Blog
AFCPE® Membership Spotlight: Susan Schroeder, AFC®
Susan Schroeder, AFC® strongly believes that financial empowerment interventions enable people to move forward and achieve financial well-being. For 10 years, she has focused her passion on increasing the financial capability, access, and inclusion for low to middle income individuals and families. Susan joined AFCPE® membership in 2014 and in just a...
September 29, 2015
Read More >Money, Debt & the Law 102: A Look at the National Landscape
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, recently issued it's Monthly Complaint Report for August 2015. The CFPB is the first federal agency that is totally focused on consumer financial protection. Consumer complaints are an integral and increasingly significant part of that work. Over the past 4 years, the agency has...
September 22, 2015
Read More >Accredited Financial Counselors Are There for Everyone
This article was originally published on NerdWallet.com. Financial advisors help people with financial and retirement planning. Credit counselors excel at helping people saddled with debt. But what about people who need help navigating the confusing financial issues of their daily lives — debt, budgeting, retirement planning and everything in between? For...
September 18, 2015
Read More >Staying at Home or Returning to Work: Financial Factors to Consider
Preparing for a baby is one of the most exciting and stressful experiences for new parents. There’s so much to do before baby comes, and only nine months to do it! That seems like a lot of time, but it passes by more quickly than you realize. One decision that...
September 09, 2015
Read More >Online Security Tips & Safeguards
Have you ever received an email indicating that your password for a routinely used website had been successfully changed? This type of email is usually reassuring as an added measure of security. But what if you did not change the password? Suddenly this kind of email takes on a new...
September 01, 2015
Read More >Building the Bridge: Financial Therapy & Financial Counseling
AFCPE® Membership Spotlight: Kristy ArchuletaThe theme of the 2015 AFCPE Symposium is Building the Bridge from Research to Practice. Kristy Archuleta is a great example of how each member of AFCPE plays an important role in forming that bridge. As a longtime member of AFCPE, co-author of the 2014 AFCPE Research Journal Article...
August 27, 2015
Read More >The True Value of Hobbies: Looking Beyond the Spreadsheet
“Your hobby costs how much?” This is a question I have received many times through my life. It’s true, to some, my hobby seems expensive, maybe even exorbitant. But the truth is, the value of a hobby is more than meets the eye. I am a proud horse owner, and...
August 03, 2015
Read More >AFCPE® Op Ed: A response to “Why Service Members Should Receive Financial Literacy Training”
Marissa Cruz wrote an important article, entitled, “Why Service Members Should Receive Financial Literacy Training.”The article caught our attention for its urgent message and strong focus on the financial issues facing our country’s servicemembers and veterans. Cruz raises very valid points around the importance of providing financial literacy training to...
July 30, 2015
Read More >AFCPE Membership Spotlight: Gabriella Barthlow, AFC®
For Gabriella Barthlow, 2015 is a year of firsts. Although she has worked as an AFC® professional for more than 7 years, this year she started a new role as a Financial Coach for the CFPB Financial Coaching project, became a member of AFCPE® and is planning her first trip to the...
July 29, 2015
Read More >5 Tax Complications That Could Arise in a Same-Sex Marriage
It's been nearly two years since the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ruled that same-sex couples legally married in states that recognize their marriages, should be treated as married for federal tax purposes. Subsequently, the ruling applies regardless of whether the couple lives in...
July 13, 2015
Read More >How much should I be spending in the different budget categories?
Recently in a personal finance class, some of the students asked me how much they should be spending in the different budget categories, such as housing, groceries, and so on. I’ve always seen these categories as somewhat flexible, with the amount you spend on one thing versus another being entirely...
July 08, 2015
Read More >Money Pools: A Non-Traditional Savings and Capital System
As financial counselors, coaches and educators, it is important to recognize and understand various systems of saving and investing that culturally diverse populations and the underbanked might use. The use of money pools might not be the first choice that a financial professional might recommend to a client, but if...
July 02, 2015
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