Things to do in Madison this Summer

April 29th, 2008

Things to do in Madison this summer:

4/19-6/28- The Circus comes to the Chazen (Chazen Meseum of Art next to Humanities on campus): Two circus themed exhibitions: Ringmaster Judy Onofrio and the Art of the Circus Brittingham Galleries VI and VII and Harry A. Atwell, Circus photographer, in the Mayer Gallery. The Chazen will also host a special weekend of circus celebrations, featuring performers, music, and food, on May 9^th and 10^th.

5/21- Tunes at the Monona Terrace: It’s free except for the purchase of drinks, both alcoholic and non alcoholic.

6/5-6/8: Isthmus Jazz Festival (Memorial Union Terrace): It’s free and open to all ages. There are jazz performances that reflect a century’s worth of jazz styles. Dixieland, big band swing, bebop and Latin jazz and free jazz. Are all intermixed.

6/14- Taste of the Arts Fair (Sun Prairie): More than 100 artists gather to showcase antiques , specialty food vendors, entertainment, children’s play area and free parking.

6/25-7/30- Concerts on the Square (Capitol Square): Come and listen to the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, lead by Andrew Maestro Sewell, will perform six consecutive concerts on Wednesday evenings beginning at 7:00 pm. Bring a blanket, and a picnic to enjoy, but there are vendors on hand just incase!

6/26-7/6- Summerfest (Milwaukee): Summerfest needs no explanation, but incase you haven’t heard of it before, there is a mix on concerts; some free and some that charge admission. They have everything from country, to punk, to oldies like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. There are exhibits ad tons of things to buy while enjoying the weather on Milwaukee’s lakefront.

6/28- Rhythm and Booms (Warner Park on the east side): Midwest largest fireworks display set to music. Before the fireworks begin at dusk there are carnival rides for children, a midway, and a food court.

6/27-6/29- Badger State Games (Campus Area): Annual Olympic style games for Wisconsin amateur athletes of all ages and abilities. The competition is across 27 sports across 50 different sites around the city. Some of the sports include basketball, disc golf, archery, marathons, cycling, martial arts, rowing, soccer and ultimate Frisbee. It does cost money to participate but it isn’t more than $20 depending on the sport, and if you win a gold or silver medal you can advance to the national competition.

6/5-7/24- Concerts on the Rooftop (Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center): Concerts are open to the public at no charge, so bring your friends and families. The concerts styles are casual. Seating on the rooftop is limited so bring a blanket or a lawn chair. Concessions (sandwiches, snacks, beer, wine, cocktails, and soft drinks) are available for purchase beginning at 5:30 PM.

7/12-7/13- Art Fair On and Off the Square (off is at the Monona Terrace): Joi the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art for a special 50^th anniversary celebration of art fair on the square. It’s located at Madison’s Capitol Concourse and houses displays of nearly 500 artists from across the country, as well as live music and various kids’ activities.

7/18/-720- Maxwell Street Days: Biggest sale days in Madison downtown. Enjoy shows at the Overture Center for the arts, visit the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Monona Terrace and Convention Center, or just hang out by the lake!

7/31-8/10- Wisconsin State Fair: The Main Stage features performances by Boyz II Men, Vanessa Huggens, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, and Pat Green, and Reo Speedwagon among others. There’s also agricultural exhibits, food, shopping, 30 free stages of local and national entertainment, and much more! Admission is $8 if you purchase tickets after June 30^th, and parking is $9 per vehicle.

8/1-8/22- Dane Dances (Monona Terrance Community and Convention Center): A community event created to help breakdown racial barriers and bring people of diverse backgrounds together for a night of free entertainment and dancing. There will be ethnic food and cocktails available for purchase.

8/6-9/3: Jazz at Five Concert Series (Library Mall, State Street): Free concert series, featuring some of the best jazz musicians, in the city at the top of State Street for five consecutive Wednesdays during August and September.

