While planning a family vacation to Panama, I searched online for rental cars. One lower-cost rental car agency I’d never used before offered a significantly lower rate than the others. Ignoring the little voice in my head, I decided to try them.

Long story short: Although our flight was only one hour late, when I arrived bleary-eyed at the counter I was told that my car had already been given away – but I could upgrade to the next level for twice the price. After getting the runaround from the company’s U.S.-based customer service department and learning that everyone else’s rates had climbed equally high, I was basically stuck.

That experience taught me three lessons: A reservation isn’t necessarily a guarantee; when traveling abroad, use trusted vendors – especially if it sounds too good to be true; and do better due diligence by researching travel columnists and message boards for rental tips, possible pitfalls and customer complaints.

Several car rental methods are available:

Book directly from a rental agency (usually cheaper online than by phone).
Comparison shop at websites like Priceline, Orbitz or Hotwire (although, I’ll now be wary of buying a “blind” rental where you don’t learn the carrier’s name until after you pay).
As part of a package including airfare and lodging.

I usually open several browser tabs to compare rentals side by side. Rates change constantly, so today’s price may be much lower (or higher) than tomorrow’s. Other tips:

Book the best deal you can now and check back for lower rates.
Incorporate additional fees and taxes into your comparison – sometimes they don’t all show up until the “Total” page.
Look for discount codes from membership organizations like AAA, AARP and airline frequent flyer programs.
Consider picking up your car at a non-airport location where rates are usually – although not always – much lower.

Other decision-making factors include:

Airport shuttle convenience.
Fees for exceeding mileage allowances, alternate location return, late returns, or additional drivers.
Fuel refilling charges – you may do better refilling the car yourself. Use a website/phone app like GasBuddy to find cheaper gas in the area.
Surcharge for drivers under 25.

Rental agencies offer their own collision, liability, theft and other insurance coverage. Conventional wisdom says to avoid this route if your own insurance plans – or benefits available from your credit card – provide similar coverage. However, before automatically rejecting agency coverage, ask your insurance company and credit card issuer whether you are fully covered. Consider factors that may exclude coverage such as:

Renting longer than 30 days.
Certain models are excluded.
Travel outside specified service areas.
Whether or not you carry comprehensive and collision coverage on your own car.
Violating rental agreement terms (reckless driving, unauthorized drivers, etc.).

Before you take possession, thoroughly inspect the car for any pre-existing damage and note it on your contract; otherwise you could receive a hefty bill for someone else’s minor scratches and dents. And, conduct a thorough walkthrough when you return the car.

Bottom line: Don’t gamble your precious vacation on simply finding the cheapest deal. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney.

Unfortunately, for many mothers sacrificing extends well beyond sleepless nights and boring recitals. Women frequently leave the workforce during prime earning years to care for families. Consequently, they often fall behind on pay increases and promotions, so their retirement accounts and Social Security benefits are usually much smaller than men’s. Plus, women live an average five years longer than men so their already smaller income must stretch even further.

I’m not trying to bring everyone down, but rather to suggest that your best Mother’s Day gift this year might be to initiate a frank discussion about your mom’s personal finances and how she can better prepare for the future. Here are a few topics you might discuss:

Put retirement savings first

You can always borrow money to pay for college or a house, but you can’t get a loan to pay for retirement. If she’s still working, make sure your mom is enrolled in a 401(k) plan or an IRA and saving as much as possible.

Social Security benefits

Even if your mother didn’t pay into Social Security through work, she’ll be eligible to collect benefits as long as her spouse did. And, if she qualifies under her own work record as well as your dad’s, she’ll generally receive the higher benefit amount of the two.

The longer your mom waits to draw Social Security, the larger her monthly benefit will grow. Social Security “full retirement age” is 65 for those born before 1938 and increases gradually to 67 if born after 1959. If she meets eligibility requirements, your mom can begin drawing reduced benefits beginning at 62; however, doing so will cut her benefit amount by up to 30 percent. However, by postponing benefits until after full retirement age, her benefit will increase up to 8 percent per year, up to age 70.

