The "Money Talks: Should I be Listening?" curriculum was created to appeal to teenagers and to he... more The "Money Talks: Should I be Listening?" curriculum was created to appeal to teenagers and to help increase their financial literacy. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of this curriculum on financial knowledge and behavior of participants using the series. The findings indicate that using the curriculum improved the financial literacy of high school students. Behavior changed in a positive direction, knowledge improved and students appeared to have responded in ways to make their money go farther.
While there are studies on the impact of financial education on teens, there is a lack of researc... more While there are studies on the impact of financial education on teens, there is a lack of research on programs targeted at elementary school-aged youth. To address this gap, we evaluated the effectiveness of Money Savvy Youth (MSY), a financial education program for fourth and fifth graders, developed by the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation. MSY training was delivered in the classroom once a week over the course of five weeks during the 2011-2012 school year, and targeted a diverse and primarily low-income student population attending public schools in the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California. Based on pre-test, posttest, and follow-up test analyses, we found that students who participated in the MSY program demonstrated an increase in financial knowledge and self-reported positive financial behaviors. Authors ’ Note: We thank the Oakland Unified School District teachers and principals, as well as the EBALDC staff and volunteers that contributed to this...
Inability to save money and the use of savings for everyday expenses were the financial problems ... more Inability to save money and the use of savings for everyday expenses were the financial problems most often cited by respondents to a survey of California households. The preferred delivery method for receiving financial information was in-home study packets. The study findings have implications for future Cooperative Extension outreach programs.
Promoting Consumer Financial Capability and Well-Being through Education and Research
Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 2014
1Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 028... more 1Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, (401) 874-2547. Email:[email protected] It is my pleasure to serve as the editor for Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning starting in 2014. JFCP has helped my career development greatly during my growth from a young professional to a mature one. It is time for me to help the journal to achieve more successes based on the strong foundation laid by the long term former editor, Fran Lawrence, and the founding editor, Sherman Hanna. I thank the AFCPE Executive Director, Rebecca Wiggins, and the then Board Liaison, Janet Garkey, for their encouragement and assistance in my application process. I also thank Barbara O’Neill who agreed to continue her role as the book editor for JFCP. To let AFCPE members and potential authors know me better, I would like to briefly introduce my backgrounds. As a full professor of personal finance at University of Rhode Island, I have experience ...
While there are studies on the impact of financial education on teens, there is a lack of researc... more While there are studies on the impact of financial education on teens, there is a lack of research on programs targeted at elementary school-aged youth. To address this gap, we evaluated the effectiveness of Money Savvy Youth (MSY), a financial education program for fourth and fifth graders, developed by the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation. MSY training was delivered in the classroom once a week over the course of five weeks during the 2011-2012 school year, and targeted a diverse and primarily low-income student population attending public schools in the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California. Based on pre-test, posttest, and follow-up test analyses, we found that students who participated in the MSY program demonstrated an increase in financial knowledge and self-reported positive financial behaviors.
Ethnic Differences in Predictors of Health Care Use among Low-income, Rural Women
Researchers found that predisposing, enabling, and need factors all played a role in racial/ethni... more Researchers found that predisposing, enabling, and need factors all played a role in racial/ethnic differences in use of medical services among low-income rural families. The results suggest that ethnic groups have unique health care visitation patterns and needs. Age of mother, her use of transportation assistance, type of medical insurance, number of chronic conditions, and having a recent illness or injury were significantly related to number of doctor visits. Findings extend past research on ethnic differences to a rural population.
Financial satisfaction and assessment of financial progress: Importance of money attitudes
Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 1993
A survey of 280 males and 279 females living in rural Arizona and California was used to explore ... more A survey of 280 males and 279 females living in rural Arizona and California was used to explore the importance of money beliefs (obsession, retention, power/spending, and effort/ability), after controlling for objective indicators of financial well-being (income, value of assets, and amount of debt), in predicting appraisals of financial satisfaction and perception of financial progress. Results of a hierarchical model of stepwise regression suggest that money beliefs contribute more to predicting an individual's financial satisfaction than to perception of financial progress. Results also indicate gender differences in the role of money beliefs in predicting financial satisfaction and perception of financial progress.
Living On My Own: Found the Perfect Place to Live, Leader Guide
The I Found the Perfect Place to Live! Now What? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from... more The I Found the Perfect Place to Live! Now What? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensive Money Talks series. Included in this leader’s guide are learning objectives, background information, activities with accompanying handouts and visuals, a glossary, and a list of additional resources. The Background Information is meant to prepare instructors to both teach the unit and provide discussion materials for use with the participants. It also corresponds with the four activities included in the leader’s guide and the participant guide
Living On My Own: I Want My Own Place, Leader Guide
Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Soule, Katherine; Robinson, Derrick; Wooten Swanson,... more Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Soule, Katherine; Robinson, Derrick; Wooten Swanson, Pattie; The Money Talks Workgroup | Abstract: The I Want My Own Place! What Should I Know unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensive Money Talks series. Included in this leader’s guide are learning objectives, background information, activities with accompanying handouts and visuals, a glossary, and a list of additional resources. The background information is meant to prepare instructors to both teach the unit and to provide discussion materials for use with the participants. It also corresponds with the five activities included in the leader’s guide and the participant guide.
