Contests

Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge 2015

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As many of you know, registration for the Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge for Iowa high schools ended Jan. 31, 2015. This challenge was presented by Iowa Student Loan. More info about the contest can be found here.

There were 32 schools that completed all three steps of the registration process to be entered into the drawing. The auditor has completed the drawing and I have a list of the 30 winning schools.

Please check out the winners here.

In the next couple of weeks, a plaque and award check will also be sent to winning schools. A certificate of participation will be sent to those schools that were not selected. A press release will be sent early March announcing the winners.

Congratulating to winners and participating schools!

Official Press Release

Contests

Financial Literacy Blog Contest

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Iowa Financial Literacy Program Blog Contest

Help your students kick off the second half of the year by entering for a chance to become Iowa Financial Literacy Program’s Student of the Month!  One student will be selected each month and win a $50 prize!

Iowa College Student Aid Commission and EverFi are encouraging students across Iowa to speak up and share their stories about how financial education has and will impact their lives by launching the Iowa Financial Literacy Program Blog Contest. Encourage your students to tap into their creativity and get involved for a chance to win. The contest is open to all students who have completed the Iowa Financial Literacy Program this school year, with one winner chosen monthly from February through May. To view additional contest details, including submission information, rules and guidelines, click here.

Haven’t started the Iowa Financial Literacy Program yet?

No worries, this is a great time to dive in!  The lessons are engaging and fun, while using technology to teach today’s digital generation.  After a short 15 minute training, you are ready to start the course with your classes.  It only takes a few hours to complete, is a great supplement to existing curriculum, and can be implemented in a variety of ways. To learn more about the Iowa Financial Literacy Program (powered by EverFi), watch this 3-minute video and let me know when you’re ready for registration information.  The program is available at no cost to you thanks to the investment of Iowa College Aid and local community sponsors.

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.

Member Minute

Jump$tart Member Spotlight: Professional Educators of Iowa

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PEIowaWe would like to recognize the Professional Educators of Iowa as our current Member Spotlight. Professional Educators of Iowa is a membership organization that consists of teachers, coaches, administrators, and many other professional educators. Their objectives are for professionalism and doing what is best for students. They represent their members with legal protection if such grievances should occur. They may also lobby for issues related to labor laws as well as education laws. They have an annual conference in summer that gives educators valuable information about advancing their careers.

This long time member of the Iowa JumpStart coalition is represented by Jim Hawkins and Mark Felderman. They have been huge supporters of Financial Literacy and are wonderful volunteers to accomplishing our mission.

You may find more their organization at: http://www.peiowa.org

Helpful Information, Upcoming Events

Money Smart Week 2015 Calendar Now Available

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MSW2015

 

 

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.

Iowa Jump$tart Information

Iowa teachers attend Jump$tart National Educator Conference

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Pictured left to right are scholarship winners Liz Skillern, Connie Burns, Andrea Accola-Sabin, and Renee Davison.
Pictured left to right are scholarship winners Liz Skillern, Connie Burns, Andrea Accola-Sabin, and Renee Davison.

The Jump$tart National Educator Conference Nov. 8-14, 2014, in Los Angeles brought together more than 200 educators from 48 states with organizations who work to give students a successful financial future. Also attending were four Iowa teachers, who were winners of this year’s Iowa Jump$tart scholarships to attend the national conference. Attending from Iowa were Andrea Accola-Sabin, Connie Burns, Renee Davison, and Liz Skillern.

“I appreciate the opportunity Iowa Jump$tart provided so that I could attend this conference. It was very informative and helpful. I am extremely excited about the number of programs I will be starting next year after having the chance to attend the conference,” said Connie.

“I was honored to be selected to attend the National Conference and thank Iowa Jump$tart for the opportunity. This conference was one the best conferences I have ever attended and offered an extensive networking opportunity as well as free resources to take back and implement right away. I plan to attend this conference again and encourage other Personal Finance teachers to attend as well,” added Renee.

“It was an awesome experience,” said Liz. “There was so much information and resources available, and I felt as if my job really mattered. I’ve never been thanked so many times an as educator! The conference was definitely topnotch.”

Member Minute, News/Accolades

Jump$tart Member Spotlight: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

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Mary Beth KaufmanMargaret VanGinkelToday we would like to recognize Iowa State University Extension and Outreach who is represented by Mary Beth Kaufman and Margaret Van Ginkel.
ISU Extention and Outreach contains a division of human sciences that offers many resources including those for family finances. They offer classes and information to the public about a wide range of financial issues.

Mary Beth who is Field Educator of Family Finance at the Extension in September received the R.K. Bliss Extension Award which recognizes outstanding achievement of an Iowa State Extension staff member for developing an overall or continuing extension education program. They describe her as being on the cutting edge of emerging issues such as flood recovery, mental health and poverty reduction. As well as JumpStart she is part of the leadership in Money Smart Week in Council Bluffs and Shelby County, and is Iowa’s liaison for the High School Financial Planning Program.

Margaret VanGinkel is also a Field Educator of Family Finance at the Extension and currently serves as Secretary for the Iowa Jump$tart Coalition. She received the R.K. Bliss Extension Award a few years ago. She manages the program in 4 counties which provides basic financial literacy to children and adults. She also helps with the hotline where people can call in to receive help for various financial issues. She is a very important resource as speaker and advisor for MoneySmart week. She also helps provide information to the public about retirement financial literacy.

You may find more about their organization at:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences

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.