​Sticking to a financial resolution can be challenging when our excitement exceeds our preparation. The excitement and drive to set a goal to get out of debt or save for a vacation is so valuable to help keep us going when we’ve taken some time to prepare and plan successfully. Here are my 5 tips to make and stick to a family budget in 2020. 

GUEST BLOGGER: ELIZABETH DAVIS

Back to school shopping can be wonderful quality time and an opportunity to make happy memories with our children. However, back to school shopping may also be a time of financial stress, feelings of insufficiency and occasionally whining (my kids and probably me too). I have both witnessed and experienced children whose desire to obtain an object is the impetus behind poor behavior.

​A few years ago, we made a change... 

GUEST BLOGGER: ELIZABETH DAVIS

Paying for college can be an overwhelming task. According to the Federal Reserve (2019) the average student loan debt per students finishing an undergraduate degree is $32,731. 
I was in graduate school when my daughter was born. Ironically the semester that she was born I was in a social policy class that discussed the expense of having children. I was overwhelmed and disheartened to learn that on average it costs $233,610 to raise a child to the age of 18 and that was NOT including college expenses! I was pregnant, sick, and overwhelmed by what seemed like the impossible task of planning for my child’s future while I was still in the throes of finishing my own education. 

GUEST BLOGGER: KATHY RIGGS

​A common question for parents may be, “At what age should I begin teaching my children the value of money- earned or gifted?” University of Illinois Extension specialists have compiled a list of the top things children should know about money by the time they reach middle school. We’ve added money concepts for ages 16 and up from the Teaching Children Money Management publication and broke them out, by age, below. 

According to financial experts, an allowance is “a fixed amount of money children receive on a regular schedule, with the understanding that they will pay for certain agreed-upon expenses.” When best practices are followed, allowances can be one of the best ways to teach your children financial responsibility. Below are some hacks for turning an allowance into an educational tool.