Also keep in mind:

Widows can tap Social Security benefits as early as age 60 (50, if disabled). And spousal benefits are available if she’s divorced, provided the marriage lasted at least 10 years, she remains unmarried and is at least 62.
Although many states don’t tax Social Security benefits, the federal government counts them as taxable income. So, depending on your mom’s overall retirement income, she could owe federal tax on a portion of her benefit. IRS Publication 915 has full details.
If your mom begins drawing benefits while still working, they could be significantly reduced depending on her income. Read “How Work Affects Your Benefits” at www.ssa.gov for details. (Note: The reductions aren’t truly lost since benefits will be recalculated upward at full retirement age.)

Social Security has a great website for women with information on retirement, disability and other issues – in English and Spanish (www.ssa.gov/women).

You can help your mom estimate her retirement needs by using their Retirement Estimator, which enters her earnings information to estimate projected Social Security benefits under different scenarios, including retirement age and future earnings projections (www.ssa.gov/estimator).

Discussing finances isn’t as much fun as a picnic in the park, but your mom will appreciate your looking out for her financial future.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney.

Roommate tensions are not limited to strangers. When cash-strapped young adults return to the nest, or older parents move in with grown kids for financial or caregiver assistance, long-suppressed family grievances can erupt if you’re not careful.

The key to living amicably with others is open communication. All parties must feel free to ask candid questions about their roommate’s financial situation and living preferences. Schedule regular meetings to discuss household issues and air any complaints or perceived inequities before they magnify and sour the relationship.

Try to agree on living arrangement details before moving in together. If you’re moving into an established household, make sure you understand and agree with how financial obligations and tasks will be divided. A few considerations:

Whoever signs the lease is responsible for paying rent and meeting other legal obligations, so you may want to have all roommates sign the lease if possible.

You may need the landlord’s permission for a new roommate to move in. The landlord may want to run a credit check and may even ask that a new lease be signed.

If one bedroom is more spacious or has a private bath, a 50/50 split may not seem fair. The same goes if assigned parking or other amenities aren’t equitable. Calculate rent amounts together so no one feels slighted later on.
Find out which utilities are paid by the landlord and which you’ll split. Consider usage levels: Say one roommate works from home and runs the heat all day, or another never watches TV or uses the Internet.
Some people are territorial about their food, especially when budgets are tight. Decide whether you’ll go in together on groceries, cleaning supplies and other household items or each buy your own, and set rules for replacing used items.
Many landlords (and utilities) will only accept a single check, so it’s up to everyone to settle up and pay each monthly bill on time. Spread the risk by putting each utility in a different person’s name.
Each roommate should carry their own renters insurance; otherwise your possessions and liability aren’t covered in case of theft or accident.

If your place needs common area furniture or appliances, it may be simpler to buy pieces individually – and keep the receipts – so when you move there’s no question of ownership.
Inevitably, your possessions will get mixed in together. To make it easier when your household eventually disbands, make an inventory of who owns what.

You may want to draft a roommate agreement that establishes household rules and duties. In addition to the billing and cost-sharing information outlined above, also include details such as:

Rules for recovering your share of the security deposit.
Rules governing pets, houseguests, parties, noise, smoking, alcohol and other potential disagreements.
Housecleaning schedule and responsibilities.
Agreement about how to handle damages caused by roommates or their guests.
Move-out procedures, including how much notice is required and who is responsible for finding the new tenant.

Many people hold onto mounds of receipts and account statements because they’re not sure when it’s safe to toss them. (By toss, I mean shred – don’t give identity thieves any ammunition.) Here’s when you wouldn’t want to lack proper documentation:

• If audited by the IRS you must be able to justify deductions, charitable contributions, income, etc.
• Track stock and fund transactions so when you sell you’ll only be taxed on profits above the purchase amount; also to justify claiming a loss on your taxes.
• To claim tax credits/deductions for home improvements, such as energy-efficiency upgrades or for medical reasons.
• If you make nondeductible (after-tax) contributions to an IRA or 401(k), to prove you’ve already paid taxes on the amount.
• Your heirs will need your financial documents to settle your estate.

The IRS has several periods of limitations during which you can be asked to produce records proving income, deductions or credits you claimed:
• Normally, they have up to three years after your tax return to request documentation.
• However, if you failed to report income that is more than 25 percent of the gross income on your return, they have six years.
• If you file a claim for losses from worthless securities, it’s seven years.
• If you don’t file a return or file a fraudulent return, there is no statute of limitations.

