Category Chapters

Nov 29 2014

Telling Your Career Story

Communicating your career experiences with the use of stories is an effective way to promote your professional life. Jobseekers need to tell their stories in varied ways, using many tools.

Start the career story development by identifying a clear idea, mainly why someone should want to hire you. Focus on your skills. What do you have to offer that is better or different than others?  One approach is to review the position for which you are applying.  Create your story to relate your skills and experiences to the job description.

Your online presence should include a profile of your passion and expertise.  Most important is evidence that you are able to address the needs of the available employment position.

Emphasize a “CAR” or “PAR” approach to storytelling. CAR is “challenge, action, results.” PAR is “problem, action results.”  Tell stories to explain challenges or problems and how you handled them.

For additional information on telling your career story, go to:

How to tell your career story so people will listen

How to tell your career story so people will listen

http://www.jobactionday.com/2014-Job-Action-Day.html

 Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students research various approaches for communicating a person’s career skills and experiences.
  • Have students create a short video that communicates their career skills and experiences.

 Discussion Questions 

  1. What themes or story settings might be used to communicate your career skills?
  2. Explain how social media might be used to communicate your career story.
  3. What are some skills and experiences you would emphasize in your career story?
Nov 26 2014

Trick yourself into saving

Saving money can be automatic with some simple actions that would reduce your monthly spending.  Some actions, which can include lowering your monthly cash outflows by as much as $400, include:

 

  • Using a programmable thermostat which can be used to automatically raise and lower the temperature in your home, resulting in energy savings.
  • Increasing insurance deductibles for your home and auto insurance which will likely result in an annual savings of several hundred dollars.
  • Practicing less aggressive driving; using a constant speed can save money on fuel costs.
  • Seeking out ways to reduce your communication bills, such as using basic cable along with streaming video on your computer. Also, using a free texting app on your phone.
  • Using a refillable water bottle can save hundreds of dollars by not buying bottled water.

 

To ensure that you actually save this money, each month, have funds automatically moved into a savings account or investment program.

For additional information on saving, go to:

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/video/saving-money/trick-yourself-into-saving.aspx#ixzz3IKDG71pN

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students conduct online research to determine various actions to reduce spending and increase savings.
  • Have students interview several people to determine various actions that might be considered for reducing spending.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What actions have you taken to reduce spending and increase savings?
  2. Explain short-term and long-term benefits of reduced spending.

 

 

Nov 22 2014

Rents Are Rising . . . And So Are Evictions

“The average renter now spends 30% of their income on rent, up from a longtime average of about 25%, according to Zillow.”

Over the past year, average salaries have increased 1.8 percent.  At the same time, the average rental cost for apartments, houses, condos, and other housing has risen 7 percent.

The Neighborhood Law Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School estimates that several million families a year face evictions nationwide.  In fact, for many tenants, an unexpected emergency or unexpected expense can lead to eviction.  Most often, evicted tenants face a very difficult time finding a new home that is often in a different neighborhood or a home that is not as nice as their last home.

While the major reason for a tenant’s eviction is not paying the rent, some landlords will look for minor violations like loud noise or having a pet when there is a no pet policy to evict tenants.  Then, landlords will rent to a new tenant that is willing (and able) to pay higher rent.  In some cases, the owner of the rental property will sell the property or convert the property to condos.

For more information go to http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/29/real_estate/evicted/index.html

Teaching Suggestions

You may want to use the information in this blog post and the original article to

  • Discuss the importance of choosing a housing option that you can afford.
  • Stress the importance of budgeting for housing and other major expenses and establishing an emergency fund.

Discussion Questions

  1. While most everyone wants a nice, safe place to call home.  What factors affect your choice when choosing an apartment, condo, or house to rent or buy?
  2. Does the fact that the average tenant spends 25 to 30 percent of their income on rent and that there are no tax advantages or equity buildup when you rent, encourage you to purchase your own home? Justify your decision to rent or buy.
Nov 19 2014

10 Things Rich People Know that You Don’t

“People don’t become wealthy by accident, here’s how they do it’

This article describes 10 habits that anyone can develop that will improve their financial management skills—regardless if they want to be the world’s next millionaire or if they just want to live comfortably.  For more information about each of the 10 items below, please see the original article.

  1. Start saving and investing early in life
  2. Automate savings and investments so deposits are made automatically on a regular basis
  3. Maximize contributions to retirement and investment accounts
  4. Never carry a credit card balance
  5. Live like you’re poor and adopt a “less is more” attitude
  6. Avoid the temptation to live beyond your means
  7. Be goal oriented and know what you consider to be important
  8. Get educated and learn about investments before investing your money
  9. Diversify your portfolio and avoid the temptation to put all your eggs in one basket
  10. Spend money to make money by hiring a qualified and experienced financial adviser, accountant, and, if needed, an estate planner

For more information go to http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-habits-of-high-net-worth-women-2014-07-02?page=1

Teaching Suggestions

You may want to use the information in this blog post and the original article to

  • Stress the importance of making smart decisions as opposed to foolish decisions.
  • Tie the suggestions in this article to material in the text.

