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Bothell High School Students Receive the Credit University Experience

Madeleine asked a great question in class.

‘My sister is getting a ton of magazines she didn’t order. Could someone have stolen her identity’?

The answer? Perhaps. Madeleine learned that her sister’s best course of action was to cancel the subscriptions and check her credit report. Those 18 and over can obtain their credit reports for free at www.annualcreditreport.com. Looking at her credit report will reveal if someone is using her personal information for more than just a prank.

Identity theft prevention, credit scores and how they work, and understanding how to get the best interest rate on their savings (pssst… it’s by...

Auburn High School DECA Rethinks Money

When I walked into Auburn City Hall and saw Alyssa and Hailey, organizers of Auburn High School’s ‘Rethink Money’ event, I did a double take.  Were these young business women or professionals working at City Hall?

Turns out they were the high school students.  These two, along with fellow DECA students, brought Mayor Lewis, the business community, and several government and not for profits together for an evening that asked participants to rethink money.

Mayor Lewis opened the event by discussing the importance of anticipating the financial pitfalls all of us eventually face, and the rewards of preparing for them.  He asked all of...

ROTH IRA Eligibility in 2010

While many Americans bemoan the losses they’ve seen in their investment portfolios since 2008, investors just getting started might look on today’s markets as a 30% off sale.

One of the challenges new investors face is choosing the right account for their needs, or whether or not they should convert to a ROTH IRA. Today I logged into Vanguard’s live webcast to help clear up some confusion around ROTH IRAs, conversions from a traditional IRA to a ROTH IRA, and who can contribute to a ROTH IRA.

Regardless of where your investment accounts are located, now is a great time to consider...

Freakin’ on Frugality

“If you don’t mind my saying, Ma’am, this is the weirdest cart of groceries I’ve rung up today’. 

Wow.  That seemed a little harsh.  The last thing I expect at the grocery story is judgement from my cashier.  I mean, I wasn’t buying anything that out of the ordinary.  A pastrami sandwich.  A lint roller.  Oh yeah, I also had 24 cans of coconut milk, 17 scour pads, and 22 packages of  mai fun, a thin rice noodle common in Chinese cuisine. 

Okay, maybe it was a bit weird.  But only in quantity.  I mean really, am I going to need 17 scour pads...

Capital High School Students Learn to Save and Invest

Wow. For all those adults out there who think teens couldn’t be bothered to consider their financial futures: You need a wake up call. At least you do if you’re living in Olympia, WA.

73 students in Ms. Fabritius and Ms. Elam’s classes at Capital High school benefited from the Investor Protection Trust sponsored and Dept. of Financial Insitutions Consumer University presentation. Learning all about saving and investing and how to acheive short and long term financial goals, students were blown away by how easy it is to accumulate long term rewards if they begin to consistently save and invest for...