Category: Helpful Information

Financial Literacy Tools

Department of Revenue releases 2014 Iowa Income Tax Practice Packet for Students

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Paying Income Taxes on chalk boardThe Iowa Department of Revenue is pleased to work with Jump$tart Iowa to promote financial literacy education.  That education should include basic knowledge about how to complete a tax return.  To assist with the development of that knowledge, the Department has created a student packet with examples, exercises, and instructions for teachers to expose students to the basics of completing an Iowa 1040 Individual Income tax return.  The Department encourages the usage of this packet and welcomes any questions you may have about the information presented.  Please contact idr@iowa.gov.

Download:

2014 Student Iowa Income Tax Practice Packet

Please take time to fill in the Tax Packet Evaluation to help us know where we can improve on this tool.

Financial Literacy Tools, Helpful Information

Registration for EconChallenge Now Open

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nec-imageTeachers can now register their students in the National Economics Challenge, a national competition to help high school students build and test their knowledge of economics. The challenge is open to all high schools, and teachers can create as many student teams as they like. The Council for Economic Education will pay all registration and participation fees.

Register now to have your students participate in the online competition, which will take place March 1-April 3, 2015. The national semifinal competition will take place April 14. The top four teams from the semifinals will compete in the national competition taking place May 16-18 in New York.

Click here for more information.

Helpful Information, Upcoming Events

Money Smart Week 2015 Calendar Now Available

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We are excited to announce that the Money Smart Week event calendar is now open. We hope that all of you will join us once again in this annual opportunity to help consumers make informed financial decisions and be Money Smart. Each year we’ve seen tremendous growth in both participation and outreach for this event. In 2014 we engaged over 250,000 consumers – we can’t wait to see how many people we can encourage to be Money Smart in 2015!

Additional Updates for 2015

  • Do you know a Money Smart Kid?  Have them enter for a chance to win scholarship money and earn some money smarts.
  • Attend the ninth annual Financial Literacy Summit, co-hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Visa Inc., where discussion will be around potential solutions to improving millennials’ financial literacy globally using mobile technology.  Attend live or attend via web stream.
  • Have you liked us on Facebook? Click here to like us today.
Financial Literacy Tools, Scholarships

Students get a chance to win $1000; Parents survival guide for college

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wfWhen students sign up to receive college tips and tools from Wells Fargo’s CollegeSTEPS® program, they’ll automatically be entered in the CollegeSTEPS sweepstakes for a chance to win $1,000. Plus, they’ll get emails with information designed to help keep them on track with money management and college planning. Please download the flier for more information on how your students can win.

Applicable Grade Levels: 9-12 and all college levels
Deadline: August 13, 2015
Flier: Wells Fargo CollegeSTEPS Drawing

The College Survival Guide sponsored by Wells Fargo is an excellent resource to help parents make sure they are on the right track to preparing for college. In this easy to read 14 page document, the first half helps you understand options for paying for college. It also helps you understand key areas to focus on when preparing your child for college. The second half talks about the process of getting into college and the challenges your child will encounter.

Download it for free at this web site: http://yourteenmag.com/2014/08/college-survival-guide-2/

Wells Fargo is a member of the Iowa Jump$tart Coalition.

Financial Literacy Tools, Helpful Information

Tuition Funding Sources Available With Help of Wells Fargo Sponsorship

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Iowa Jump$tart Coalition Member Wells Fargo has recently stepped in as the exclusive sponsor of Tuition Funding Sources, which is one of the oldest and most trusted names in the scholarship industry.

Tuition Funding Sources is available free of charge to all high school students looking to continue their education after graduation, all college students currently attending a college or university and all other adults either at home or in the work force that desire to obtain a college degree or take college courses to improve their skills and education.

Most other scholarship search websites contain small scholarship databases made up of mostly national scholarships. These scholarships receive the largest number of applications and are the most difficult to win. The websites contain very few college sponsored awards thus eliminating the largest category of scholarship funds and those awards that students have the best chance to win.

The TFS website likewise contains millions of national scholarships, but the largest portion of the TFS scholarship database is made up of scholarships sponsored by individual colleges and universities.

Financial Literacy Tools, Helpful Information

2015 Money Smart Kid Essay Contest Announced

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Iowa Bankers Association Communications Coordinator Shawnna Stiver (left) and Iowa Credit Union Foundation Executive Director Jaimie Miller (right) present a certificate to 2014 Money Smart Kid Laura Stowater of Algona Middle School (center)

In support of Money Smart Week April 18-25, the Iowa Bankers Association is sponsoring the annual Money Smart Kid Essay Contest in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The student winner of the contest will receive a $1,000 college savings account. Students in grades 7-11 may enter the contest by answering the essay questions: What is the biggest obstacle to saving your money? What technological and/or banking solutions might help you and your friends begin to save? The deadline to submit an essay is March 27, 2015, and the winner will be notified by April 10. Click here for more information.

Financial Literacy Tools, Helpful Information, Upcoming Events

Register Now for Your Money Your Future Online Classes

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YMYFlogoNeed help with your budget? ISU Extension and Outreach is offering “Your Money Your Future,” a two-hour online class which will show you a better way to stretch your dollars and plan for the future. The online class will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 1, Jan. 5 and Feb. 5. Registration for the class is $15. For more information or to register, click here.

Contests, Financial Literacy Tools

Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge Kicks Off, Giving Participating High Schools Chance to Win $1,000

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A partnership of educational organizations is providing an incentive for Iowa high schools to assess their students’ financial understanding. Schools have a chance at a cash prize by participating in the Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge between now and Jan. 31, 2015. Iowa Student Loan® — in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Jump$tart Coalition, Junior Achievement of Central Iowa and the Iowa College Access Network — is sponsoring the challenge and providing a chance for schools to win $1,000 for their participation. Teachers who take part in the challenge can also cater activities to satisfy financial literacy requirements for the Iowa Core 21st Century Skills.

The challenge is intended to reward Iowa high school educators who promote critical financial literacy skills by using two online financial literacy tutorials in classrooms. High schools that register and have students experience Student Loan Game PlanSM and ROCI Reality Check by Jan. 31willbe entered in a drawing for a chance to win one of 30 cash prizes.

Click here to learn more. Or click here to enter.

Financial Literacy Tools, Helpful Information

Register Now for Your Chance to Win Save Now, Save Later Contest!

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College Savings Iowa® is a great way to help your students plan for their future college education. And with Iowa Student Loan’s Save Now, Save Later giveaway, you could give that savings a $1,500 boost. Registration for the contest is open until Dec. 19, 2014.

Parents or legal guardians of an Iowa high school student can enter by completing the cosigner version of Student Loan Game PlanSM and then filling out and submitting the registration form. No loan application is necessary.

In January 2015, 20 winners will be randomly selected to win a $1,500 deposit to an existing or new College Savings Iowa account. Winners will be announced in February 2015.

Click here to learn more.

Helpful Information

Introducing Financial Literacy Professional Development Opportunity for Middle and High School Teachers

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Join TS Institute and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis on Oct. 28 in Carroll, Iowa, for a FREE day-long professional development program titled “Financial Literacy for Middle and High School Classrooms.” Topics for the program designed especially for teachers will include earning income, spending and saving, credit and investing. Each session will include classroom content and will offer tools that you can use the next day in the classroom. Resources provided will include lesson plans, whiteboard applications, videos and more. Plus, all resources meet the Iowa Core Curriculum 21st Century Skills standards. Click here for more information, including details on how to register. Also, click here check out other financial literacy programs for Iowa students, arranged by grade level.