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What’s Up With FICO Scores

April 21st, 2008

I had the opportunity to sit down with Kimberlie Hooker from Andorra Credit Repair (www.andorracreditrepair.com) to talk about FICO scores and the common misconceptions about them. The interview was very informative and I learned a lot about what goes into a FICO score and how small things can have a big impact. A FICO score is what a lender looks at when you try to obtain credit, for example a mortgage lender will look at your FICO score to determine what type of interest rate you get. One thing to know is that a credit score, unless it says it is a FICO score, is not what lenders see and it can in fact be significantly different from your FICO score.

There are five different things that affect a credit score: payment history, capacity, credit history, types of credit and new credit. Paying attention to each of these is extremely important to maintaining good credit.

She also mentioned the opportunity given to consumers to check their credit reports once a year through each of the three agencies, Transunion, Equifax and Experian. By going to the site www.annualcreditreport.com you have access to your credit reports from these three agencies for free. But remember that these are only your credit REPORTS, not credit scores. The place to get your accurate credit score is myfico.com. BUT you will be charged to get your FICO score.

Check back for our next installment in our Credit Month series.

Post a comment if you have any questions about credit or suggestions for future shows.

-Kelsey Balcaitis, Talking Cents Team Member

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Credit 101

April 14th, 2008

I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Kimberlie Hooker from Andorra Credit Repair (www.andorracreditrepair.com). We discussed the basics of credit including topics such as identity protection, credit scores, myths of credit and many other topics regarding credit.

One thing she made very clear was how important it is to know what impacts your credit score. Things like late payments can impact your credit score 50-100 points. She stresses the importance for college students to know what impacts your score and knowing how to build good credit. She also talks about the importance of protecting your identity. Websites such as www.optoutprescreen.com can stop the pre-approved offers from coming to your mailbox. Another important protection is the option to enact a security freeze on your credit report. The security freeze prevents anyone from pulling your credit score without a pin number that you are provided with once you use a security freeze.

Hooker suggests that a revolving credit card is a good way to build credit. But she stresses the importance of not maxing out your cards, only using up to 30% of the available credit and making your payments on time. Other forms of credit such as a car loan help to build credit as well. If someone has issues with their credit, they could also try a secured credit card.

It’s important to remember that credit impacts a lot of things in your life such as buying a home, getting a car, even getting a job.

Pay attention for the next credit installment, FICO Scores and Everything About Them with Kimberlie Hooker, which will be available next week.

Post a comment if you have any other questions about credit or suggestions for other shows.

- Kelsey Balcaitis, Talking Cents Team Member

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The Housing Market

April 8th, 2008

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Internships

March 31st, 2008

This week, we had the opportunity to interview Sarah Barber, Lisa Collins, and Jamie Marsh in the Business Career Center to talk about internships. According to Sarah, internships give students the opportunity to gain experience in a career area that they are interested in. It also allows students, to receive new training and develop skills that will put them at an advantage for full time employment positions.

Students can either do a summer or a semester internship. However, Linda Collins says that the downside to a semester internship is that it may delay your graduation and you would not be covered by your parent’s insurance during that semester. The upside to a semester internship is that you could have more opportunities to work for a company for a longer period of time. For example, you could intern during the spring semester in addition to the summer.

Many students wonder if it is better to work for a smaller or larger company. According to Sarah Barber, it really depends on your situation. Advantages to working for a smaller company include more exposure to senior management and possibly more responsibility provided based on your performance. One advantage to working for a larger company are a well-known name to have on your resume. Additionally, many larger companies have a structured internship program that is specifically designed to give you technical training in its industry.

Once a student receives an internship, it is important for them to take into consideration housing, transportation, and living expenses. Many internships offer student housing and within walking distance to the company or close to a public transportation service. According to Jamie Marsh, 99 percent of internships are paid, so chances are you will be able to pay for your daily living expenses. Salaries range depending on location and the cost of living in the area, but most employers take this into account. At the same time, the purpose of an internship is to get your foot into an industry, so don’t expect to make a fortune. Internships are extremely beneficial and often times lead to full time employment.

