April 29, 2010 – The Great Recession has been a game-changer for everyone. Hardest hit have been hard-working families. But there have been some surprising positive outcomes. Challenges present their own opportunities. Anya Kamenetz the author of Generation Debt and DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education and Aaron Patzer, vice president and general manager of Intuit’s Personal Finance group and founder of Mint.com, examine issues specific to this stage of the recession recovery: student debt, smart money moves in a recession, saving for retirement versus saving for college, parents who are bailing out their grown children, and coping with joblessness. They will also talk about upsides of the downturn like: the most surprising things people have learned – what they were doing wrong, what they are now doing differently and simple things that save them money, new wisdom that parents are passing on to their kids, secret ways parents are saving for their kids’ futures, and technologies and services that are helping people manage their finances. Kamenetz was nominated for a Pulitzer when she was 24 for her column in the Village Voice which then became her book, Generation Debt. She has offered expertise on Larry King Live as well as The View and has even offered testimony before Congress on student debt and college affordability. Patzer was identified as one of six Money Heroes in the US in 2008 and was also named one of the Top 30 Entrepreneurs under 30.