So, you should probably hold onto back-up documentation for seven years, to be safe. These records include:
• W-2 and 1099 income forms.
• Year-end bank and brokerage statements showing interest earned.
• Receipts, cancelled checks or other proof of payment for deducted expenses.
• Home purchase or closing statements, insurance records and receipts for improvements.
• Homeowners, car and medical insurance claim payouts.
• Investment statements (stocks, bonds, mutual funds retirement accounts, etc.)

IRS Form 552 contains detailed instructions on what to save and for how long (www.irs.gov).

Hold onto certain documents for even longer than IRS audit requirements. For example:
• Keep records for investments and major assets at least as long as you own them.
• Save records and tax forms relating to retirement accounts, at least until you’ve drained their balances.
• Toss monthly and quarterly loan statements after receiving year-end summaries, but always retain final payoff notices in case the loan erroneously goes into collection and you need proof.
• Save all tax returns and attachments (Schedules, W-2 form, etc.) indefinitely. The same goes for hard-to-replace personal documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates, divorce, adoption and military discharge papers, will, power of attorney, etc.

You can always save actual documents and receipts. But if your goal is to reduce paper clutter, scan copies and save as PDF files. Back up electronic “soft copies” on an encrypted flash drive or external hard drive in case your computer crashes. And, if you’re worried about fire, theft or other disasters, store additional copies in a safety deposit box or with a trusted friend.
Recordkeeping is no fun, but compared to tearing the house apart to prepare for an audit, it’s a small price to pay.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To participate in a free, online Financial Literacy and Education Summit on April 23, 2012, go to www.practicalmoneyskills.com/summit2012.

It’s hard to think of any act more generous than adopting a child. Many adoptive parents I know tell me it’s the most personally rewarding thing they’ve ever done.

But adoption isn’t cheap. Related expenses can quickly mount to tens of thousands of dollars. And sadly, sometimes adoptions do fall through, forcing prospective parents to endure the process – and expense – all over again.

Fortunately, the IRS provides significant tax incentives for people who adopt, including the adoption tax credit and an exclusion from taxable income for expenses paid through an employer’s adoption assistance program.

Several IRS rules, policies and dollar limits for adoption tax credits and exclusions have changed for 2012:

Depending on your income level, you may be able to claim a non-refundable tax credit for up to $12,650 for qualified expenses paid to adopt an eligible child. A few adoption credit rules and definitions:

Families who adopt special needs children are entitled to claim the full $12,650 credit, even if their out-of-pocket expenses were less than that amount. “Special needs children” are those the state determines cannot or should not be returned to their parent’s home and who probably won’t be adopted unless assistance is provided. This group may include older children, siblings, children with disabilities and those currently in foster care.

If the child is a U.S. citizen or resident alien, the following rules apply for both successful and failed adoptions:

If the child you adopt is a foreign national, you may only claim the tax credit or exclude employer-paid benefits after the adoption has become final. In addition, if the adoption is ultimately unsuccessful, you cannot collect the credit for those expenses.

In addition to the tax credit, you also may be able to exclude from your gross income for tax purposes any employer-paid amounts under a qualified adoption assistance program, whether paid to you or a third party. See Form IRS 8839 for details.

Adoption should not be entered lightly. A good place to start your research is the government’s Child Welfare Information Gateway at www.childwelfare.gov.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To participate in a free, online Financial Literacy and Education Summit on April 23, 2012, go to www.practicalmoneyskills.com/summit2012.

Although there are certain actions you must take right away to ensure your current financial security, several major decisions with long-term consequences should probably be postponed until you’ve had a chance to reflect on how – and where – you want to spend the rest of your life.

If your spouse primarily handled the finances or you’re not up to the task alone, ask a trusted relative or friend to help you sort out the following information:

• Gather legal and financial documents that will give a better sense of where you stand financially, including: wills, trusts and powers of attorney; mortgage and car title; tax returns; bank, loan and credit card statements; safe deposit box contents; insurance plans; and income sources.

• Compile outstanding bills and monitor due dates to avoid late charges or penalties for: utilities; mortgage/rent; health, auto and homeowners insurance premiums; car, student and personal loans; and credit cards.