For more information on interviewing techniques and how to get your ideal internship, feel free to post questions on our forum and students can visit their school’s career center.

Click below to hear the whole interview. –Chris Adams, Talking Cents Team Member

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Mysteries of Financial Aid

March 24th, 2008

This week I met with Jim Buske of the Student from UW’s Student Financial Services Office to learn about financial aid. There are four types of financial aid: scholarships (merit-based), grants (need-based), loans, student employment

There are two basic distinctions for financial aid: need based and non-need based. Need based aid is determined by information students submit on their FAFSA. Students can begin filling out their FAFSA on January 1, but tax information is required so a student needs to have both their tax information and their parent’s tax information prior to completing his or her FAFSA. Since financial aid does run out, students should get their FAFSA submitted as early as possible. The government uses a student’s FAFSA to determine a family’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC). That information is then sent to UW, where the Student Financial Services Office subtracts a student’s EFC from the cost of their education and develops a financial aid offer for the difference.

Most of the financial aid offers are federal student loan offers, FELP loans. There are two types of FELP loans: subsidized and unsubsidized. Subsidized loans are loans that the government will pay interest on while student is in school and for a short period of time thereafter. Unsubsidized loans are loans that accrue simple interest while students are in school, but that interest is then added to the principal amount when a student graduates. In addition to federal loans, there are non-traditional loans offered by most banks that can help supplement the cost of education. Students should carefully assess non-traditional loan offers before accepting one and should avoid borrowing more than they absolutely need. Furthermore, student loan payments are not tax deductible. Students are able to consolidate their federal student loans once throughout their lifetime.

Students are also encouraged to apply for scholarships on campus. Each school on campus has different application forms and deadlines, so students should contact their department to get scholarship information. Start inquiring about scholarships the November of the year before you want to get your scholarship.

Click below to hear the whole interview. -Brittany Burr, Talking Cents Team Member

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What’s Happening with the Economy?

March 12th, 2008

Today I had the opportunity to sit down with Steve Rick, a senior economist with Credit Union National Association in Madison and an Econ 102 professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison. We had a great discussion about the current state of the economy and how the economic crisis will affect students.

Steve mentioned the problems with the credit crunch. The credit crunch is when lenders are more hesitant to lend money to consumers. This means that consumers cannot get the money needed to help stimulate the economy. He described how from 2001 until 2003 the economy was in need of economic stimulus, so the government lowered the rate at which banks can borrow money (called federal funds rate). This lower rate allowed a large amount of money to become available for lenders to give out to people, which eventually led to a lot of the problems we are experiencing today such as the housing boom and bust, the credit crunch, and the potential for a recession.

Steve believes, along with a lot of other economists, that the United States economy is in a recession, but states that you can never know if you are in one usually until after it is over. However, he does believe that this recession will be longer and more severe than past ones. He says that the Fed might continue to lower rates below 2% and that the economic stimulus package from the government in the form of increased tax rebates may not have the intended affect the government would wish for. He believes that the money to fund these rebates will most likely come from borrowing from other countries, such as China or Japan. The government would like this money to be spent on goods from the United States to help stimulate our economy, but Steve says that many economists believe that this money could go back to China or Japan as US consumers spend the money on foreign goods.

The credit crunch will also affect college students. With the hesitance of lenders to loan money to consumers, college students might see increased rates in student loans or have more difficulty in getting money to pay for college. Credit card companies are also starting to lower limits, increase rates and increase fees and penalties. All of the issues affecting the economy will have the potential to affect college students in some way or another.

Click below to hear the whole interview. -Kelsey Balcaitis

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Welcome to Talking Cents

March 11th, 2008

Hello Everyone! Welcome to the Talking Cents blog. Here we will be posting our links to our podcasts for our weekly radio show. If you have any questions about us, what we do, who we are or have questions about the show’s topics or have a suggestion for a future show, post a comment or email us at talkingcents@yahoo.com.

Enjoy!