“You may find a site near you between now and April using the VITA Locator Tool on the IRS website or call 800-906-9887. Iowa residents also may call 211 to locate sites,” said Joyce Lash, an extension family finance specialist.

The focus of the volunteer service is to ensure that low- to moderate-income taxpayers file the necessary forms to receive tax credits that can benefit families financially.

“Individuals can’t receive Earned Income Tax Credits or Child Tax Credits if they complete the 1040EZ tax form to report income from a W-2. But professional services to prepare a 1040 form with itemized deductions and a state return may cost an average of $200,” Lash said.

Through VITA, volunteers who are certified to prepare tax returns help families maximize their tax return and benefit from the added savings of using the free service. Last year VITA services supported by ISU Extension and Outreach prepared 1,600 returns, Lash said.

Individuals who wish to file their own returns also can use Free File, available at the IRS website, www.irs.gov.

“If your income is at or below $57,000 you can use free software to submit your federal return electronically. The software is being offered through a partnership agreement between the IRS and commercial tax software companies,” Lash added.

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“Whether your goal is to save more, pay down debt, give more to charity or have more money for a certain type of spending, being in control of your money is the key,” said Barb Wollan, an ISU Extension and Outreach family finance specialist.

Instructions for enrolling in the course are online at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/families/take-control.

“The Web course does not tell you how you should use your money – that decision is yours,” Wollan said. “The focus is on equipping your household to reach your goals, whatever they may be.”

Take Control of Your Money provides tools for clarifying goals and priorities and evaluating current spending patterns, Wollan explained. Participants will learn how to develop a spending plan that works toward their goals and can try a variety of tools that can help them follow their plan, including Excel spreadsheets, online tools and paper and pencil techniques. Additional information is provided on special topics such as dealing with debt, building financial security and family communication about money. The course also includes reading material as well as mini-lessons that can be completed in 3-10 minutes on several topics.

“Take Control of Your Money is designed for you to use at your own pace. You can pick and choose the topics that will be most useful to you,” Wollan said. She suggests sticking with the course for at least a month, to allow time to fully try out the tools and practice the strategies, but noted, “you can move through the content as quickly as you wish.”

For more information, visit the Take Control of Your Money website, http://www.extension.iastate.edu/families/take-control.

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Beginning in September, ISU Extension and Outreach is offering Sharpen Your Financial Coaching Skills in several Iowa communities, said family finance specialist Jan Burk. The course is designed for helping professionals, volunteers, social service agencies, clergy, parent educators, and others working in nonprofit groups and organizations that assist their clients or members with financial management concerns. ISU Extension and Outreach family finance specialists teach the course, and sessions are set for Ames, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Council Bluffs, Iowa City, Nevada and Ottumwa, Burk said.

The five-week course combines two face-to-face sessions with three weeks of online learning, said Patricia Swanson, an ISU Extension and Outreach family finance program specialist and Certified Financial Planner professional.

Participants will learn how to recognize the causes, complexity and associated stress of financial problems, Swanson said. They’ll gain tools and strategies they can use to assist clients with various financial problems, as well as apply coaching skills to typical financial situations facing their clients.

“Just as important, this course will help you recognize client situations that are and are not appropriate for you to address,” Swanson added.

“Financial coaches aren’t financial ‘professionals.’ They don’t recommend investment strategies or set up estate plans,” Swanson said. “Instead, they serve as motivators and mentors to individuals who need help with starting and maintaining a spending plan, basic money management, saving toward a goal, understanding credit and other financial concerns.”

ISU Extension launched “Sharpen Your Financial Coaching Skills” statewide in fall 2010, Burk noted. More than 200 individuals have participated in the course. Evaluations indicate that participants appreciated the flexibility and variety of activities offered during the course, including group discussions, panel presentations, online chats, textbook, video segments, self tests and posted readings and websites.

“Now these new financial coaches are offering unbiased education and resources designed to help people gain control of their finances,” Swanson said.

To learn more about family finance educational opportunities from ISU Extension and Outreach, contact an ISU Extension and Outreach family finance specialist.

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