Management is using what you have (resources) to achieve what you want (goals and objectives). Family resources are all the resources the individual or family has available to help them reach their goals. These include human resources such as knowledge, skills, health, time and energy; material resources such as housing, money and investments; and community resources such as the library, Cooperative Extension Service and various agencies. Through educational programming, we can help individuals and families recognize resources they may be unaware of, and increase their skills in managing all resources available.

Objectives

• Provide basic financial education for limited resource audiences and general audiences including credit management and debt reduction
• Encourage financial planning for retirement and increased savings and investments
• Promote the use of all family resources including time, energy, skills and money to improve the quality of life management including organization
• Support money management skills for youth audience

Programs

High School Financial Planning Program

HSFPP is a seven unit curriculum designed to teach high school students the basics of good sound money management. The seven units are: Your Financial Plan: Where it All Begins; Budgeting: Making the Most of Your Money; Investing: Making Money Work for You; Good Debt, Bad Debt: Using Credit Wisely; Your Money: Keeping it Safe and Secure; Insurance: Protecting What You Have; and Your Career: Doing What Matters Most.

• NEFE High School Financial Planning Program

Investing for Your Future

Investing for Your Future is an 11 unit web-based home study or Six-unit curriculum for workshops for beginning investors. Basic topics such as setting goals, investment terms and finding money to invest lay a foundation for understanding how and why individuals invest. After exploring basics the course describes specific kinds of investments and how they are purchased. Tax deferred investing, investor fraud and selecting a financial advisor also are covered.

• Investing in Your Future
  A Cooperative Extension System Basic Investing Home Study Course Sponsored by Rutgers Cooperative Extension in cooperation with the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Financial Security in Later Life

Legally Secure Your Financial Future: Organize, Communicate, Prepare is a three seminar program designed to educate participants to evaluate their legal status related to later life issues, develop a personal action plan, and take important steps to safeguard their families (TM) financial future. This web site contains all the tools an educator needs to plan, market, implement and evaluate this program. All downloadable documents were developed in Microsoft Office 2003 or Adobe Acrobat. This replaces the Legal Check-up program from AARP.

• Secure Your Financial Future: Organize, Communicate, Prepare (PDF)

Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Plate?

This program is a program designed to help families make plans for distributing untitled property. The program kit includes a notebook, video and overheads and is available in the Media Resource Library.

Financial Security for All

Financial Security for All is the eXtension site for financial issues for any age group. Refereed curriculum from across the country is available on a variety of money management topics for different ages.

• eXtension's Personal Finance

First Home Program

This Web site designed to assist potential homeowners gain the most up-to-date information on the home-buying process. The home-buying curriculum includes six sections available in English and Spanish. The Sections are 1) Managing Money, 2) Renting, 3) Deciding to Buy a Home, 4) Home-buying Process, 5) Maintaining the Home and 6) Being a Responsible Home Owner. There also are lesson plans and power point programs for sections 1, 2, 4, and 6 in the section for Educators.

• First Home

The Family Resource Center

The The Family Resource Center (FRC) on the NMSU campus was established in December, 2001 to meet the needs of student families. The FRC is a joint project between the Housing Department and the Departments of Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) and Extension Home Economics (EHE). Student Family Housing provides the rent and maintenance on three houses (3425, 3427, and 3429 Espina). The FCS and EHE Departments oversee the management of the FRC, and provide faculty support and supplies for programs. Operating funds are provided by ASNMSU through student fees. Ongoing services are Family Therapy provided by supervised student family therapists and Nutrition Services provided by the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program. Activities are provided for the children and families of NMSU and DACC students.

County Programs - Home Economics Agents

• Patricia Aaron - Bernalillo County
• Shannon Wooten - Chaves County
• Glenda Belcher - Curry County
• Karim Martinez - Dona Ana County
• Charly Fisher - Eddy County
• Robin Baker - Lea County
• Brenda Bishop - Quay County
• Connie Moyer - Roosevelt County
• Lynne Beam - San Juan County
• Imelda Garcia - Santa Fe County

General Extension Related Resources

• Family Resource Management Publication Listing

For Employees

• Financial Security for All Plan of Work
  See "Constance Kratzer" entry

Contact Us

Family Resource Management Specialist
MSC 3AE
New Mexico State University
Box 30003
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003

Phone: 575-646-3936
Fax: 575-646-1889