• If your spouse was still working, contact his or her employer regarding unpaid salary, benefits, life insurance and retirement accounts. This is particularly important if they provide your health insurance.

Other critical actions to take within the first month or two include:

• Contact companies where you have joint accounts and convert them to your name only. Also close any accounts that were in his or her name only that you don’t wish to maintain.

• If your spouse was eligible for Social Security, you and your children may qualify for Survivor Benefits. Call (800) 772-1213 or visit www.ssa.gov.

• Similarly, if your spouse was a veteran, contact the VA regarding possible survivor benefits (www.vba.va.gov/survivors).

• Pay attention to income tax filing dates, particularly if you file quarterly estimated taxes. While the IRS may waive penalty fees on a late filing or underpayment related to your spouse’s death, you’re still responsible for any taxes or interest owed. Call 800-829-1040 or read “Filing Late and/or Paying Late” at www.irs.gov.

Don’t make irreversible financial decisions until you’ve had a chance to adjust to your new status. For example, some people rush to pay off their mortgage, only to discover later that the house is too large or they can’t afford the taxes and upkeep. Others feel pressured to move closer to family members, only to discover that they miss their former life.

Other long-range planning suggestions:

• Rewrite your will and other documents that outline how you’d like your financial and health matters handled if you die, become disabled or become seriously ill.

• Until you have a better handle on your new living expenses, live frugally – especially if you’re used to having two incomes.

And finally, an update on my recent column about repaying overdue income taxes. The IRS just announced that for 2011 taxes due April 17, 2011, it will offer a six-month grace period on failure-to-pay penalties for certain taxpayers facing economic hardship. They also doubled the threshold for filing a streamlined installment repayment agreement (where you don’t have to supply a detailed financial statement) from $25,000 in taxes owed to $50,000.

In each case, there’s one very important person you should call well before locking the door that last time – your insurance agent.

“Many people don’t realize that their standard homeowners policy won’t provide full coverage if their home sits unoccupied for a certain amount of time,” says Ruth Stroup, a Farmers Insurance Group agent from Oakland, Calif. “The timeframe varies by state and insurance carrier, but typically it’s 30 or 60 days. After that, you could be liable for losses related to theft or vandalism.”

Unoccupied or vacant homes are considered a higher risk by insurers because no one lives on site to maintain and protect the property. We’ve all seen news reports of abandoned or foreclosed homes that have been stripped of their fixtures, overrun by squatters or simply vandalized.

Also, if you’re hoping that your insurer simply won’t notice your house is unoccupied, think again. As Stroup points out, “Insurance companies increasingly are doing routine inspections at policy renewal time. If they find that the property is unoccupied, chances are your policy won’t be renewed.”

So what should you do if you find yourself in this situation? First, check your homeowners policy for language regarding unoccupied or vacant homes. Once you know that your house will be empty for more than the allowable time – and before the deadline passes – contact your insurer to find out whether they offer vacant home insurance. They may be willing to make special provisions depending on the projected duration of vacancy. If your carrier doesn’t offer such coverage, find one that does.

Foreclosure or short sale. This is grim but critical information to know if you’re losing your home through a foreclosure or short sale: Even if you’ve already moved out, you’re still responsible for insuring the property until you no longer officially own it. “If a prospective buyer slipped and fell, you’d be liable for damages since you’re still technically the owner,” says Stroup.

Landlord insurance. Many homeowners prefer to rent out their property until the real estate market rebounds. From the insurer’s perspective, this is preferable to leaving the house vacant, although it’s still considered riskier coverage because tenants are less likely than owners to protect and maintain the property.

Landlord insurance covers the structure of the building as well as any personal belongings you leave on the premises against hazards such as fire, water damage, lightening, etc. It will reimburse you for lost rental income if the home becomes uninhabitable.

“Landlord policies are structured differently than homeowners coverage but often cost about the same,” says Stroup. “Homeowners policies typically provide considerable coverage for personal property, which you probably wouldn’t need here because your renters are responsible for insuring their own things.”

