a second career teacher, having earned degrees in business and having spent 15 years in the corporate world before entering the classroom. She was a High School teacher of Business and Personal Finance. Thus, she brings a perfect body of experience to her current work. As this interview reveals, the Mississippi Council of Economic Education offers a broad and well balanced program for teachers and students.

Links to items referenced in this episode:

• Mississippi Council on Economic Education (MCEE) www.mscee.org/programs.html

• YouTube VIDEO “Mississippi Economics Challenge 2010” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oy-pB52ceo

• Mississippi EconChallenge ONLINE!
  AND
  Mississippi Finance Challenge ONLINE
  http://www.mscee.org/challenge.html

• MCEE Links Page www.mscee.org/links.html

• Compound Interest Calculator
  http://www.myarmyonesource.com/data/Calculators/Compound_Interest/CompoundInterest.html

  TalkingFinLit Recommendation: M&M INTERESTING
  http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/lessons/M&M6-8.pdf
  From Personal Finance Economics, 6-8: Money in the Middle, © National Council on Economic Education, New York, NY

• Self-Sufficiency Standard (and related materials and resources)
  http://www.mscee.org/programs.html

• Self Sufficiency Calculator
  http://www.mepconline.com/self-sufficiency-standard/your-standard.php

• (National) Council on Economics Education
  http://www.councilforeconed.org/

• Missouri Council on Economics Education & Personal Finance Challenge
  http://cas.umkc.edu/mcee/studentprograms.html

• International Economic Summit
  http://www.econsummit.org/

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• emailing us at podcast@talkingfinlit.org

• (C) Talking Financial Literacy is copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008 – 2011. All rights reserved.

See TransformationEd.com for full details of speaking engagements and opportunities to meet Dr King and Mark.

We enjoy meeting our podcast community!

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You may contact Mark and Kathy by emailing us at podcast@talkingfinlit.org

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• URL for Financial Literacy Central @ SIBL
  http://www.nypl.org/help/getting-oriented/financial-literacy-central
• URL for Financial Literacy Now (McGraw Hill Partners Consortium) http://www.financiallitnow.org/index.shtml
• SCC – U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: http://www.sec.gov/
• FINRA/Financial Industry Regulatory Authority: http://www.finra.org/
• My Money.Gov: http://205.168.45.52/
• Social Security: https://www.socialsecurity.gov/
• NYSE Money Sense.com: http://www.nysemoneysense.com/
• WISE UP Women: http://wiseupwomen.tamu.edu/

Continuing the global conversation about personal

financial literacy for educators on

Talking Financial Literacy Podcast

Facebook page for Financial Literacy:

Welcome to the Talking Financial Literacy Community @ Facebook. We hope folks will join us to share links, photos, comments and discussion. But the discussion board will especially be a space to share resources, plans for integrating financial literacy in classes and support as all of us pose new ideas. Who will be first and second to share who

they are, their basic interests in this area and any needs or resources?

Invitation for Listeners to Participate in the Show

Listen to the details in episode 31 and then email Mark and Kathy about what you have to share. Email us at podcast ( at) talkingfinlit.org

ON THE ROAD

• Dr. Kathy King spoke at Westmoreland Community College in Youngwood, PA 8/16/10

Upcoming

• AAACE Clearwater, FL – Oct. 2010
  • - Dr. Kathy King presentations (several on technology)
• TSEA Conference- Austin TX – Jan 27, 2011- Dr. Kathy King
• FETC Orlando, FL -
  • Dr. Kathy King featured presenter Feb 3, 2011-

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• (C) Talking Financial Literacy is copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008 – 2010. All rights reserved.

See TransformationEd.com for full details of speaking engagements and opportunities to meet Dr King and Mark. We enjoy meeting our podcast community!

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• What were their surprises as they wrap up the first segment of the series?
• How can teachers best make use of the series?
• What needs and gaps did they uncover in the journey of exploring financial literacy resources?
• How has our world of economics and politics transformed during this 12-16 months?
• What could a sequel series of segments offer?

This episode becomes a fun, quick-paced recap of great resources, highlights and packs in more surprises for our listeners, both new and returning! Join us for this  comprehensive episode.

