Financial Literacy

The federal government offers the option of Public Service Loan Forgiveness to ease the burden of student loan payments. This is a program designed to provide an incentive to attract job seekers to employment in the much needed non-profit and government sectors. Those who qualify for PSLF can have their student debt balance paid in full by the federal government. However, there are many rules to follow. Author: Dorothy Nuckols; Title: Public Service Loan Forgiveness: Know the Qualification Rules (EBR-50)

In 2014, the Maryland General Assembly recoupled the state estate tax exemption with the federal estate tax exemption. Recoupling is tying Maryland’s state estate tax exemption back to the federal estate tax exemption something that has not happened since 2001. Over the next 5 years, Maryland’s estate tax exemption will be gradually increased in 2015 and each year after until the state’s exemption is equal to the federal exemption in 2019. This will have ramifications on existing estate plans in the state. To aid Maryland residents understand this change and the estate planning process, Lori Lynch and I worked to update the Estate Planning For Maryland Farm Families fact sheet. This publication was originally developed by Lori and Wes Musser and provides a general overview of many of the tools utilized in estate planning and discusses potential tax implications that you should be aware of. Authors: Paul Goeringer, Lori Lynch, and Wesley Musser; Title: Estate Planning for Farm Families (FS-972)

Budgeting for college students presents unique challenges due to variations of income and expense. Combining a cash flow budget with a yearlong monthly financial plan allows planning for the variations of income and expenses that college students experience. Author: Jesse M. Ketterman, Ph.D.; Title: Budgeting 101 for College Students (FS-1194)

Children, teens, and young adults learn their money management skills from a variety of sources, such as school, media, and peers. But parents have the greatest influence on their children’s financial decisions. In fact, 56 percent of young adults say they rely on their parents for financial guidance. Money management must be learned and practiced. It’s important for children to learn about the value of money before they actually have any. Start early in your child’s life to instill habits and build on them as your child grows and learns.

You can save hours of frustration if you have a plan for organizing and keeping your health insurance plan and family health care papers. The purpose of this fact sheet is to help you understand the importance of organizing and keeping health care papers handy and easy to locate when you need them.