The Standard Newsletter
Brenda Vaughn
AFCPE’s Board of Directors typically meet once a quarter, with face-to-face meetings held in June and November prior to the Symposium. However, with the advances in meeting technology, and in an effort to save time and money, the Board voted last year to conduct the June meeting via webcast every... Read More >
Rebecca Wiggins
With the end of summer upon us, we take this opportunity to reflect on the first part of the year, and prepare for what is to come! It has been a busy and productive few months with new professional development programs, statewide community engagement events, additional partnerships and new possibilities.... Read More >
Carol Kando-Pineda, Federal Trade Commission
Crooks use clever schemes to defraud millions of people every year. They often combine new technology with old tricks to get people to send money or divulge personal information. They add new twists to old schemes and pressure people to make important decisions on the spot. One thing that never... Read More >
Michelle Pimentel
Written by Richard H. Thaler Reviewed by Michelle Pimentel, AFC® Richard Thaler, a professor at the University of Chicago and behavioral economist, recaps his career-long endeavor to establish and legitimize behavioral economics in his latest book, Misbehaving. Thaler argues that “misbehavior,” which he defines as “behavior inconsistent with the idealized... Read More >
Timothy J. Corriero, Andrew S. Leonard
A house is the largest asset that most families will ever own. It is also the most emotionally-meaningful. Over the past two decades, housing values have increased significantly, even doubling or tripling in cities like New York and San Francisco. These dynamics result in the conventional wisdom that renting is "throwing money away"... Read More >
Sabrina Johnson
A quick internet search on budgeting will likely pull up some popular advice: how to cut grocery expenses, shopping deals, couponing, minimizing miscellaneous costs, and so on. But really there is more to budgeting than most of us think. Truly the best way to budget is to simply only spend... Read More >
Jessica Padden
Chronic illnesses can be devastating to a family both emotionally and financially. As financial counselors, we can help families set up budgets and financial plans to prepare for such an event. Setting up a good financial plan can help minimize a family’s stress and control spending. The approach you take... Read More >
Alyssa Hart Blakemore
Making the decision to engage in a new career path can be a source of stress for anyone, regardless of age or economic status. It also marks a turning point for thousands of service members facing alternative means of employment. In the 2015 Veteran Economic Opportunity Report, the Department of... Read More >
Joanna Swanson
In December 2014, the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act was signed into law authorizing individuals with disabilities to open tax-exempt savings accounts to save for disability-related expenses without impacting current or future eligibility for resource-based benefits. As a result, individuals with disabilities can save more than a total... Read More >
Stephanie R. Yates
“Incentives, Charitable Donations and the Estate Tax: Clarifications” by W. Beranek and D. R. Kamerschen (International Journal of Business, 2016) In estate planning, a taxpayer must decide between giving to charity and giving to heirs. This paper develops a model for that decision in order to determine if the monetary... Read More >
Rebecca Wiggins
Although the AFCPE staff is small, most days it feels like a well-oiled machine with such a fabulous team. Our staff is diligent, energetic, intelligent, and deeply committed to this organization and the success of its future. We wear many hats and enjoy the hard work it takes, but we... Read More >
Brenda Vaughn
As I write this article, I’m looking out of my window at a beautiful spring day. The flowers are blooming, the grass is a scenic shade of green, and the ever so subtle layer of pollen covers just about everything. I never used to have allergies, however, in the last... Read More >