The Standard Newsletter
Catalina Laschon, AFC® Candidate and Jessica Cherubin, AFC® Candidate
Catalina’s Journey AFCPE and the AFC® accreditation had a remarkable transformative effect on my money mindset and plans. In early 2019, I relocated to the US . I now have more confidence and possibilities. I am inspired to make bold and profound changes to my family’s path toward reaching financial... Read More >
Alisha Patel
When the global pandemic hit the United States in March of 2020, the residential housing market was heavily impacted. The residential housing market includes condominiums, townhomes, and houses. Families were upgrading to larger homes in the suburbs, as they were taking advantage of record low mortgage rates. In addition, the... Read More >
Rebecca Wiggins
As I write to you, the birds are chirping and flowers are blooming. It is a time of hope across our country as we transition out of the pandemic. As I reflect on the past year and a half, I am grateful for your AFCPE Staff Team. Although we are... Read More >
Meredith Lozar, AFC®
The Spring and Summer months are a time of year when many of us do a little Spring Cleaning. If you are a military spouse then you might be cleaning in preparation for another Permanent Change of Station move. We sometimes use this time to identify and donate old items.... Read More >
Mindy Joseph, MBA
Scholars and practitioners alike have become more sensitive to the issue of diversity. Specifically, we are sensitive to how it influences our perspectives, professional practices, and interactions with clients. The research articles below focus on diversity. They highlight how our assumptions may impact our approach to clients from diverse backgrounds... Read More >
Candace Scarlett
With three copies of Broke Millennial Talks Money by Erin Lowry circulating at the local library and my hold being number ten on the waitlist, I finally purchased it. I thought, "this has to be a good book." The purpose of this book is to help people, not specifically financial... Read More >
Heidi Fierek, AFC®
I am not going to get it right all of the time or possibly even at all. As an AFC®, I am trying to understand my role in recognizing diversity in my work . I work for a county agency that provides free financial counseling to our residents. It is... Read More >
Barbara O’Neill, Ph.D., CFP®, AFC®, CHC
During the past six months, I have presented about a dozen COVID-19 and Your Finances presentations and webinars, including this webinar for Cooperative Extension colleagues. I began each presentation by describing similarities between transitions in later life, described in my new book Flipping a Switch, and those experienced by Americans... Read More >
April Berggren-Batts
When you think of the profession Accredited Financial Counselor, what characteristics come to mind? I think of compassion, kindness, teacher, helper, proactive, empathetic, determined, committed, and many other positive attributes. Imagine putting yourself in an in-person or virtual room full of people like this for several days. That is what... Read More >
Rebecca Wiggins
Spring is in the air, and this year the glimmers of hope extend beyond warmer breezes and colorful flowers. After a tumultuous and isolating year, the vaccine distribution progress is encouraging. Hopefully before too long, we will be able to be back together in community. As much as we have... Read More >
Meredith Lozar, AFC®
As we settle into 2021, we find ourselves in a time filled with flickers of hope and moments of frustration. We realize that perhaps change isn’t coming as quickly as we thought. However, settling into the new year also gives us an opportunity to look back at how far we’ve... Read More >
Becky Smith, Ph.D., FFC
I am a White, 50-year-old who identifies as a female. I was born in Flint, Michigan. When I was nine, my family moved to Anaheim, California. As a first-generation college student I earned three degrees in economics: undergraduate at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, and graduate training at Louisiana State... Read More >