September 11, 2024

Am I paying too much for insurance?

There is no quick or definite answer to that question. But there are ways to analyze coverage versus cost and feel you are getting what you need at a price you can stomach. *** “The car won’t start,” texted my wife early on a recent Sunday morning, while I was 1,000 miles away visiting my […]
Am I paying too much for insurance?
July 15, 2024

We Can’t Afford the Monthly Payment Mindset

I don’t currently have a TV, and I am spending a few minutes of these TV-less days thinking about whether I want to have one again. However, I’m thinking back to when I still had a TV, and a conspicuous ad caught my ear. Yes, my ear. I was cooking, not really watching the screen, […]
We Can’t Afford the Monthly Payment Mindset
June 17, 2024

Economics and Personal Finance – A Love Story, Part Two

Last time I outlined my experience learning and then learning to love economics. Now it’s time for detail and ideas for economics-related discussions in personal finance classes. Maybe Starting by… Refreshing yourself on or learning anew these core principals and passing them on to your students and community (another mention here of FAME’s YouTube channel […]
Economics and Personal Finance – A Love Story, Part Two
June 03, 2024

Economics & Personal Finance – A Love Story, Part One

In our economic system – let’s call it Mostly Capitalism – there is no escaping the incredible weight of decision making when it comes to managing our personal finances. We need every possible intellectual asset at our disposal.  I recommend using economics as a key tool for you and your students on your personal financial […]
Economics & Personal Finance – A Love Story, Part One
May 01, 2024

Maine’s Financial Education Heroes

The following sounds like one big, loud, and proud advertisement for Maine Jump$tart and the educators who are bringing personal finance education to Maine students. It is. They are among Maine’s many financial education champions and heroes, and they are making a difference. Way Back to May 7, 2010 – Augusta Civic Center This day […]
Maine’s Financial Education Heroes
April 02, 2024

Welcome – Financial Education in Maine

My name is Steve Kautz, and I am a Financial Education Programs Specialist at the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME). I visit schools and businesses, deliver webinars, attend events, write, and try just about anything else I (or my boss and colleagues) can think of to promote financial wellness in Maine. Before starting with FAME […]
Welcome – Financial Education in Maine
April 01, 2024

From Paper Boy to Plastic Man

When I was in high school, the closest thing we had to a personal finance course was home economics. While I don’t fully trust my memory, I can safely say that some aspects of what we now call personal finance were a part of that course – opening a bank account, balancing a checkbook, tracking […]
From Paper Boy to Plastic Man
March 29, 2024

The Tough but Important Fight for Financial Education

Seville, Spain, sometime in 2018, English conversation class for college students. The topic: money. “Credit score, credit bureaus… Oh boy, it’s tough to translate something that doesn’t exist in Spain. In fact, nearly all of Europe and most of the world do not use credit scores and don’t have centralized credit reporting agencies,” I told […]
The Tough but Important Fight for Financial Education