By Jason Alderman

Should a dream wedding mean delaying a down payment on a home? That's a tradeoff many couples make these days.

The Knot, a wedding planning and publishing company, recently released its Real Weddings Study (http://www.xogroupinc.com/press-releases-home/2015-press-releases/2015-03-12-the-knot-2014-real-weddings-study.aspx) of average wedding costs for 2014, announcing a national average price tag of $31,213 (not including the honeymoon).

The average cost of a wedding is a good point of comparison against other major financial goals in a new marriage. Considering that the average price of a new home in America is now $200,000, that wedding estimate would cover the majority of a 20 percent down payment ($40,000). Despite getting married to my wife at family home 15 years ago, I still remember the sticker shock for all the wedding costs - a whopping $10,000 for the entire event from tux, dress, flowers, food and honeymoon.

Here are a few suggestions to plan a wedding that won't break the bank:

Marry off-season. The most popular wedding months are now June and October, with longtime leader June losing a bit of ground. The most popular day to get married is Saturday and nighttime is the most competitive time slot for receptions. Consider a January wedding when the post-holiday rush is over - cold weather wedding venues are generally empty and priced to move. Weekday weddings have the potential added bonus of guests drinking less on a work night and weekend brunch weddings can be served buffet-style with more reasonably priced menu choices.

Find alternative venues. Farms, barns, warehouses, art galleries and of course, family property can be cheaper venues for a wedding, but make sure such spaces are properly insured for alcohol, food or other party-related risks. Also, in many communities, party venues must be properly licensed and/or zoned to avoid fines or legal action.

DIY if possible. Couples with a flair for party planning, decorating and cooking might be able to slash costs planning and executing their own event with minimal dependence on hired or volunteer help. From flowers to photography, wedding cake to wedding planners, check for affordable options. If a venue allows couples to supply their own flowers and decorations, it is wise to comparison shop. Consider professional photographers or skilled amateurs who meet your tastes and budget.

Use a gift registry to pay for the wedding. Couples can set up online gift registries that allow guests to directly fund honeymoon trips or specific expenses associated with the wedding.

Plan a destination wedding. Resorts around the world and well-known domestic wedding/travel destinations like Las Vegas or Hawaii offer wedding packages that blend a ceremony and vacation getaway. Planning a winter wedding? Research options for a warmer climate or snowy destination at a ski resort.

Finally, be flexible. Some venues have cancellations and if a couple is willing to put themselves on a waiting list and move quickly if they get the call, savings might be possible.

Before the planning a wedding, it's wise to start with planning finances. A meeting with a qualified financial advisor might help put wedding costs in perspective with other major financial priorities.

Bottom line: Dream weddings don't have to put a couple's financial life on hold. Consider real financial priorities first and build a smart wedding budget from there.

DES MOINES, IA (05/12/2015)(readMedia)-- With graduation season upon us, there is no better time than now to start planning for the future. Whether your children are graduating from grade school or high school, a contribution to their College Savings Iowa account is a great way to show how proud you are.

While any form of saving for college is better than not saving at all, there are advantages to using a 529 plan, such as College Savings Iowa. With initial and ongoing contribution amounts as low as $25, College Savings Iowa is an affordable way for families to save in order to meet the rising costs of higher education. As a way to help families start saving, we are celebrating 529 College Savings Day on May 29 and giving away a $5,290 College Savings Iowa account. For more information and to enter the giveaway, please visit CollegeSavingsIowa.com any time before May 31.

Administered by my office, College Savings Iowa allows you to choose from multiple investment choices, including four age-based options that take into account the child's age and the account owner's tolerance for risk. As a general rule, age-based accounts opened for younger beneficiaries are heavily invested in stocks early on; these accounts try to maximize returns by taking advantage of the longer time horizon. As the beneficiary nears college age, the assets are automatically shifted to more conservative portfolios. This allows you to protect your capital and reduce the market risk before you begin making withdrawals for college expenses.

In addition, College Savings Iowa offers significant tax benefits to help your savings grow even more. Contributions and earnings grow free of federal and Iowa state income taxes while invested. They remain tax-free when they are used to pay for qualified higher education expenses at any eligible college, university, community college or accredited technical training school in the United States or abroad. Iowa taxpayers who participate in College Savings Iowa are also allowed to deduct up to $3,163 in contributions per beneficiary account from their 2015 adjusted gross income.*

While a college education is an investment that lasts for a lifetime, the season to save for it is a lot like summer vacation - much shorter than you think. Start saving today and help make college a reality for a child in your life.

. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@Iowa529Plan) to stay up to date on all our current events and giveaways.

* Adjusted annually for inflation. If withdrawals are not qualified, the deductions must be added back to Iowa taxable income. The earnings portion of nonqualified withdrawals may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state and local income taxes. The availability of tax or other benefits may be contingent on meeting other requirements.

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Investment returns are not guaranteed and you could lose money by investing in the plan. Participants assume all investment risks as well as responsibility for any federal and state tax consequences. If you are not an Iowa taxpayer, consider before investing whether your or the designated beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state's qualified tuition program.

For more information about the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan, call 888-672-9116 or visit www.collegesavingsiowa.com to obtain a Program Description. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are included in the Program Description; read and consider it carefully before investing.

Illinois currently has the 7th highest workers' compensation costs in the country, more than double neighboring Indiana.

Terry L. Denison, Chairman

Illinois Economic Development Association (IEDA)

"The Illinois Economic Development Association (IEDA) is pleased that Governor Rauner's Administration has focused on key issues that will directly affect economic development in Illinois.  These are issues that must be addressed if Illinois is to remain competitive with our Midwest neighbors, as well as, the rest of the world.  Our members are in the trenches, every day, working to retain, expand, create and recruit job opportunities for our Illinois residents.  We know what it takes to make economic development successful.  One key issue affecting economic development in Illinois is our Workman's Compensation Program and its rates.  They are extremely uncompetitive!  Because of this, Illinois is losing new business opportunities, losing existing companies and losing existing jobs.  Illinois must improve the Workers Comp Program and lower its rates in order to be competitive, again!  If everyone will work together for the greater good of our State, we will accomplish much."

Ryan McCrady, President

Economic Development Corp. of Decatur & Macon County

"We are constantly competing against other states for businesses that are looking to make new investments.  We must also be sensitive to retaining the jobs and businesses that are currently in our communities.  The current workers compensation laws and policies are uncompetitive and making it difficult to attract investment in Illinois. It is critical that adjustments be made to create a workers' compensation system that is competitive with other states, fairly compensates workers, and equitably funds service providers if we want to grow and retain jobs in Illinois.  Workers compensation expense is one of the top factors considered by businesses making location and investment decisions.  We need to make sure our workers compensation environment does not remove Illinois from consideration for these investments.

Reggie Greenwood, Executive Director

Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation 

"The State of Illinois passed changes to the Illinois Workers Compensation system in 2011 designed to decrease the costs of workers compensation insurance to Illinois businesses.  Although these reforms were politically difficult to pass and they modified the complex worker compensation process to introduce new opportunities to control costs, they have not significantly made the Illinois systems more competitive compared to Indiana.

The Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation supports the expansion of existing manufacturing companies and attraction of new companies to South Cook and East Will Counties.  In this work, we constantly see evidence of the significantly lower workers compensation costs in Indiana which have been a major factor in the Chicago Southland losing manufacturing companies to Indiana.

We firmly believe in the value of workers compensation and safety regulations to provide a safe working environment for people working in the Chicago Southland.  However, we believe there are significant additional reforms that can continue to lower the costs of workers compensation without damaging worker safety.

The Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation strongly supports Governor Rauner's and the State of Illinois's efforts to increase our ability to promote development in the Chicago Southland by continuing to reform the Illinois Workers Compensation system to make it more cost effective."

Pam Cumpata, President

McHenry County Economic Development Corporation

Michael H. Stevens, President & CEO

Lake County Partners

"As we work together to fight for every job, the State's cost of doing business needs to be competitive with our neighbors and other States across the country. Illinois excessive workers' compensation costs, in particular, are a major barrier to our efforts. Reforming workers compensation to bring down costs is critical to creating a level playing field, on which Illinois will succeed due to our skilled workforce, strategic location, and leading global industries."

