Grown Up U – Details, episodes & analysis

When is the right time to think about retirement? Expert advice says, when you are young. It's never too soon to start investing in your future!  
 Our host, Alison Crane - Family and Consumer Sciences Agent in Garland County will ask her guest, Dr. Laura Hendrix, University of Arkansas Associate Professor - Personal Finance & Consumer Economics and an accredited financial counselor, questions about how to invest and when dabbling in the stock market is beneficial. Dr. Hendrix has some good advice on finding reliable information to help take some of the worry out of investing in Part 2 of My First Real Job and They Already Want Me to Retire!

Filling out all of the paperwork for your first real job can be intimidating, especially when you have to make all of the decisions about your benefits and retirement plan. 
Never Fear! Our Grown Up U podcast is here to take the guess work out by explaining the types of retirement and investments that could be offered plus providing some commonsense advice on saving your money for retirement and for emergencies. Listen as our host, Alison Crane - Family and Consumer Sciences Agent in Garland County interviews her guest, Dr. Laura Hendrix, University of Arkansas Associate Professor - Personal Finance & Consumer Economics and accredited financial counselor, to define financial terminology and take some of the guesswork out of filling out benefits forms. 

How often do you need to clean your home or living space? Where did you learn to clean? Tristin Bolton, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent in Crawford County, along with co-host Casey Ford,  will share the standards of cleanliness that we should all follow and suggest simple products to get you started. 

In today’s podcast, we will be discussing suicide. If you or someone you know is in need of help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741 or go to www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

The death of a friend or loved one by suicide can be one of the most traumatic experiences in a person's life. Picking up the pieces as a suicide survivor can take a long time but it can be done. In this episode of Grown Up U, Alison Crane, Garland County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, and her guest, Julie Fant, counselor and owner of Divine Therapy, discuss coping skills for those experiencing that type of loss and what friends and family can do to help. 

We hear all the time don't drive distracted, but why is that so important? Join Mary Ann Kizer, Jefferson County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and her guest, Dot Hart, as they share the costs of distracted driving. Staying focused on the road could save a life!

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month? According to Mental health America, 46 percent of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life, and half of those people will develop conditions by the age of 14.  Join Rachel Chaney, Yell County FCS agent and special guest, Rebecca Simon, Family Life/Early Childhood Instructor and Mental Health First Aid Trainer, as they talk about getting back to basics with mental health. 

We all know the internet as a place of endless information, connections, resources, apps, and of course, games. It has become the “next best thing to sliced bread” as the old saying goes. For as much good that the internet can and does bring to our lives, it also brings about the bad and ugly.
In today’s Grown Up You podcast FSC agents, Julie Going and Valerie Turner,  talk about why it is  important to stay on guard when you are on the internet and tips for staying safe.  

The stress of graduating from college is real. Meeting all the requirements, completing those last assignments, and taking make or break your grade finals can all build up to make you feel overwhelmed. You have worked so hard to receive a degree and instead of exhilaration all you feel is stress. Alison Crane, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for Garland County, Arkansas, and her son, Jonathan Crane, discuss the stressors of college graduations and some stress busting tips for not letting them get to you.

This may be the moment you have been waiting for but graduating from high school can still bring a lot of stress. Don't let the pressure make your memories of this important accomplishment unhappy. Taking steps to manage your stress by learning some coping skills can help you enjoy this special time in your life. Listen as Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, Pamela Luker, and high school senior, Destini Nguyen, discuss ways to make your last weeks of high school less stressful. 

In the digital age, navigating online dating websites and apps can feel like a minefield, especially as romance scams have become more prevalent. Over the last five years, over one billion dollars has been reported lost to romance scams.  In this week’s podcast, Valerie Turner, Staff Chair in Monroe County and her guest, Rebekah Hall from the office of communications for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will highlight tips for dating safely in our digital age.