Counselors ... Help Students Get Smart About Credit
Joanne Razzano
The New York State Higher Education Services Corp. (HESC) reminds school counselors to help college-bound students and their families “Get Smart About Credit.” HESC offers financial literacy education tools to help control credit, manage debt, and plan for a bright future.
“HESC takes on a broad role as the agency that helps people pay for college,” said HESC President James C. Ross. “Educating teens and young adults about the importance of managing debt and providing guidance to help plan their financial futures are a priority,” he added.
Detailed debt management brochures are available in both English and Spanish and include:
The Student Guide to Smart Borrowing and Your Financial Future helps students entering college get the right information to make the best decisions on borrowing money to pay for their education. The brochure includes tips and advice on understanding credit, avoiding identity theft and steps for financial success.
Managing Your Student Loan Debt offers help with budgeting, including loan payment and savings charts, and important contacts if making student loan payments becomes difficult.
HESC’s suite of financial literacy products also includes the Financial Awareness and Consumer Training for Students (FACTS). FACTS is a series of financial literacy Power Point curricula designed to help administrators deliver the financial information students need at this crucial point in their lives.
Presented in modules and downloadable at any time, the popular FACTS program is convenient for administrators and is an effective learning tool for students. Each module is targeted toward a different population of students and is accompanied by speaker's notes and handouts; topics include managing credit, developing spending plans, and financial management skills.
You decide the best venue for your students – a college or financial aid night – or as part of business and professional skills classes. Delivery to your students can be made by you, your staff, or you may have a HESC representative provide the program for you.
New this fall, HESC is offering podcasts on financial literacy topics such as managing credit card debt and protecting against identity theft. Financial aid podcasts are available at HESC.org.
High school counselors can order publications online. The FACTS program can be downloaded anytime by visiting the HESC Web site at www.hesc.org or by contacting Pam Jerome via e-mail at pjerome@hesc.org.