Financial management is embedded as a key field of study within the Family & Consumer Sciences Body of Knowledge. Through work in classrooms and communities, family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals advance individual well-being and strengthen families by educating and empowering individuals to be sound managers of their finances and…

Financial literacy is an important skillset for individuals to have so they can properly manage their financial well-being. Individuals across the United States are lacking in financial literacy, and therefore often struggle with navigating major financial events in addition to their daily personal finance decisions. K-12 family and consumer…

The recession of 2008 brought foreclosures, job loss, credit defaults, an increase in bankruptcy, and a decrease in savings rates. The past decade also introduced a major change in the healthcare system and concern for the increase in student loan debt. All of these issues affected individuals, families, and communities in a variety of ways; for…

As a follow-up to White et al.'s (2021) "We Don't Talk About That": Exploring Money Conversations of Black, Hispanic, and White Households, this article examines social capital and financial conversations among racial and ethnic groups. Although most people avoid discussing money, Blacks and Hispanics have the fewest financial…

Financial health falls under the purview of family and consumer sciences (FCS) educators and financial counselors. It is important for these professionals to understand the complexities of later life financial concerns in order to help prepare individuals at all stages of life for financial health in their senior years. We examined financial…

The National Strategy for Financial Literacy report released in 2020 by the U. S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission (USFLEC) crafted a new definition of financial education (FE). The report defines FE as the process by which "people gain information, skills, confidence, and motivation to act through various means including classroom…

As a field established on improving the lives of individuals, families, and communities, Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) is well-positioned to address the challenges and opportunities faced by justice-involved families (Nickols et al., 2009). From reentry and rehabilitation to parenting and family relationships, the support of justice-involved…

This brief is derived from findings in White et al. (2020), "How Financial Socialization Messages Relate to Financial Management, Optimism, and Stress: Variations by Race," in which the authors examined explicit family financial socialization (e.g., overt communication messages provided by caregivers). More specifically, the focus was on…

This study examined associations between positive financial behaviors and positive health behaviors. Participants (n 8,128) completed an online survey about their frequency of performance of recommended practices.A multiple regression analysis was used to predict participants' health behavior score based on their emergency fund, saving, and…

This study explored relationships between health-related practices and performance of 10 positive personal finance practices. Data came from a 20-question online quiz that provides a simultaneous assessment of individuals' health and financial practices. The sample included 8,128 persons who completed the survey instrument from July 2015 through…

Demonstrating program impact through behavior change is critical for the continued success of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Cooperative Extension programming. However, the literature suggests that simply providing information to participants does not necessarily lead to behavior change. This study pilot tested the integration of Motivational…

This study explored relationships between the practice of following a hand-written or computer-generated budget and the frequency of performance of positive personal health and financial practices. Data were collected from an online quiz completed by 942 adults, providing a simultaneous assessment of individuals' health and financial practices.…

This paper presents an idea that will encourage American families and individuals to take charge of their own finances in a holistic manner. A change is proposed in the paradigm that the profession of family and consumer sciences (FCS) has been using to teach family and personal finances in our academic institutions, and a shift is suggested in…

Active learning is a teaching approach that requires students to do something intellectually with course content. This involves examining, questioning, and relating knowledge gained from previous experiences to new knowledge and skills. Native American students have been found to have low financial literacy skills. Family and consumer sciences…

The first objective of this article is to increase awareness and understanding of individual decision-making biases. The second is to provide FCS professionals with strategies to improve consumer financial decisions. Individual decision biases are presented within the context of a seven-stage decision process. Proactive consumer educators using a…