Financial Education

Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that provides a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills for qualifying low-income households. If your household is eligible, you can receive:

• Up to a $50/month discount on your broadband service and associated equipment rentals
• Up to a $75/month discount if your household is on qualifying Tribal lands
• A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50)

Only one monthly service discount and one device discount is allowed per household.

The FCC has announced that consumers can begin applying for and enrolling in the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program on May 12, 2021. The program will end when the fund runs out of money, or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the COVID-19 health emergency, whichever is sooner.

You can find out more information and apply on GetEmergencyBroadband.org.

05/21

Cybercrime

Cybercrime is rampant. Hundreds of thousands of people are affected each year. Here are some helpful links to help you avoid being scammed or discover if you are being scammed.

• Cybercrime Support Network - Support individuals and businesses against cybercrimes.
• Fight Cybercrime - A resource database for those affected by cybercrime and fraud through a process of “Recognize, Report, and Recover” after an incident occurs. 
• Scam Spotter - Helps you identify scams and stop fraudsters by outlining scams currently being used.

05/21

Understanding Your Financial Aid Offer

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has a podcast called Financial inTuition. The goal of the podcast is to educate, inform, and engage students, parents, and practitioners with tools and resources created to help them make more informed financial decisions. This podcast will help listeners with tips and strategies to find their inner financial intuition, one money topic at a time.

The CFPB has released a new series of episodes about "Understanding Your Financial Aid Offer." You can find the podcast here.

Future episodes will cover race and economic equity and student loans, navigating COVID-19 during your higher education decision-making process, repaying student loans, and more. 

04/21

Budget Through Tough Times

Many consumers establish a budget as a planning tool. It is especially important to take a look at your finances and have a plan when your income decreases. By understanding what money you are getting and what you are spending, you may be able to make changes to help you through the tough times.

Learn More

03/21

COVID-19 Vaccine

If you want to know more information about what your state is doing for COVID-19 vaccines, see the links below. These sites are the best places for vaccine information. Please confirm information you may hear on social media by reviewing the information from your state.

• Indiana
• Kentucky
  
  

02/21

Indiana Housing and Utility Help

With COVID-19, many people have struggled financially. The Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA) reached out to us to be sure our Hoosier customers knew of the resources available to them in housing and utilities. The IHCDA believes that growing Indiana's economy starts at home.

Everyone can agree that all Hoosiers should have the opportunity to live in safe, affordable, good-quality housing in economically stable communities. That's the heart of IHCDA's mission. The IHCDA wants to help communities build upon their assets to create places with ready access to opportunities, goods, and services. They also promote, finance, and support a broad range of housing solutions from temporary shelters to homeownership.

What kind of help can the IHCDA provide? Many kinds! Here are just a few of the things that IHCDA can help with:

• Down payments
• Low interest rate loans
• Federal tax credits
• Mortgage assistance
• Rental assistance
• Utility costs

For more specifics, we encourage you to visit the IHCDA's website at www.in.gov/ihcda/.

We are #INthistogether.

02/21

Indiana Rental Assistance

Indiana's Rental Assistance Portal is now accepting applications for the Emergency Solutions Grant CARES Act (ESG-CV) rental assistance program. This program can provide eligible renters with up to six months in rental assistance to help cover past due and ongoing monthly rent payments. More information, including the steps for tenants to apply both online and over the phone, can be found on the top banner of the www.indianahousingnow.org website.

While there is no application due date at this time for the ESG-CV rental assistance program, any renter that is need of assistance is encouraged to and apply now. Please don’t wait.

10/20

Banks Never Ask That

The American Bankers Association has created a humorous website to educate the public on things that banks will never ask. Can you outsmart scammers? Take the quiz to see how you do. They even mention there are prizes involved!

From time to time, we link to external videos that are not controlled by us. It doesn’t mean that we necessarily endorse any products or services offered on the linked video, but we think the content of the video is of value to you. We just want you to know that it’s not our video.

10/20

FinCEN Guidance On Pandemic Fraud Scams

Fraudsters remain relentless in times of crisis including COVID-19. Here are a few things to be mindful of when it comes to scams.

7/20

Financial Path to Graduation

Planning for college can be tough. There are so many options when it comes to financial aid, scholarships, loans, and more. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has created a great tool for you to:

• Understand your financial aid offer.
• Plan to cover the remaining costs.
• Estimate how much you’ll owe and if you can afford that debt.
• Compare offers from different schools.
• Decide what to do next.

Check out the CFPB's tool to get started!

7/20