Living On My Own: I Want My Own Place, Participant Guide
Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Soule, Katherine; Robinson, Derrick; Wooten Swanson,... more Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Soule, Katherine; Robinson, Derrick; Wooten Swanson, Patti; Money Talks Workgroup | Abstract: The I Want My Own Place! What Should I Know? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensive Money Talks series. Included in the workbook are exercises and quizzes to help young people understand the emotions and realities of living on their own. Lessons include: Why am I Moving On?, Where Should I Live?, Money Matters, Your Rental, Search, Get Ready to View Rentals, Roommates or No Roommates?, Rental Review
Living On My Own: Should I Be Living on My Own? Participant Guide
The Can I Afford to Live on My Own? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensiv... more The Can I Afford to Live on My Own? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensive Money Talks series. Included in this leader’s guide are learning objectives, background information, activities with accompanying handouts and visuals, a glossary, and a list of additional resources. The Background Information is meant to prepare instructors to both teach the unit and provide discussion materials for use with the participants. It also corresponds with the four activities included in the leader’s guide and the participant guide.
Living On My Own: I Found the Perfect Place to Live, Participant Guide
Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Costello, Connie; Wooten Swanson, Patti; Soule, Kath... more Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Costello, Connie; Wooten Swanson, Patti; Soule, Katherine; The Money Talks Workgroup | Abstract: The I Found the Perfect Place to Live! Now What? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensive Money Talks series. Included in the workbook are exercises and quizzes to help young people understand the emotions and realities of living on their own. Lessons include: Rental Agreements, Security Deposits, Communicating with the Landlord, Pet and Parking Policies, Rental Insurance, Roommates, When Your Rental Agreement Is Up, Don’t Get Evicted!
The "Money Sense "program teaches lo w-income families how to overcome one of their biggest probl... more The "Money Sense "program teaches lo w-income families how to overcome one of their biggest problems, managing finances. As this study shows, the program improves participants' resource management skills and can lead to changes in their quality of life.
The "Money Talks: Should I be Listening?" curriculum was created to appeal to teenagers and to he... more The "Money Talks: Should I be Listening?" curriculum was created to appeal to teenagers and to help increase their financial literacy. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of this curriculum on financial knowledge and behavior of participants using the series. The findings indicate that using the curriculum improved the financial literacy of high school students. Behavior changed in a positive direction, knowledge improved and students appeared to have responded in ways to make their money go farther.
While there are studies on the impact of financial education on teens, there is a lack of researc... more While there are studies on the impact of financial education on teens, there is a lack of research on programs targeted at elementary school-aged youth. To address this gap, we evaluated the effectiveness of Money Savvy Youth (MSY), a financial education program for fourth and fifth graders, developed by the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation. MSY training was delivered in the classroom once a week over the course of five weeks during the 2011-2012 school year, and targeted a diverse and primarily low-income student population attending public schools in the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California. Based on pre-test, posttest, and follow-up test analyses, we found that students who participated in the MSY program demonstrated an increase in financial knowledge and self-reported positive financial behaviors. Authors ’ Note: We thank the Oakland Unified School District teachers and principals, as well as the EBALDC staff and volunteers that contributed to this...
Inability to save money and the use of savings for everyday expenses were the financial problems ... more Inability to save money and the use of savings for everyday expenses were the financial problems most often cited by respondents to a survey of California households. The preferred delivery method for receiving financial information was in-home study packets. The study findings have implications for future Cooperative Extension outreach programs.
Promoting Consumer Financial Capability and Well-Being through Education and Research
Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 2014
1Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 028... more 1Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, (401) 874-2547. Email:[email protected] It is my pleasure to serve as the editor for Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning starting in 2014. JFCP has helped my career development greatly during my growth from a young professional to a mature one. It is time for me to help the journal to achieve more successes based on the strong foundation laid by the long term former editor, Fran Lawrence, and the founding editor, Sherman Hanna. I thank the AFCPE Executive Director, Rebecca Wiggins, and the then Board Liaison, Janet Garkey, for their encouragement and assistance in my application process. I also thank Barbara O’Neill who agreed to continue her role as the book editor for JFCP. To let AFCPE members and potential authors know me better, I would like to briefly introduce my backgrounds. As a full professor of personal finance at University of Rhode Island, I have experience ...
