Katherine Reuter, Extension Educator, Consumer and Family Economics in the Northeast Region of Illinois, provides educational leadership and expertise in money management and consumer resource management issues for adults and youth of all ages for University of Illinois Extension.
As an Extension Educator for the past 30 years, Kathy has worked with many diversified audiences living in Illinois and the Chicago-area through direct teaching, train-the-trainer teaching, various University websites, print and electronic media, fact sheets, and teleconferencing. She likes using the train-the-trainer concept with organization leaders, social agency staff, teachers, and other professionals so they can reteach consumer economic issues to their staff, clients, or students. Kathy provides expertise in money and debt management, credit, insurance, career exploration and management, consumer rights and responsibilities, decision-making, personal and medical privacy, protecting your identity, consumer fraud, record keeping, distributing non-titled property, housing, environmental topics, and other consumer issues. She has a number of programs especially designed to meet the needs of low-income and low-literacy audiences. Kathy has authored numerous publications on consumer and family economics issues.
Kathy has a B.S. and M.S. in family and consumer science education (formerly home economics education) from the University of Illinois and Northern Illinois University respectively. She is certified in family and consumer sciences with the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. Kathy Reuter prides herself in keeping involved with various professional associations over her 35 years of being a professional in family and consumer sciences. She has held many leadership roles and has participated in many conferences, some of which she helped plan, coordinate, and implement.
Her professional affiliations include the American and Illinois Associations of Family and Consumer Sciences; National and Illinois Extension Associations of Family and Consumer Sciences; Association of Family Counseling and Planning Education;and Illinois Consumer Education Association.
Reuter received the 2007 Distinguished Service Award from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, 2004 Program of Excellence Team Award from the Illinois Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, and the 2004 American Distance Education Consortium's Educational Program Award for a series of team taught teleconference workshops on long-term care.
Workshops for Staff Who Work with Limited Resource Audiences/Clients:
All My Money
This is a researched base curriculum for teaching money management and consumer
skills to limited resource audiences. The materials are designed for staff or volunteers of community agencies, social service organizations, social workers, bank and credit union staff, and others working with limited resource audiences. This educator provides two days of train-the-trainer workshops to train how to use and teach the curriculum. The curriculum is made up of 8 lessons, each with interactive and hands-on activities, handouts, lesson plans, and background information for the trainer: making spending choices; envelope budgeting; planning your spending; understanding credit; handling credit problems; building consumer skills; taking consumer action; and checks and checking accounts. A workshop registration fee is charged. A Spanish supplement is available for audience handouts and activities. Read more about the curriculum at the following website: http://www.ace.uiuc.edu/cfe/money.
Your Money and Your Life
This is an optional money management curriculum that expands the information in the All My Money curriculum--Part II sequel. The materials are also designed for staff or volunteers of community agencies, social service organizations, and others working with limited resource audiences as specified in the All My Money curriculum. The Educator provides two days of train-the-trainer workshops on how to use and teach the curriculum. Each of the 10 lessons are interactive and timely, including background information, teacher's guide, participant handouts, and other content resources.
Topics include managing debt, avoiding money traps; using financial institutions, choosing insurance, learning about job benefits; making money with money; taking advantage of public benefits; understanding taxes; preventing identity theft; and learning about immigrant issues. This train-the-trainer teaching resource was initially designed to help limited resource audiences entering the workforce or trying to improve their career. A workshop registration fee is charged. A Spanish supplement is available for audience handouts and activities. Read more about the curriculum at the following website: http://www.ace.uiuc.edu/cfe/money.
Workshops for Youth Educators
High School Financial Planning Program (HSFPP)–Recently Updated
A train-the-trainer workshop is available for teachers, youth leaders, agency staff, and other instructors to introduce them to the curriculum, how to effectively incorporate it into their existing teaching modes, and how to sign-up to receive the instructor and student materials from NEFE at no charge. Seven units cover your financial plan, budgeting, investing, using credit wisely, keeping your money safe, insurance, and careers. Games, simulations, PowerPoint presentations, quizzes, and case studies apply the financial principles and concepts taught. The National Endowment for Financial Education® (NEFE®) provides HSFPP in partnership with the Extension Service, the Credit Union National Association, Inc., and America's Credit Unions.
Welcome to the Real World!
