Financial Literacy Through Personal and Family Finance Education

• FCS professionals support individuals, families, and communities by providing education and resources to help them better understand their finances, plan for the future, and manage debt. FCS courses in personal and family finance cover:
  • Financial Responsibility and Decision Making
  • Risk Management and Insurance
  • Planning and Money Management
  • Credit and Debt
  • Income and Careers
  • Saving and Investing.
• FCS professionals integrate 'money sense' into all aspects of FCS educational courses, from food and nutrition to hospitality and interior design. This integrative approach better prepares learners to enter the workforce, start their own businesses, and manage their finances. 
• FCS professionals work with financial institutions, businesses, and government agencies to offer outreach and educational programs to consumers throughout their lives. 

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) is the people-centered science, focused on the study of individuals, families, and communities with the aim of assisting them to live healthy and successful lives through the provision of education, research, and technology.

In the Personal and Family Finance area, FCS professionals work as:

• Financial literacy consultants
• Education and outreach coordinators for businesses and government agencies
• Financial literacy experts
• Educators in K-12, post secondary, and community (e.g., cooperative extension) education

1. Support the inclusion of Family and Consumer Sciences education in K-12 career and technical education.
2. Support state licensure requirements that include FCS credentialing.
3. Seek training and education from FCS professionals.
4. Encourage your learners to attend FCS classes in K-12 and higher education.
5. Hire experts in personal and family finance that have graduated from a recognized FCS college or university program.
6. Share AAFCS educational materials, informational fliers, and resources with your family, friends, and colleagues.

Tell Others about the Critical Role FCS plays in Food and Nutrition Education - Go to Action Center

Making Numbers Make Sense - Expand Your Financial Literacy Knowledge - Click to download

Including Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Professionals in Financial Literacy Programs - Click to download

"Financial management is embedded as a key field of study within the Family & Consumer Sciences Body of Knowledge. Through work in classrooms and communities, family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals advance individual well-being and strengthen families by educating and empowering individuals to be sound managers of their finances and household resources. Across a spectrum of employment settings, FCS practitioners serve as financial management researchers, educators, and advocates. - "Money Week: Impactful Financial Education for Young Learners,” Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, Christopher T. Sneed, Ann A. Berry, and Marci Hethmon, 2023, vol. 115, no. 2, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14307/JFCS115.2.39

Interview with Lorna Saboe Wounded-Head

Lorna Saboe Wounded-Head, Ph.D, CFCS, CPFFE is a past president of the AAFCS, accredited financial counselor, and a Family Resource Management Field Specialist for the South Dakota State University Extension. 

Click Here to watch the recording

FCS Research into Personal and Family Finance

Increasing financial fitness: 20 recommended practices and their frequency of performance
O'Neill, Barbara; Xiao, Jing Jian, Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, Volume 110, Number 2, Spring 2018, pp. 21-28(8)

An Ounce of Financial Preparation 
Green, R. W. (2021). An Ounce of Financial Preparation. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 113(1), 33–34.

Coaching and Financial Counseling Communication Skills: A Comparative Analysis 
Lucy M. Delgadillo, Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Volume 43, Issue 3, pages 259–268, March 2015

Do Saving Rules Influence Self-Employed Households' Participation in Tax-Deferred Retirement Plans? 
Hyrum L. Smith, Tim Griesdorn, Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal Volume 43, Issue 1, pages 47–60, September 2014

Money Week: Impactful Financial Education for Young Learners 
need, C., Berry, A., & Hethmon, M. (2023), Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 115(2), 39–42. 

Evaluating an Outcomes-based Standardized Homeownership Education Program
Cheryl L. Eschbach, Robert Weber, Erica Tobe, Lauren Hale, Vivian Washington, Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Volume 45, Issue2, December 2016, Pages 138-149

A Case Study Demonstrating the Use of Appreciative Inquiry in a Financial Coaching Program 
Lucy M. Delgadillo, Lance Palmer, Joseph Goetz, Family & Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Volume45, Issue2, December 2016, Pages 166-178

Book Review: Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits, 9th ed 
Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Volume 43, Issue 1, pages 102–103, September 2014

Consumption governance toward more sustainable consumption 
Wahlen, S., & Dubuisson-Quellier S. (2018), Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 110(1), pp 7-12

Embracing Retirement 
Lizabeth Self-Mullens, Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Volume 48, Issue 3 March 2020, Pages 257-262

Exploring Financial Burdens of Student Loan Holders in the United States 
Jae Min Lee, Kyoung Tae Kim, Eunice Jihyun Hong, Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Volume46, Issue4, June 2018, Pages 347-362

Launching a Text Message Intervention to Assist Student Loan Borrowers with Repayment Decisions 
Carrie L. Johnson, Suzanne Bartholomae, Joyce Serido, Mary Jo Katras, Erica Tobe, Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Volume 48, Issue 3, March 2020, Pages 230-244

A Delphi Study to Identify Personal Finance Core Concepts and Competencies of First-Generation College Students 
M. J. Kabaci, Brenda J. Cude, Family & Consumer Sciences Research Journal, March 2015, Volume 43, Issue 3, pages 244–258

Capital and Value in Late Adulthood 
Robert J. Griffore, Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Volume48, Issue2, December 2019, Pages 138-148

Credit Use of U.S. Households after the Great Recession: The Role of Credit Constraint 
Kyoung Tae Kim, Melissa J. Wilmarth, Shinae Choi, Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal
Volume 44, Issue 3, pages 280–294, March 2016

Experimental Design to Understand the Student Loan Decision: A Methodological Note 
Soo Hyun Cho, Travis P. Mountain, Nilton Porto, D. Elizabeth Kiss, Michael S. Gutter, Tim Griesdorn, Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, Volume45, Issue1, September 2016, Pages 65-76

When more is less: Rethinking financial health 
Newcomb, Sarah, Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, Volume 110, Number 2, Spring 2018, pp. 7-13(7)

Links and Tips for:

• Financial Tools and Wellness
• Financial Literacy Resources