Media Kit
Family and Personal Finance
As families prepare their taxes and make a renewed commitment to save money and stay on a budget this year, many Virginians may find it difficult to meet their financial goals without adequate information to aid them in the process. Virginia Cooperative Extension offers a wealth of resources about family and personal finance. Below, you will discover a feature story about parents talking about money issues with their children and tips on keeping bills organized to instructions for starting a family reserve fund. You will also find contact information for our finance experts and a link to our money-related publications, which cover tax law, bankruptcy, credit, and numerous other topics.
Latest News
Despite new law, parents still need to discuss finances with high school students (January 2007)
With a new law in effect requiring Virginia high schools to educate students about finances, many parents might wrongly assume their children are learning all they need to know about money in the classroom and do not need to hear about the touchy subject of finances again at home. But the truth is, parents still need to discuss money with their children before they graduate from high school.
Experts
Celia Hayhoe, family resource management Extension specialist and assistant professor of apparel, housing, and resource management at Virginia Tech, (540) 231-3497, chayhoe@vt.edu
Irene Leech, associate professor of apparel, housing, and resource management at Virginia Tech, (540) 231-4191, ileech@vt.edu
News Releases
Use a filing system to help keep track of important documents (January 2006)
A filing system to keep track of all the records important to running a home and family can save time and money and maybe avoid problems. Gather your important records, track down the ones you're missing, throw away those you don't need, and file what's left so they can be found when you need them.
Some suggestions for getting household finances organized (January 2006)
Keeping household finances organized is important and the beginning of the year is a good time to start.
Start a “Reserve Fund” as part of family’s budget to handle unexpected expenses (January 2006)
It is often a fact of life that there will be unexpected expenses. The trick might be to expect that something will happen and so put away some money designated as a reserve fund.
Bills, Bills, Bills: Get Organized (December 2003)
So will you have time to relax after the holidays have ended? When the tree is taken down and children are contently playing with their new toys, will you be thinking about “what next?” Something lingers in the back of many people's minds – bills.
A New Job, A New Life, And A New Budget (October 2003)
Students graduate from school and become full time employees in the business world. These are important steps toward independence but there is one more step to prevent financial headaches as they start on their own-make a budget for the money.
Publications
Extension has financial management publications that answer questions about tax law changes, investing, cutting costs, and much more.
Magazine Articles
Let’s talk about money (Solutions, June 2007)
Women in Northern Virginia have a new financial education program to help them manage their money.
Reverse mortgages help retired homeowners (Solutions, June 2007)
As baby boomers begin to retire and the cost of living swells, more and more older Americans are turning to reverse mortgages to supplement their income. Virginia Cooperative Extension has joined the list of agencies in the Prince William County area offering one-on-one counseling for homeowners who want to withdraw equity from their home to support their quality of life.
Multimedia
Parents still need to discuss money with children (January 2007)
Virginia Tech radio soundline with Celia Hayhoe, family resource management Extension specialist
All video and audio resources are courtesy of University Relations Office of Visual and Broadcast Communications.
Additional Resources
Many counties and cities have family and consumer sciences agents with resources on family and personal finance. Contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office for more information about a program in your area.
Extension also has a directory of media contacts on all of the topics it covers. If you need help locating a source or looking for additional information, contact Michael Sutphin at (540) 231-6975 or Lori Greiner at (540) 231-5863.