While there are studies on the impact of financial education on teens, there is a lack of researc... more While there are studies on the impact of financial education on teens, there is a lack of research on programs targeted at elementary school-aged youth. To address this gap, we evaluated the effectiveness of Money Savvy Youth (MSY), a financial education program for fourth and fifth graders, developed by the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation. MSY training was delivered in the classroom once a week over the course of five weeks during the 2011-2012 school year, and targeted a diverse and primarily low-income student population attending public schools in the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California. Based on pre-test, posttest, and follow-up test analyses, we found that students who participated in the MSY program demonstrated an increase in financial knowledge and self-reported positive financial behaviors.
Ethnic Differences in Predictors of Health Care Use among Low-income, Rural Women
Researchers found that predisposing, enabling, and need factors all played a role in racial/ethni... more Researchers found that predisposing, enabling, and need factors all played a role in racial/ethnic differences in use of medical services among low-income rural families. The results suggest that ethnic groups have unique health care visitation patterns and needs. Age of mother, her use of transportation assistance, type of medical insurance, number of chronic conditions, and having a recent illness or injury were significantly related to number of doctor visits. Findings extend past research on ethnic differences to a rural population.
Financial satisfaction and assessment of financial progress: Importance of money attitudes
Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 1993
A survey of 280 males and 279 females living in rural Arizona and California was used to explore ... more A survey of 280 males and 279 females living in rural Arizona and California was used to explore the importance of money beliefs (obsession, retention, power/spending, and effort/ability), after controlling for objective indicators of financial well-being (income, value of assets, and amount of debt), in predicting appraisals of financial satisfaction and perception of financial progress. Results of a hierarchical model of stepwise regression suggest that money beliefs contribute more to predicting an individual's financial satisfaction than to perception of financial progress. Results also indicate gender differences in the role of money beliefs in predicting financial satisfaction and perception of financial progress.
Living On My Own: Found the Perfect Place to Live, Leader Guide
The I Found the Perfect Place to Live! Now What? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from... more The I Found the Perfect Place to Live! Now What? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensive Money Talks series. Included in this leader’s guide are learning objectives, background information, activities with accompanying handouts and visuals, a glossary, and a list of additional resources. The Background Information is meant to prepare instructors to both teach the unit and provide discussion materials for use with the participants. It also corresponds with the four activities included in the leader’s guide and the participant guide
Living On My Own: I Want My Own Place, Leader Guide
Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Soule, Katherine; Robinson, Derrick; Wooten Swanson,... more Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Soule, Katherine; Robinson, Derrick; Wooten Swanson, Pattie; The Money Talks Workgroup | Abstract: The I Want My Own Place! What Should I Know unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensive Money Talks series. Included in this leader’s guide are learning objectives, background information, activities with accompanying handouts and visuals, a glossary, and a list of additional resources. The background information is meant to prepare instructors to both teach the unit and to provide discussion materials for use with the participants. It also corresponds with the five activities included in the leader’s guide and the participant guide.
Living On My Own: I Want My Own Place, Participant Guide
Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Soule, Katherine; Robinson, Derrick; Wooten Swanson,... more Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Soule, Katherine; Robinson, Derrick; Wooten Swanson, Patti; Money Talks Workgroup | Abstract: The I Want My Own Place! What Should I Know? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensive Money Talks series. Included in the workbook are exercises and quizzes to help young people understand the emotions and realities of living on their own. Lessons include: Why am I Moving On?, Where Should I Live?, Money Matters, Your Rental, Search, Get Ready to View Rentals, Roommates or No Roommates?, Rental Review
Living On My Own: Should I Be Living on My Own? Participant Guide
The Can I Afford to Live on My Own? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensiv... more The Can I Afford to Live on My Own? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensive Money Talks series. Included in this leader’s guide are learning objectives, background information, activities with accompanying handouts and visuals, a glossary, and a list of additional resources. The Background Information is meant to prepare instructors to both teach the unit and provide discussion materials for use with the participants. It also corresponds with the four activities included in the leader’s guide and the participant guide.
Living On My Own: I Found the Perfect Place to Live, Participant Guide
Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Costello, Connie; Wooten Swanson, Patti; Soule, Kath... more Author(s): Peterson, Shirley; Varcoe, Karen; Costello, Connie; Wooten Swanson, Patti; Soule, Katherine; The Money Talks Workgroup | Abstract: The I Found the Perfect Place to Live! Now What? unit is part of the Living on My Own module from the extensive Money Talks series. Included in the workbook are exercises and quizzes to help young people understand the emotions and realities of living on their own. Lessons include: Rental Agreements, Security Deposits, Communicating with the Landlord, Pet and Parking Policies, Rental Insurance, Roommates, When Your Rental Agreement Is Up, Don’t Get Evicted!
The "Money Sense "program teaches lo w-income families how to overcome one of their biggest probl... more The "Money Sense "program teaches lo w-income families how to overcome one of their biggest problems, managing finances. As this study shows, the program improves participants' resource management skills and can lead to changes in their quality of life.
Uploads
Papers by Karen Varcoe