Susan Taylor is a consumer and family economics educator with University of Illinois Extension. She provides leadership to numerous civic groups and social agencies on budgeting, credit, consumer fraud, decision making, resource management and consumerism.

Taylor holds a MS in consumer sciences and a BS in home
economics education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Her professional affiliations include the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education; American Council of Consumer Interests, Illinois Association of Extension Home Economists, Illinois Consumer Education Association, Illinois Extension Professions for Youth Education, National Association of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences, and National Association of Extension 4-H Agents. Taylor is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) and Certified Housing Counselor (CHC)

All My Money

All My Money is a train-the-trainer curriculum for persons working with limited-resource audiences. The program is designed to assist staff and volunteers in community agencies and social service organizations who work directly with limited-resource clientele. The curriculum is very helpful for agencies working with welfare-to-work, money management and consumer skills. Lessons cover: Making Spending Choices; Envelope Budgeting; Planning Your Spending; Understanding Credit; Handling Credit Problems; Building Consumer Skills; Taking Consumer Action; and Checks and Checking Accounts. Train-the-trainer workshops teach staff of community-based organizations and social service and faith-based agencies to use the materials with their clientele.

Your Money & Your Life

Your Money & Your Life is a train-the-trainer curriculum for persons working with limited-resource audiences. It builds upon All My Money offering ten lessons. Topics include: Managing Debt, Avoiding Money Traps, Choosing Insurance, Learning about Job Benefits and Understanding Taxes and more. Train-the-trainer workshops teach staff of community-based organizations and social service and faith-based agencies to use the materials with their clientele.

Welcome to the Real World!

Young people can explore career options and make lifestyle and budget choices like adults in this active, hands-on, real-life simulation. The program has a variety of formats that include a one hour presentation to nine classroom hours. Teachers
can be trained in the curriculum. Workshops can be done with youth. Handouts and simulation materials can be provided.

High School Financial Planning Program

Revised in 2007, this program teaches teens and young adults the fundamentals of sound money management, including the financial planning process, goal setting, managing income and credit, insurance, and savings and investing. Teachers and youth counselors are trained to use the curriculum. Additional resources are provided.

Schemes, Scams and Flim-Flams – Consumer Fraud

This program addresses the problem of fraud in credit scams, home improvement, phone and mail solicitation and the many other fraudulent schemes. The program also highlights the warning signs of fraudulent practices. Consumers will learn information for proper redress and rules that protect them from becoming a victim of fraud.

Finding Sanity in Today's World – Decluttering Your Life

Is all the 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 save yourself hours of time and stress every week. Your sanity may be at stake!

What's Your Credit History and Score?

This workshop will look at a sample credit history and explain how the Credit Score is determined. Lenders look at five factors as they determined your score. Does it really impact my ability to use credit? Opportunities to see how long it will take to pay off your debts will be given. Ways to build a better credit report will be shared.

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. The workshop information will help individuals decide where to store records and develop a storage system to simplify record keeping. Discussion will also include 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.