Happy National Financial Literacy Month

The month of April is dedicated to educating consumers in handling their finances, which includes developing good money habits, and learning how to cope with debt. The dearth of financial literacy in the United States is less well-known than the reading difficulty known as “dyslexia” yet much more pervasive in our society.

Two in every five adults graded themselves barely passing or failing on matters financial, more than half (56%) of U.S. adults confess to having no budget, and a full third of all Americans, or 77 million adults, fail to pay their bills on time. This is according to a just-published study carried out under the auspices of two organizations: the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association.

During the month of April, consumers are encouraged to take advantage of this month’s Tools for Success including webinars on such topics as credit reporting and goal setting, and worksheets that can be filled out online and printed, such as the Financial Priorities Worksheet.

While this drive for financial literacy shows much promise, it is even more important to teach our youth about personal finance before they reach adulthood. That is the purpose of Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, which aims to teach pre-kindergarten through college students all about establishing best financial practices. Another initiative, Springboard, has a poster contest that motivates contestants in 3^rd through 12^th grade toward learning about financial matters, under the guidance of teachers and other learning mentors.

Filling The Gap

Part of the problem in educating youth about financial literacy is in figuring out how to direct children toward these resources. The students who most need these lessons fail to receive them at home and schools may not be doing enough to fill in the gap. That’s where after school programs come in, a proven method of instilling academic motivation and self-esteem in our youth.

Adults who know little to nothing about finances were once children who might have been taught these subjects in school or in afterschool programs. If you’re wondering what you can do to support the development of financial literacy among this generation’s youth, it would make eminent sense to support afterschool programs. In this way, children are inculcated with financial wisdom before transitioning to adulthood.

Good with numbers? Why not volunteer your time at a local school or an afterschool program in your community?

Support Afterschool Programs

No time? Donate your car to Kars for Kids. The proceeds go to support afterschool programs for children.

The main thing is to be proactive and look for ways to help. The job won’t get done on its own. That’s what April and National Financial Literacy Month is all about: lending a helping hand, any way you can.

Esti Landau is a non-profit coordinator based in New Jersey.

Outlandishly Toxic Outlander Sport

You know that new car smell that everyone adores? The smell is derived from chemicals such as brominated flame retardants (BFR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), to name just two of hundreds of chemicals that go into the manufacturing of the plastic parts in your car. Unfortunately, the chemicals can be lethal and exposure to these chemicals is known to increase the risk for learning disabilities, cancer, birth defects, and liver toxicity.

According to healthystuff.org the worst offender in a study that examined over 200 vehicles from model years 2011 and 2012, was the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The cleanest car studied was the 2012 Honda Civic. What made the Honda Civic such a good choice?

The car earned a low score for toxicity for refraining from use of BFR in all of its interior components and kept interior fabrics and trim, PVC-free. The manufacturer also made sure to keep use of heavy metals and metal allergens to a minimum. The result? A car that is less likely to make you sick.

Natural Products

The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, on the other hand, used flame retardants based on antimony and bromine in for its seat fabrics, seat base, and center console. Did you think that leather, being a natural product, would be safe? Think again, the leather Mitsubishi uses so frequently for car components are treated with chromium. According to the study, the lead content of the seat materials in the Outlander Sport model came in at 400 parts per million.

If you are one of the lucky ones who purchased a Honda Civic in the past couple of years, breathe a sigh of relief (without fear of taking in dangerous chemicals). But if you’re one of the unlucky souls who purchased the Outlander Sport, you may want to consider donating your car to a car donation charity such as Kars4Kids that will take care to make sure that the car is processed in a responsible manner, without further polluting the environment.

Esti Landau is a non-profit consultant for Kars4Kids.

5 Tax Time Stress-Busting Tips

We’ve all heard it a million gazillion times: “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, 1789

With April 15 right around the corner, these words couldn’t be any more pertinent. When we’re in those last few weeks before the deadline for filing, many of us begin to feel panicky. And panic? Not good. Panic can make you do stupid stuff, like forgetting to sign your name on your forms. What can you do to get through the season stress-free or at least, almost stress-free?

They Work!

We’re not going to give you lots of helpful, concrete tax tips. Instead, we’re going to tell you 5 ways to let go and let Go, as the 12-steppers say. These are stress-busting tips and they work. We guarantee it. Really.

1)      Chocolate. Tried and true. Always works. Keep a stash in your office, and when the letters on those tax forms start to blur, grab a chocolate bar. It’s no joke. There’s serotonin in chocolate and that’s the feel-good neurotransmitter. Besides, chocolate tastes really good!

2)      Put it away and take a walk! Starting to feel your hair standing on end as you search your memory for yet another pertinent factoid you need to complete your tax forms? Go for a walk. That’s right. Put the forms away and just leave the house. Thirty minutes should be enough to clear your mind. You’ll return to the job refreshed and energetic.

3)      Do something nice for someone. It shouldn’t surprise you, but doing something nice for someone makes you feel good. Remember how great you felt when you donated your car to Kars4Kids? It wasn’t about the tax deduction you received, it was about helping needy kids (though the tax deduction didn’t hurt!). Call your mother to let her know you care. Chauffeur an infirm neighbor to the doctor. Volunteer at the homeless shelter for an hour. Those forms will still be waiting on your desk for you when you’re done, but you won’t mind nearly as much.

4)      Deep breathing. Even three minutes of deep-breathing can put your fractious soul to rights. And you don’t even have to leave your desk. Do close your eyes, though, you don’t want to see those forms while you’re getting in the zone.

5)      It’s only temporary. Sometimes, just remembering that this too shall pass, gives you back your perspective, enabling you to focus on the work at hand. It’s true. After you file, that’s it for another year. You can do this. Honest.

Esti Landau works at Kars4kids.