Tagged With "families"

By: Jenny Rea, Ph.D. , Edited by Anna Peterson Arizona is home to 500,000+ service members, veterans, and their families. I recently had the opportunity to attend the Arizona Coalition for Military Families’ 13th Annual Statewide Symposium in Phoenix, Arizona. This annual event is Arizona’s only conference that brings together the military, government, and community. The symposium focuses on strengthening services and support for Arizona’s military-connected population. As Extension...

For over two years, U.S. inflation rates have exceeded their long-term average of about 3%. Like all Americans, military families have experienced a loss of purchasing power as their income cannot buy as much as it did previously. Individuals cannot stop inflation but they can mitigate its impact. Below are six inflation-fighting strategies for Extension professionals to discuss with Service members: Needs Versus Wants Analysis - During inflationary times, it is more important than ever to...

Domestic violence is a widespread issue that affects families in all communities. Addressing this problem requires a collaborative effort from both communities and institutions. In a recent Program Centerstage webinar , the spotlight was on the University of Nevada's Heart & Hope program, which aims to create resilient families and break the cycle of domestic violence in local communities. Hosted by program leaders, Julie Woodbury and Jill Baker-Tingey Jill and Julie from the University...

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Payments on federal student loans have been suspended, without interest, since March 2020. After a 42 month hiatus, payments will resume for borrowers in October 2023. More than three years of suspended payments is a long time. A lot can happen in borrowers’ lives. Here are seven tips to help military families prepare for student loan payment resumption this month.

Unlike impulsive buying, emotional spending is frequently heightened by stress, grief, or moments of happiness or sadness. Regardless of these triggers, they can impact your finances negatively. For example, you shop to make yourself feel better after a bad day at work. As a result, compulsive shopping and spending stems from an impulse disorder habit that can be addictive for many. The relationship between money and happiness is now seen as complete. Aknin, Wiwad, and Hannibal (2018)...

Do you have any suggestions for tools like graphic organizers or worksheets that help people to think about and define their values?

Chris, I created and used a worksheet that I found effective with a college class a few weeks ago. It requires the participants to list all their values. Then, identify short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals related to their top (3) values from their list and explain how finance aligns with their specific goal. We then have an open discussion about barriers that can keep us from reaching our goals, and because life sometimes throws us a curve ball, we also address how to overcome the...

In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received over 93,000 reports of fraud by Military Consumers. Military families are frequent targets for scams. Explore the reasons for this, discover how you can help clients spot, avoid and report fraud.

I find that people often state their values, but then recognize a great misalignment between their habits/ actions/ behaviors and the values they thought they prioritized. The Value Clarification worksheet you shared gives a great start to recognition of potential disconnect, and can help formulate discussions or internal reflections leading to a meaningful reassessment (of behaviors and/or values) to influence goal setting and progress. Thanks for sharing!

Written by Summer Jones, ZERO TO THREE Between birth and age 3, a child’s brain develops one million neural connections per second (Center on the Developing Child, 2007). These connections are built through repeated experiences with their caregivers. Babies are born wired for connection, instinctively drawing responses from their caregivers that help strengthen the bond between them (Sullivan et al., 2011). The building of this bond, or attachment, is a two-way street between baby and their...

Written by: Jennifer Novak, ZERO TO THREE The period following childbirth can be challenging for many new mothers, particularly within military families. Postpartum mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), encompassing conditions like postpartum depression (PPD), postpartum anxiety (PPA), and postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder, often pose significant mental health hurdles during this vulnerable time for families. When factoring in race and ethnicity within military communities, these...

Great article! I find these situations/struggles not unique to military families, as I have seen similar scenarios with police and firefighter families as well. Conceptions about being tough, long periods of a spouse being gone, and or irregular schedules and the trauma of the job all contribute to the need for more support and understanding following the birth of a child.

Being chosen for a role with the primary responsibility of caring for others is a privilege. It's an honor to be selected for these positions. The real challenge is to be worthy of that honor every day. Too much? You're right to think that. It's a lot. Notice though, you're part of an executive "team". Everything that needs to be done can only be done with a team. An executive team is expected to model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the status quo, enable others to act, and...

Brown (2023) estimates that nearly 62% of Americans have a pet, and half of pet owners not only consider their pets to be a part of their family but say they are as much a part of their family as a human member. Identify ways for pet ownership to teach financial responsibility and explore special considerations for military families, including the new pet transportation allowance for CONUS and OCUNUS PCS moves.

Thanks for your support @Troy Anthony Anderson !

Thank you for the timely blog post on this interesting topic.

This belief then led to the development of ¡Salir Adelante! Caminos a Nuestro Futuro (Pathways for our Future) , a program designed to provide tools and support to Latino Iowans to help them achieve their educational aspirations and improve their family's well-being. ¡Salir Adelante! Pathways for Our Future aims to help communities connect with Latinx families to enhance family engagement and support youth in graduating from high school and enrolling in higher education. Understanding the...

Transitioning into 2024 marked a new year. Many of us saw the new year as an opportunity to start fresh, but financial hardships and losses can have a lasting impact on our mental health. This type of impact leads to unforeseen trauma. Often, we make resolutions to hit the ground running in the new year, but old habits die hard, mainly when these habits are deeply rooted in our psyche. Let us be realistic: We all plan to go to the gym on January first; we even go shopping over the holiday...

Inflation continues to be a global economic challenge, impacting everything from food costs to housing affordability. Explore the difference between objective and subjective financial stress, identify questions to ask your clients, and connect with additional learning opportunities, including an on-demand webinar to learn more.