Discussion Questions

  1. Which of the ten habits described in this article can you use now to help manage your personal finances?
  2. The first suggestion, “start saving and investing early” is a basic principle we stress in the text. What are the advantages of starting early?
Nov 15 2014

3 Simple Steps to Check Up on Your Mutual Funds

By using three simple steps, you can evaluate when to buy, and when to sell mutual fund shares.

This short article describes three simple steps that investors can use to monitor the value of their fund investments.

Step 1:  Go to www.morningstar.com or look up funds via the Kiplinger fund finder tool at www.kiplinger.com, and check out 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year returns.

Step 2:  Compare your fund’s performance with the average returns for similar funds or with an appropriate benchmark like the Russell 2000 index for small company stock funds.

Step 3:  If your fund’s performance doesn’t match up with similar funds or with a specific fund benchmark, dig deeper to see if the fund managers have changed their strategy or if there are reasons why the fund is a poor performer.

While the above steps can identify funds that you may want to sell, the same three steps can also help you identify funds that you want to hold or even buy more shares in a top performing fund.

For more information go to http://www.kiplinger.com/article/investing/T041-C009-S002-3-simple-steps-to-check-up-on-mutual-funds.html

Teaching Suggestions

You may want to use the information in this blog post and the original article to:

  • Explain how easy it is to use the Internet to obtain information from Morningstar, Kiplinger, and other sources that can help investors evaluate a fund’s performance.
  • Discuss ways investors can monitor the value of fund investments.

Discussion Questions

  1. How can a fund’s performance help you determine if you want to sell shares or buy more shares in a fund?
  2. Why should investors examine a fund’s performance over different time periods?
  3. In addition to performance, what other factors should be considered when evaluating a fund investment?
Nov 12 2014

Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

Did you know that Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) offer free or low cost health coverage for eligible children and other family members? Medicaid and CHIP cover:

  • Children and teens up to age 19
  • Young people up to 21 may be covered under Medicaid
  • Youth who have “aged out” of foster care can be covered under Medicaid until they reach age 26

Children may be eligible based on their family income.  Eligibility depends on your income, the number of people in your family and the rules in your state. In almost every state, children in families with income up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($47,700 per year for a family of four) are covered. In more than half the states, the income eligibility for children can be even higher.

Eligible children and teens can get regular check-ups, shots, doctor and dentist visits, vision care, hospital care, mental health services, needed medications and more.  All preventive services for children are available at no cost.

For more information, go to

http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/chip/index.html

Teaching suggestions

  • Ask students how can they find a health care provider (doctor, dentist or pharmacist) in their area who accepts Medicaid or CHIP?
  • Is there a special enrollment period for Medicaid or CHIP?
  • How can you apply for Medicaid and CHIP?

Discussion Questions

  1. Can working parents who may not have health coverage through their jobs cover their children under the CHIP program?
  2. Who can apply for Medicaid or CHIP for a child?

 

Nov 8 2014

Is That Health Insurance Website for Real?

Shopping for health insurance online?  Before making your final purchase – read on.  Health insurance scams have been preying through websites selling medical discount plans.

According to the complaint in a recent case FTC settlement, IAB Marketing Associates, LP et al. , was a sham nonprofit trade association offering memberships suggesting it would provide consumers with a comprehensive medical insurance plan. Here’s how it worked: people shopping for health insurance online would come across websites quoting prices for health insurance plans once they entered their personal information. The websites acted like collection baskets: they asked for contact information, age, occupation, marital status-and whether folks had health insurance or pre-existing medical conditions. IAB telemarketers then called people who provided their information on these websites and used aggressive tactics to sell IAB memberships. As long as people paid upfront fee and made monthly payments – both ranging from $40 – $1,000 – they were promised a comprehensive health insurance plan that covered virtually every medical procedure and illness

Or so they thought.

The truth? According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), consumers never were enrolled in a comprehensive health insurance plan. The IAB plan was essentially a medical discount plan, offering, if it existed, limited discounts and reimbursements on visits to certain doctors or hospitals. Many consumers who suffered an accident or illness were shocked to find that their IAB “health plan” covered very few, if any, medical expenses, leaving them with major medical bills.

For additional information go to:

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/health-insurance-website-real

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students why they should research a company before providing their personal information.
  • Where can students file a complaint if they suspect a health insurance scam?

Discussion Questions

  1. How can consumers protect themselves from such scams?
  2. Should consumers provide personal information on the web?
Nov 5 2014

Discount Plans for Health Insurance?

Looking for health insurance? Make sure that’s what you’re buying, or you could find yourself on the hook for big medical bills with no way to pay them.