 Continuing the global conversation about personal

financial literacy for educators on

Talking Financial Literacy Podcast

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Our archive of illustrious guests and episodes     
  • Convenient: Available on demand:  24/7
  • Portable: Take use with you via MP3 player, iPod, cell phone or CD
  • Flexible: Use for teacher PD, student enrichment, parent and adult education classes

• We express a special thanks to the McGraw-Hill Companies who have so graciously sponsored this first round of the series as a philanthropic effort. Thank you for offering such a rich resource for teachers, students, community and parents.  ~~ Kathy & Mark
  

• We expect to be providing some more resources on this topic in the near future based on discussions with potential supporters. ~~ Kathy & Mark

• Keep this feed live in your feedreader and podcast reader (iTunes, etc) and check back to the site for updates and announcements!)
  

• We wish you all success in bringing financial literacy lifelong learning to life for your students!
  

Contact Us

You may contact Mark and Kathy by

• leaving a comment here on the blog/site

• emailing us at podcast@talkingfinlit.org

Podcast Feed:

Our podcast feed is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/talkingfinlit

• (C) Talking Financial Literacy is copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008 – 2009. All rights reserved.

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You will find many money-saving and powerful suggestions for how to prepare for mortgages as adults and pose it for young people to understand the need to prepare now, for instance: building a credit history, savings and banking literacy!

Mark and Kathy also discuss the details of how to use mortgages and this life need as a vibrant classroom learning focus. Resources, lesson ideas and discussion abound.

Join us as we bring an expert on board to provide complete information in a form for all to understand.

 Elizabeth (Lisa) Zelasko contact information:

Countrywide Bank, FSB
Home Loan Consultant
Office: 201-556-4724
Fax: 866-433-2940
Email: Elizabeth_Zelasko@Countrywide.com

 WEB: http://countrywidelocal.com/elizabethzelasko

 Resources for this Episode

• Countrywide Bank, FSB Resources
  •  http://my.countrywide.com/

• Lisa’ Countrywide Bank site with calculators and articles
  • http://countrywidelocal.com/elizabethzelasko
  • Current rates for various mortgages
  • Payment calculators
  • and much more

Mortgage Calculators

• Amortization Tables
  • Also http://calculator-loan.info/mortgage-calculator.php

• 

• Mortgage Calculator shows annual tax and insurance fee, too.
  • Annual tax and fee plus Mortgage Calculator (All Fees)

•  Credit Worthiness Calculator
  • At Bankrate.com

• Calculator: “Calculate Your Debt-to-Income Ratio”
  Comparing your earnings against your spending , also known as a debt-to-income ratio, is one of the most popular approaches for evaluating if you have too much debt. Lenders, for years, have looked at debt-to-income ratios to get a better grasp on a person’s current financial picture to determine credit-worthiness.
  • Debt-to-income ratio calculator

Other Resources

•  Informational Website
  • “ Understand Your Debt-to-Income Ratio or Creditworthiness”

•  How to Calculate Your Debt Utilization Ratio
  • Debt Utilization Ratio Calculator

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• leaving a comment here on the blog/site
• emailing us at podcast@talkingfinlit.org

Podcast Feed:

Our podcast feed is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/talkingfinlit

• (C) Talking Financial Literacy is copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008 – 2009. All rights reserved.

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Join us as we explore how to fill this gap in personal financial literacy learning across grades and settings. Examples include p-12 through GED and higher education, a not-to-be-missed episode! Entirely relevant, needed and 21st century literacy focused, from the only podcast series with professional development and resources for educators, students and lifelong learners.