This is a research-based career and money management curriculum for teachers, agency staff, churches, park districts, and other organizations who work with youth that are of junior high, high school, and early college age. The curriculum is taught to instructors in a train-the-trainer format in 3 hour or 6 hour workshop format. There are fact sheets and activities that help youth understand career exploration, decision making, budgeting, saving, credit, insurance, check writing, and more. The curriculum includes a career and money management simulation. During the "Real World" program, students explore potential careers they would like to pursue in the future. After they choose a career, they receive a monthly salary for that career and then proceed through the "Real World" simulation, deducting taxes, determining a savings amount, and spending their monthly "salary" on the necessary and luxury items that reflect the career and lifestyle they have chosen. Students also learn check writing and balancing, savings, budgeting and developing a spending plan.
Teach Career, Money Management, and Consumer Education with Pizzazz!
As a teacher who teaches money, consumer, and/or career preparedness skills, you have the opportunity to affect the successful future of our youth. University of Illinois Extension offers a 3 hour and a 6 hour interactive, hands-on workshop that will inform youth educators about the educational tools, and curricula on these subjects so they can implement them in their classroom. The following curricula will be introduced: High School Financial Planning Program, Welcome to the Real World, Going Solo: Entrepreneurship, A Job for Me, All My Money, and Your Money and Your Life. Also, the following publications and websites will be shared: Credit Card Smarts, Parent Smarts, Plan Well, Retire Well, and Cool Cash Adventure.
Direct Audience Programs
Who Gets Grandma's Yellow Pie Plate?
Distributing personal items such as wedding pictures, a vase, or even Grandma's pie plate is an issue that impacts almost all families. Attorneys say that personal property, not the more valuable titled property, causes the most problems when settling an estate. This workshop will provide tools for identifying your own feelings and goals for deciding who will get family items, as well as tools to share with your potential heirs.
Protect Your Identity
Unfortunately, unscrupulous people are out in the world committing crimes of identity theft such as using your check or credit card to purchase goods and services. This educational program will help you: become more aware of how and where your personal information is being shared; understand how identity theft occurs, why it is growing, and the seriousness of the problem; take action to protect your financial information and other personal information in order to reduce your chances of being a victim of identity theft; and know what steps to take if you are a victim of identity theft in order to minimize the damage to your financial and personal reputation..
Consumer Fraud: Schemes, Scams, and Flim-Flam
Consumers lose billions of dollars each year because of fraud. This program will help consumers learn about the different types of scams and schemes that are present in today's society. The warning signs of fraud will be highlighted. The program will provide consumers ways to protect their assets from scams. If you are a victim of fraud, the program will explain how a scam occurs and how to report them to officials. As a consumer, there are things you can do to protect your financial and other personal information in order to reduce your chances of being a victim.
Record Keeping: What To Keep and Why!
Every family has vital information, such as birth certificates, insurance policies, and credit card numbers, that must be stored safely. Frustration often results when, on short notice, these documents need to be located and they cannot be found. Information about what to keep and what to discard, as well as where individuals can go to replace records that have been lost or misplaced will be provided in the program.
Decluttering Your Life
Is all that "stuff" in your life driving you crazy? Do you spend too much time piling, sorting, and moving stacks from one place to another? Are you tired of searching frantically for phone numbers and other notes? Learn how to reduce paper and clutter in your home and at work, easily locate those important notes and phone numbers, prevent interruptions, and save yourself hours of time and stress every week. Your sanity may be at stake!
What Is Your Credit History and Score?
Does it really impact my ability to use credit? This workshop will look at a sample credit history and explain how the Credit Score is determined. Lenders look at five factors as they determine your score. Examples will demonstrate how long it will take to pay off your debts. Ways to build a better credit report will be shared.
Safely Aging in Place
Do you know what changes to make in your current home that will help you age safely in place? Did you know there are a variety of assistive devices that will help you with your daily tasks more comfortably and safely? This program will provide information on how sensory and physical changes, as one ages, might affect your daily routine. Other topics to be presented include how to make some simple, low cost, or more expensive home/apartment/condo modifications so you can safely adapt to theses various physical and sensory aging changes. Also, various assistive devices that can make your daily activities easier and safer will be shown. An information handout and list of resources for accessible products, devices, and tools will be provided.
Where Do You Want To Live When You Grow Up? – Retirement Housing Options:
Your retirement housing goals must extend into all the phases of your retirement life. This program will provide you ways to evaluate your retirement housing needs; factors to consider when choosing a place to retire; descriptions of the types of retirement housing options; andquestions to ask yourself to help you decide whether to age in place or move.