That’s because what sounds like affordable health insurance may be a medical discount plan instead.  Medical discount plans can help some people to save money on their health care costs, but discount plans aren’t health insurance.

Although some medical discount plans provide legitimate discounts, others take your money and offer very little in return.  The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and its state law enforcement partners also have found that dishonest marketers selling these plans have tried to make people think they’re selling health insurance, or have lied about what their plans really offer.

If you buy a health insurance plan, it generally covers a broad range of services, and pays you or your health care provider for a portion of your medical bills. If you buy a medical discount plan, you generally are paying for a list of providers and sellers who may be willing to offer “discounts” on some of their services, products or procedures. Medical discount plans don’t pay your health care costs.

“Discounts of up to 70%”–but how often will you save that much? Savings with discount plans typically are a lot less. When you consider a discount plan’s monthly premiums and enrollment fees, there may be no “discount” at all.  What’s more, if you have major health problems or an emergency, you will have to cover most, or all, of the bills if you don’t have health insurance.

For additional information go

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0165-discount-plan-or-health-insurance

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask student how they should react if they are pressured to sign up quickly or miss out on a “special deal”.
  • Why is it important to check with your state insurance department, your state Attorney General, and your Better Business Bureau before signing up for such discount plans?

Discussion Questions

  1. Why medical discount plans are not health insurance plans?
  2. Do medical discount plans pay for your health care costs?
Nov 1 2014

Be Smart About Your Smartphone

You just bought the latest Smartphone.  You loaded all your favorite apps–online banking, GPS, even an app to track your health.

But now your phone is full of information about you–how much money you have, where you are and whether you’ve gained a little weight.  Your information can cause problems if it’s in the wrong hands.  Want to protect it?  These tips are for you:

  • Set you phone to lock automatically. When you don’t use the phone for a few minutes, the phone should automatically lock itself and require a password to reopen.
  • Use passwords for your phone. In addition to a password to unlock your phone, use a different passwords for each shopping or financial app. Don’t share your passwords with anyone.
  • Be wise about Wi-Fi. Don’t send personal information on a public wireless network in a coffee shop, library or hotel. Wait until you can use an encrypted Wi-Fi network that requires a password.
  • Foil phishing attempts. Don’t text or email personal information, and delete any texts or email messages that ask for it. If you must give out personal information, do it only if you type in the organization’s web address yourself and you see signs that the site is secure–either “https” (the “s” stands for secure) or a lock icon.
  • Connect to Bluetooth carefully. Bluetooth makes it easier for you to connect your phone with other devices. But, like other wireless connections, Bluetooth also can make it easier for thieves to steal your personal information. So, connect to Bluetooth in private, uncrowded areas only. Don’t forget to turn off Bluetooth when you are not using it.

Now you are ready to start using your new phone, right? Before you toss your old Smartphone,  remove all your personal information.  It’s important to protect your personal information from the moment you start using your phone until you get rid of it.

For additional information go to

http://www.ncpw.gov/blog/be-smart-about-your-phone

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0272-how-keep-your-personal-information-secure

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students how they get rid of all the personal and financial information stored in their mobile devices.
  • Why is it important to use strong passwords with your mobile device, laptop, credit, bank, and other accounts?

Discussion Questions

  1. Why is it important to protect your personal information from the moment you start using your phone until you get rid of it?
  2. What steps should you take to remove personal information before discarding your mobile device?
Oct 29 2014

Medicare & You 2015: What’s Important in 2015?

In September 2014, millions of Americans received a 152-page booklet from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, called Medicare & You 2015.  It doesn’t have much of a plot, but it might be the most important reading for seniors or their adult children.  Here is what’s important in 2015:

  • Stay healthy with Medicare-covered preventive services. Medicare pays for many services that can prevent or detect health problems early when they are easier to treat.  Ask your health care provider what services you need.
  • Keep track of your personal health information. Access your personal health information using Medicare’s Blue Button.  This information can help you make more informed decisions about your care and can give your healthcare providers a more complete view of your health history.
  • Continue to get help in the prescription drug coverage gap. If you reach the coverage gap in your Medicare prescription drug coverage, you’ll quality for some savings on generic and brand-name drugs.
  • Find out what you pay for Medicare (Part A and Part B). The 2015 Medicare premium and deductible amounts were not available at the time of printing.  To get most up-to-date cost information, call 1-800-Medicare.

For additional information go to

http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/10050.pdf

Teaching Suggestions

  • Ask students to choose a current issue of Money, Consumer Reports, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, and summarize an article that updates Medicare’s programs for 2015.
  • Ask student where they can find other ways to get Medicare information and compare the quality of plans and health care providers.

Discussion Questions

  1. What factors should senior citizens consider in making the choice among various types of Medicare, medigap, or HMO health care insurance policies?
  2. What services are not covered by Medicare?