Author: connext

National Personal Finance Challenge Winners

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Maryland High School Personal Finance Challenge!

The team from Applications and Research Laboratory (ARL) from Howard County won first place in the Maryland Personal Finance Challenge.

The team took first place honors at our Maryland competition sponsored by M&T Bank, then competed against 20 other state winners and were the 2016 national winners at the national challenge sponsored by Wells Fargo. Dr. Maddy Halbach, their teacher at ARL, deserves congratulations for preparing the students for the competition.

MD InvestWrite Spring Contest Winners

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InvestWrite logo

Congratulations to the Maryland 2015-2016 National InvestWrite winners!

FALL:

  • 6th Place National 4-5 Division – Carlyn McMahan from Ring Factory Elementary in Harford County.
    Steven Dodd is the advisor.
  • 8th Place National 6-8 Division – Arina Drovetskaya from Crofton Middle in Anne Arundel County.  Amy McKusky is the advisor
  • 5th  Place National 9-12 Division – Ayo Adelaja from Applications and Research Laboratory in Howard County.
    Maddy Halbach is the advisor.
  • 8th  Place National 9-12 Division – Benjamin Yost from Applications and Research Laboratory in Howard County.
    Maddy Halbach is the advisor.

SPRING

  • 9th Place National 4-5 Division – Sammy Lever from Homestead Wakefield Elementary in Harford County.
    Debbie Limpert is the advisor.

Great job! Thanks to everyone who participated.

2015 Poster Contest Winners

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Poster Contest

The 2016 poster winners have been selected from over 1,700 entries.

Sixteen (16) state winners will each receive $50.00. Their winning poster will then be used as one of the featured drawings for each month in the calendar. One additional winner will receive $100. This year’s winner drawing will be featured as the cover of the calendar.

Winning posters will be made into a September, 2016-December, 2017 calendar.

Below are this year’s winners:
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Abigail Willis Woodson Elementary, Somerset County
Ashlyn Conley Centreville Middle, Queen Anne’s County
Maeve Alliger Forest Hill Elementary, Harford County
Ayaan Noman Princess Anne Elementary, Somerset County
Jeb Eyler Middletown Middle, Frederick County
Kaylee Kim Patapsco Middle, Howard County
Erin Alsop Stevensville Middle, Queen Anne’s County
Brianna Bradshaw North Dorchester Middle, Dorchester County
Samantha Rodriguez Takoma Park Middle, Montgomery County
PJ Olson Sykesville Middle, Carroll County
Ryan Latham Easton Middle, Talbot County
Ella Lewis Churchville Elementary, Harford County
Eonah Espineli Sudbrook Magnet Middle, Baltimore County
Erin Tebbe Central Middle, Anne Arundel County
Jada Marshall Buckingham Elementary, Worcester County
Gianna Lajeunesse Leeds Elementary, Cecil County
Mia Holland Patapsco Middle, Howard County

Piggy Bank Craft

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Piggy Bank CraftStudents from Matthew Henson Elementary School in Baltimore City created their own piggy banks with a new twist.  Their banks included four slots: one for saving, one for investing, one for donating and one for spending.  Interested in using this activity with your students?

Contact Debbie Batchelor for the graphics and directions.

Little Steps: Great Tips For Saving Money For Those Just Getting Started

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piggybank

What follows is a list of 100 more steps to take. Each of these tactics are simple little moves you can make to improve your financial situation. Some of them take just a few minutes, others might take an hour or two, some of them require a bit of regular effort, but they’re all incredibly simple – anyone can do them. Each of them also save significant money, especially over the long haul, and when combined together these tips can save you a lot of money now.

Obviously, not all of these tips will apply to everyone. Just go through the list and find ten or fifteen that do apply to you and use them in your life – you’ll quickly find yourself saving some serious scratch.

  1. Switch your bank accounts to a bank that respects you.
  2. Turn off the television.
  3. Turn a critical eye to your “collections.”
  4. Sign up for every free customer rewards program you can.
  5. Make your own gifts instead of buying stuff from the store.
  6. Master the thirty day rule.
  7. Write a list before you go shopping – and stick to it.
  8. Invite friends over instead of going out.
  9. Instead of throwing out some damaged clothing, repair it instead.
  10. Don’t spend big money entertaining your children.
  11. Call your credit card company and ask for a rate reduction.
  12. Clean out your closet.