Ivan Baker

Director, Tinley Park Economic Development

Board Member, International Economic Development Council

"Businesses have to evaluate all costs in determining locations for expansion and growth.   While Illinois companies emphasize training and safe working environments, they pay the 7^th highest workers compensation index rate in the nation....higher than every other state in the Midwest.  High workers comp rates definitely impact the business climate in our great state, and our ability to effectively compete for new jobs."

John Greuling

President & CEO, Will County Center for Economic Development

"From manufacturing, to construction, to food processing to energy production, industries across Will County tell us every day they are suffering from extreme workers compensation costs and looking to the borders where costs are drastically lower. Illinois cannot afford to drive these job creators away. We must act now to further reform workers compensation policies to prevent further job losses and to help us attract new investment to grow our economy. "

David Abshire, Vice President

LB STEEL, LLC

"There is an urgent need for litigation reform relative to Illinois Worker's Comp.  Legal costs drive up Illinois Worker's Comp rates.

Illinois can quickly be much more business friendly by expediting the adoption of important elements of the Indiana Worker's Comp Model."

The Rockford Area Economic Development Corporation 

"The Rockford Area EDC surveys a number of companies in the area each year to see what is on the minds of the owners or general managers.

In 2013 we surveyed 112 companies.

Some quotes from local employers:

• 'The combination of workers compensation laws and unemployment insurance is a problem. We recently had an employee get fired for causing an accident on the job. The former employee denied there ever was an accident and was granted unemployment. The employee then filed for workers' comp.'

• 'Currently, an employer can hire a new employee. Said employee has an existing injury or illness. If that employee aggravates the existing injury at work, even in the slightest and files a claim, the new employer has just bought that injury. Many States limit the financial liability of the employer in the case of an existing condition.'

• 'I would like to see a limitation if an employee fails a post-accident drug screen. Many States go so far as to deny workers compensation benefits to an employee who is using drugs or alcohol in the workplace.'

• 'If an employee is determined to be engaging in activities outside of assigned restrictions away from work, that employee's workers comp benefits should be reduced or suspended.'"

"Our concern in regards to worker's compensation reform has transitioned from business attraction to business retention.  Simply stated, we cannot afford to lose our manufacturers to other communities outside of Illinois because our state judiciary bodies will not implement and enforce true reform."

By Jason Alderman

The 2015 Financial Literacy Summit 2015, (http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/summit2015/) held April 15 in Chicago and co-hosted by Visa Inc. and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, focused on how mobile technology might improve millennials' learning, savings and investing behavior in the future.

A recent FICO study said millennials, the demographic born between 1980 and 2000, not only represent the largest group of individuals using mobile banking applications, but also the biggest cohort partaking in Internet browsing, emailing, searching, social networking and news consumption on a smartphone or tablet, bypassing desktop machines entirely. By comparison, only 5 percent of 35-54 year-olds and 3 percent of those 55 years and older are using mobile devices exclusively.

The Summit audience heard particularly eye-opening insights from a panel on how early education and mobile technology applications can help build future generations' financial literacy. While online gaming (http://practicalmoneyskills.com/games/) is showing particular success in training grade- and high-school age students in financial fundamentals, panelists suggested that the broader solution will depend on national educational policy and a broader understanding about young adults and their financial needs.

Amando M. Tetangco, Jr., governor of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the central bank of the Philippines, told the audience that young Filipino adults are "struggling more than their older counterpart groups with regard to budgeting" and retirement planning, but he said he is still optimistic: "I believe there are certain characteristics of millenials that provide opportunities to build [their financial capabilities]. They have a desire for change." Such change, he said, should be driven by data and policy should be made personal and tied to technology solutions embraced by younger citizens.

Panelist Jason Young, CEO and Co-Founder of MindBlown Labs, an Oakland, California-based software developer behind the Thrive 'n' Shine personal finance game app for teens and young adults, said mobile technology will bridge the gap between financial literacy and a lifetime of successful financial decision making. "Eighty to 90 percent of U.S. teens have smart devices. That's huge, but the important thing to understand is that these aren't just things they use. They're a way of life."

Developing a stronger connection between financial literacy education and mobile technology could be beneficial for global educators and policymakers trying to improve spending, saving and investing knowledge for future generations. In January, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released a first-time global financial literacy study (http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results-volume-vi.htm) that revealed that U.S. students ranked between eighth and twelfth place among all 18 participating countries in overall literacy skills.