To protect your current and future assets, always have sufficient loss and liability insurance on all your property and possessions. Better safe than sorry.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney

Major life changes may require you to reassess how you manage the family finances. Unfortunately, many couples don’t make time to plan ahead and are later caught off guard around issues like having children, aging parents, planning for emergencies and changing career and retirement goals.

If you haven’t had a financial heart-to-heart lately and aren’t sure what to do next, here are a few suggestions:

Make a financial “date.” Even if you’re in complete agreement on money matters, the family “accountant” should keep his or her spouse in the loop – if nothing else, so they can easily take over in an emergency. Set up regular meetings to discuss bill payments, progress or setbacks regarding savings goals, budgeting for upcoming expenses, and strategies for coping with unforeseen expenses.

Don’t postpone uncomfortable discussions. Should one of you accidentally bounce a check or miss a payment, don’t wait until your next powwow to address it or try to hide the problem. You’ll only make matters worse and create an atmosphere of mistrust. Fess up and deal with the issue right away – you might even save yourself additional late fees or penalties.

Be united. When the news isn’t good – say your 401(k) balances tanked last quarter or one of you got laid off – communication is all the more important. Whether you need to temporarily tighten the budget or make a major life-altering decision like postponing retirement, talk it through and be prepared to compromise so neither party becomes the bad guy.

Reaffirm your goals. Couples often start out with one game plan but then life deals an unexpected hand and goals change. Touch base periodically on how you both feel about such major issues as family size, home ownership, career changes, financing college for your kids (or yourselves), financial risk appetite, when and where you’ll retire, and taking care of elderly parents.

Update legal documents. Make sure your legal and financial documents are up to date and reflect your current wishes, including wills, financial and medical powers of attorney, life insurance policies, retirement accounts, investment funds and any other accounts where beneficiaries or people who control your health or finances are named.

Follow your budget. Some of the worst marital disagreements occur when one or both parties sabotage the family budget. If you don’t already have a budget, many free tools are available. Check out the U.S. Treasury Department’s www.mymoney,gov, www.mint.com and Practical Money Skills for Life, a free personal financial management site run by Visa Inc. (www.practicalmoneyskills.com).

Seek help. If you discover that you’ve gotten off track or need help realigning your financial goals, a number of outside resources are available:

• The NFCC (National Foundation for Credit Counseling) can help you locate a free or low-cost credit counselor.
• You can find a financial planner or advisor through the Financial Planning Association (www.fpnet.org), the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (www.cfp.net), or the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (www.napfa.org).

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney

For most of us, income tax calculations don’t change much from year to year. But thanks to the roller coaster economy of the past few years, many people have undergone major life changes that can have a significant impact – good or bad – on their taxable income and how they should file taxes.

Even though April 17 (this year’s tax-filing deadline) is a ways off, it’s never too soon to start planning your strategy, particularly if you experienced financial hardships in 2011 that could affect your taxes. The IRS has a handy guide called “The What Ifs of an Economic Downturn” (search www.irs.gov) that reviews the tax impacts of different scenarios such as job loss, debt forgiveness or tapping a retirement fund.

Here’s a roundup of common economic challenges you may be facing and their possible tax implications:

You lost your job. Remember that unemployment benefits, severance pay and payout of accumulated vacation or sick leave are all considered taxable income, so if you didn’t have taxes withheld from these payments, be prepared for a potentially nasty tax bill.

If you withdrew money from your regular IRA or 401(k) account to cover expenses, you’ll owe income tax on the amount, plus an additional 10 percent penalty unless you’re over age 59 ½ or meet special circumstances. Also, outstanding 401(k) loans must be repaid (usually within 60 to 90 days of termination) or they’ll be counted taxable income – plus be subject to the same 10 percent penalty.

The good news is that many public assistance benefits such as welfare, food stamps and disaster relief payments don’t count toward taxable income. Read the IRS’s “Tax Impact of Job Loss” for details (www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4128.pdf).

Lowered income. If you took a big pay cut or lost your job in 2011, it might lower your adjusted gross income (AGI) enough to qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). EITC is a “refundable” tax credit, which means that if you owe less in income tax than your eligible credit, you’ll not only pay no tax, but actually get a refund for the difference. To learn more, search EITC at www.irs.gov.

Forgiven debt. Many people don’t realize that when you borrow money from a bank or other commercial lender and the lender “forgives” the debt, you generally must count the forgiven amount as taxable income.