Talking Fin Lit Podcast: Continuing the global conversation about personal financial literacy for educators

Resources discussed in this episode:

Articles:

• Student-Run Bank Branch Opens in New Jersey High School
  • Article
• Regulators Shutter Silver State Bank
  • Wall Street Journal article
  • Published: September 6, 2008 9:26 p.m.
• Agency’s Head Expects Banking’s Crisis to Worsen
  •   NY Times article
  • Published: August 26, 2008
• SEC Resource
  • Tips for Teaching Students About Investments
  • Website: http://www.sec.gov/investor/students/tips.htm
• Kidsbank.com
  • Website Kidsbank.com
    
• TOY ATM Machines
  • Children’s Touchscreen ATM Bank, Hammacher Schlemmer 
  • Details at Softpedia.com
• Preschool level Toy register ( ages 3-7 yrs)
  • From Amazon.com
•  Toy Cash Register
  
  • Click this link for example

Contact Us

You may contact Mark and Kathy by

• leaving a comment here on the blog/site
• emailing us at podcast@talkingfinlit.org

Podcast Feed:

Our podcast feed is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/talkingfinlit

• (C) Talking Financial Literacy is copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008 – 2009. All rights reserved.

CLICK TO {{{ LISTEN }}}

Mark and Kathy discover an undeveloped territory of urgent need in financial literacy- taxes. Of course we all know we have to come with taxes, but there are few resources available to integrate this real life need into financial literacy settings cross curriculum. Currently, the field is wide open for innovation and new developments here!

— Relevant  — Real-Life  –  Interdisciplinary —

   Lifelong Learning  — 21st Century Living

  — Motivation  – Intergenerational —

From planning for college, to tax savings via charitable giving,  and  medical flex accounts, it is amazing how much people of all ages might be missing opportunities for valuable and vital learning and savings. Join your Talking Financial Literacy co-hosts, Kathy and Mark, for another  exciting discussion as they explore the few resources which ARE available and spin the connections that need to be created.

Resources discussed in this episode:

The Money Instructor

• http://www.moneyinstructor.com/wsp/taxw2.asp

Canadian Example of curriculum

• http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tchtx/menu-eng.html

Calculators and Widgets from HR Block   

• http://www.hrblock.com/taxes/tax_calculators/index.html

Teaching Your Child About Income Taxes

• http://life.familyeducation.com/taxation/money-and-kids/47969.html

Federal Bank of New York

• http://www.newyorkfed.org/education/taxes_teach.html

• (Also – see our interview with Dir. of Education with federal bank of NY!
• Talking Fin Lit  Episode 2 )

Turbotax

• Tutorials and Tools Abound
• http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/

Digits- Tips and Podcast  

• H&R Block
• http://www.digits.hrblock.com/tipsandpodcasts/

About.com

• http://taxes.about.com/od/taxsoftware/tp/tax_calculators.htm

Additional Resources for this Episode

•  IRS – Understanding Taxes
  •   http://www.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/index.jsp

 If you go into the teachers part there is an excellent series of lessons on taxes that include why pay taxes, the history of taxes and the nuts and bolts of how to pay taxes.  Check out the stuff on the bottom of the following url  http://www.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/teacher/whys.jsp

 Submitted by listener and teacher

John Kalnberg,  teacher, Sage Day School, Rochelle Park, NJ.

You may contact Mark and Kathy by

• leaving a comment here on the blog/site
• emailing us at podcast@talkingfinlit.org

Podcast Feed:

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• (C) Talking Financial Literacy is copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008-2009. All rights reserved.

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Talking Fin Lit Podcast: Continuing the global conversation about personal financial literacy for educators

Resources discussed in this episode:
Theme: A Nation @ Financial Risk -

The State of Fin Lit in Our Nation’s Schools… Parallel to A Nation at Risk 

Education Week’s special coverage marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark report A Nation at Risk, which urged schools to add more learning time to children’s lives. Read about initiatives under way to lengthen the school day or year, and about the latest research on the effects of extra time on learning.

Education Week Special Report_ Several Related Articles

A Related Commentary 

by former U.S. Secretary of Education, Riley

• EdWeek Article

 Financial literacy should be a standard requirement in public education
Why isn’t the teaching of personal finance basics considered more important than trigonometry, which few of us will ever use again, asks financial-literacy expert Braun Mincher. A solid grounding in financial basics would help young people make better fiscal decisions, Mincher writes. The Christian Science Monitor (9/23)

Financial-education course aims to better prepare teens for future
A financial-literacy course developed by the National Endowment for Financial Education offers high-schoolers unversed in tending to their own finances an introduction to the fundamentals of money management. Education Week (premium article access compliments of Edweek.org)/Associated Press (8/4)

