The Debt Trap

The New York Times recently ran a series of articles entitled "The Debt Trap: A series about the surge in consumer debt and the lenders who made it possible." Along with articles are interactive displays that explain how as a nation we got into the amount of debt we now carry, an average of $118,000 per household. The focus of the series is not on how to get out of debt (the Church offers better help with this); rather, it explains the motives and methods of the financial institutions that encourage people to take on debt. Beware!

OSU Extension's Financial Resources

When we were in MT this last week visiting our daughter she showed me resources on financial management from the MT State Extension Service. I wondered if similar resources existed from the extension services in the three states represented in our region. I checked, and found outstanding resources available from the Ohio State University Extension. "Keeping Track of Spending," "Manage Your Money," and "Some Option$ for Re$ourceful Living" are especially good. Check them out.

BYU Personal Finance Lessons

BYU's Marriott School of Management has created a Web site to "assist in the creation of your own personal financial plan, complete with a budget, a debt-reduction strategy, and an investment program. The site addresses finance from a Latter-day Saint perspective and offers insight into how you can be a wise financial steward. It contains beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses about debt, credit, retirement planning, insurance, taxes, and more."

Family Home Storage and Finances

The Church has published a new lesson, "Family Home Storage and Finances," #18 in the "Basic Welfare Lessons" on www.providentliving.org.