There are several exceptions to the rule, however: For example, the Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 generally allows taxpayers to exclude up to $2 million in forgiven mortgage debt ($1 million if married filing separately) on their principal residence if it came through mortgage restructuring, foreclosure or a short sale. The mortgage exclusion is set to expire at the end of 2012 unless Congress intervenes.

Other exceptions include: Debts discharged through bankruptcy; or, if you are insolvent when the debt is cancelled, some or all of it may not be taxable. (Insolvency means your total debts are greater than the fair market value of your total assets.) For more information, search for Mortgage Debt Forgiveness at www.irs.gov.

Taxes are the last thing you want to worry about when facing financial hardships. Just be sure you’re prepared for the possible tax implications if your income or debt situation has changed in the past year.

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs. To Follow Jason Alderman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PracticalMoney

The recent back and forth in the Richmond Times-Dispatch’s Letters to the Editor section concerning marriage has been interesting. There are not many absolutes regarding sociological cause and effect. However, there is evidence from social science that individuals, businesses, governments and organizations should consider.

The presence or absence of family structure influences education, work-force development, transportation and a host of other critical areas of a community. One thing is clear: No relationship is perfect. No mom, no dad, no husband, no wife, no partner. Yet we would all like to pursue perfection in our role.

Step away from the social science and just about anyone would say there is so much value in a child growing up in a home with a loving mother and father who are in a healthy, committed relationship.

This doesn’t always happen. There are adults across the country who have had a parent who was not around, not engaged — or worse. While a large number of these individuals have found contentment and success, if given the chance to have lived in the same home with a better connection with this parent, many would probably jump at the chance.

To revisit the social science: Youth who grow up with an engaged father are more likely to succeed in school, to make better social decisions, to be sound emotionally and to stay away from criminal activity. This doesn’t mean those with engaged dads are perfect and without problems, just like it doesn’t mean those without an engaged dad are doomed.

President Obama stresses the importance of a father’s role through his efforts at www.fatherhood.gov. Our president is a great example of finding success without an engaged dad, but social science tells us too many others aren’t so fortunate.

The latest data suggest 24?million kids in the U.S. are growing up without their father in the home. This is the result, in part, of death, incarceration, divorce and a high percentage of non-marital births.

There is not enough space to analyze all of these issues, but consider statistics from the Richmond Region (Planning District 15): In the last four years 20,244 children were born to single moms, and 6,054 kids saw their parents divorce.

Imagine for a moment if non-marital pregnancies and divorce were reduced because individuals made better decisions related to sex, chose to marry with adequate preparation and worked to make marriages last. Fewer kids in Richmond would be living without both parents. More kids would be in situations with an in-home, mom-and-dad team approach to love, learning, accountability and discipline.

Is marriage important? Important enough that virtually all faith backgrounds highlight it in ceremonial ways. Important enough to take seriously when choosing to marry. Important enough to acquire skills to make the marriage last.

Nobody is forcing anyone to get married. If an unmarried couple lives together and has children, that’s a lot better than the kids not having dad around. However, research shows that cohabitating couples are (1) more likely to break up than are married couples, (2) less likely to invest in education and (3) less likely to allocate finances to raising their child.

When your child is born, you are responsible. If you walk away from your commitment, the state will hold you accountable. The same thing happens with marriage. Unfortunately, marriages are falling apart at increased rates. The problem isn’t marriage; the problem rests in the unprepared choice of getting married and the lack of investment in marital health.

Car owners take their cars into the shop for a tune-up so the car will run better. But how often do people get a tune-up for their marriage? We invest time and energy into jobs, friends, cars and hobbies, but we often lose sight of the most important thing, our marriage.

Research here in Virginia shows why marriage is valuable to a community. I encourage you to read Dr. W. Bradford Wilcox’s collaborative research at www.virginia.edu/marriageproject for a firm understanding of why it is so important to our community and why groups like the Richmond Family & Fatherhood Initiative and First Things First are working to strengthen families to help build an even better Richmond.

Jeff Ukrop is executive director of First Things First of Greater Richmond, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to strengthening families through education, collaboration and mobilization.

Reprinted with permission from the Richmond Times-Dispatch