Report: Many Indiana students poorly prepared to manage money
Six of ten Indiana high-school students failed a national money-management survey, and about the same number say they learned everything they know about the topic at home, according to a new Indiana Youth Institute report. Schools would do well to instruct students on money management, helping them to distinguish between wants and needs and the proper use of debit cards, said Lena Yarian, president of Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana. The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Ind.) (6/2)

Financial Literacy Education (FLE) in Indiana’s Schools
http://www.doe.in.gov/octe/facs/IndianaFinLitEd-FrontPage.html

Contact Us

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This is an action packed episode which highlights a one-stop shop for many resources which 

cover new dimensions of financial learning! 

From practical money skills to charity as part of the big picture.

Join Kathy and Mark for an exciting exploration of the financial literacy resources at HotChalk. The financial literacy materials we unearth will be sure to enhance any classroom and make the work of educators easier! From childhood to middle school, high school, and even adults, there are valuable lesson plans, activities, instructional articles, and games from which to choose.

Teachers, educators, educational leaders, (and parents) will find many resources to fit age groups and different settings. Items reviewed include not only HotChalk offerings on this topic, but also Karma Tycoon and The Practical Money Skills web-site.

Talking Fin Lit Podcast:

Continuing the global conversation about personal financial literacy for educators

Resources discussed in this episode:

Hotchalk Financial Literacy Resources

• financial-literacy-for-students-list
• Being financially-savvy is crucial to making the kind of smart money decisions key to ensuring quality of life. Help your students get up to speed on this important life skill with regularly updated K-12 lessons and other resources in this special sponsored section. [from the website]

Karma Tycoon:   

•  http://www.karmatycoon.com/
• Karma Tycoon rocks the gaming world by offering you a thrilling ride through the world of social entrepreneurship as you earn Karma in virtual communities across the US.  [From the website]

Practical Money Skills from Visa -

• http://practicalmoneyskills.com/english/index.php
• In addition to providing online tools and resources via www.practicalmoneyskills.com, Visa has created free classroom material that educators can use to teach personal finance. Available online or in a binder format, the classroom curriculum is free.
• It offers a teacher’s guide, student worksheets and quizzes and interactive brain-teasers that can be played by students via the Web or from a CD-ROM.
• Additionally, Visa donates computer labs, ensuring that schools in need have access to the equipment needed to take advantage of Practical Money Skills for Life. Learn more about Visa’s outreach program.  [From the website]

Contact Us

You may contact Mark and Kathy by

• leaving a comment here on the blog/site
• emailing us at podcast@talkingfinlit.org

Podcast Feed:

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• (C) Talking Financial Literacy is copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008. All rights reserved.

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Resources and Articles

Food Prices
• Hunger & Riots as Food Prices Soar (cover story)

• From IndyKids ( http://www.indykids.net/pages/issues )
• PDF of issue: http://www.indykids.net/issues/pdf/indykids_iss15.pdf

• “Riots, instability spread as food prices skyrocket” (article)

• From CNN.com online news
• Article with embedded video

• Why Does Food Cost More? Article North Coast Journal

• Article– click here

• Rising food prices take a bigger paycheck bite:

• Here’s what you can do about the escalating price of groceries
• Article from Wall Street Journal Digital – MarketWatch

Speculation

• “Speculation and World Food Markets”

• Report from International Food Policy Research Institute

Free Trade

• Free Trade Leaves World Food in Grip of Global Giants

• Article from Common Dreams.org

• Hoarding Nations Drive Food Costs Ever Higher

• Article for the NY Times

Bio Fuels

• AS GLOBAL FOOD COSTS RISE, ARE BIOFUELS TO BLAME?

• ARTICLE – CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

• Hardy Plant May Ease Biofuels’ Burden on Food Costs

• Article in National Geographic

Jatropha -

• Video clip 1 (Youtube)
• Video clip 2 (Youtube)

Contact Us

You may contact Mark and Kathy by

• leaving a comment here on the blog/site
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Podcast Feed:

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• (C) Talking Financial Literacy is copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2008. All rights reserved.

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