Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Financial Literacy Update Newsletter

Greetings Friends,

Financial Literacy Advocate, Author and Documentary Filmmaker, Braun Mincher, here with a quick update on my ongoing Financial Literacy Initiative, aimed at bringing a new awareness to this important cause and getting such required classes taught at every high school in America. Why is Financial Literacy a more taboo topic than religion, politics or sex? With your continued help and perseverance, we will ultimately be successful in reversing the Financial ILLITERACY Epidemic in America!

I am not sure about you, but my summer seemed to come and go too quickly this year. I hope that this email finds you doing well, settling into your fall routines and getting ready for the coming holidays. I apologize for the delay since my last Financial Literacy update, but my focus has been with some other unrelated projects for the past few months. While I still remain extremely passionate and committed to the Financial Literacy cause, I unexpectedly returned to the telecom business back in June. While building a new business is a lot of work, I am again having fun while enjoying the opportunities and challenges of the private sector, and look forward to growing another successful entrepreneurial venture. Please visit the PCG Telecom website for more information about my involvement with this new endeavor.

Updates on Important Financial Literacy Topics:

FinancialLiteracyQuiz.com

Thousands of visitors per week continue to take my FREE and thought-provoking Financial Literacy Quiz to test their knowledge of basic personal finance. While many of the respondents claim to be "well educated" academically, the paltry results certainly show what is lacking in many school curriculum. Sadly, the national average for FinancialLiteracyQuiz.com still hovers around a shocking 49%, yet a score 75% is barely considered passing. What's your score? Click here to take the quiz now and share with your friends.

Book - "The Secrets of Money: A Guide for Everyone on Practical Financial Literacy"

My 426-page information packed book continues to do well and teaches readers of all ages what they really need to know about personal finance from a practical perspective that they can quickly and easily relate to. I have a simple system to show people how to make lots of money quickly, and without working -- psych! Knowledge is power, and that is what my book delivers in an engaging format. Amazon continues to offer the best price and it's never too early to think about useful holiday gifts for those you care about. Special quantity discounts are available for orders of 100+ for your school, club, association or company (private branding programs have become very popular). Please email us for details.

Documentary Movie Production

Earlier this year, we wrapped several months of nationwide filming for our shocking new documentary movie, Secrets of Money: The Financial Illiteracy Epidemic in America Exposed. We interviewed over 100 real people, students, educators, government officials, celebrities, personal finance experts and others (click here for the detailed list) to get their perspective on WHY schools teach math, English and science but not Financial Literacy? We have gathered over 120 hours of raw footage and are open to exploring opportunities to collaborate with an experienced joint venture partner to assist with the final production, marketing and distribution of the film. Please contact us for more information.

Financial Education Bill Introduced in U.S. Senate
In March, Senator Patty Murray [D-WA] introduced the "Financial and Economic Literacy Improvement Act of 2009," a bill to provide grants to promote financial and economic literacy. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee, and if passed, it will authorize up to $125 million in spending to create a program for three different grade levels, K-12, that will mandate standardized financial education as a core-competency class. In addition, another $125 million would be authorized for use in post-secondary education. We will keep you updated as this bill progresses.

Money X Live Event - Coming to Colorado in 2010!

While we had the opportunity to witness multiple financial education events as part of our documentary filming, one in particular stood out above the rest: Money X Live held in Anaheim, California at the end of February. The event is aptly described as "Entrepreneurship & Money Entertainment." As financial literacy advocates, whether we like it or not, we are competing for attention with the likes of MTV, American Idol and the X-Box. One of the most effective ways to get our message through is by using the same engaging pop culture marketing angles and making the content practical and relevant to their daily lives. Money X Live was far and above the most effective and successful way I have seen to promote Financial Literacy to the next generation, and they are scheduling more events for 2010, including a visit to Colorado on Saturday, April 17th. For more information, please contact promoter Vince Shorb at (714) 960-4665 or Vince@NYEFC.org.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter & YouTube

I have wholeheartedly embraced social networking and have found it to be a very effective and efficient means to communicate status updates on my various happenings (both personal and professional). If you want to be "in the know," please connect with me online:
Quotes from Personal Finance Experts

During the filming of our documentary movie, I made special note of the following memorable quotes from some of our interviewees:

Adam Carroll (Co-Author of "The Money Game"): "It takes about 3 years of constant action towards something before you begin to achieve the success you think you should."

John "Spider" Salley (NBA Superstar): "I don't read the sports section of the newspaper because it does not contain anything that helps my business."

Peter Bielagus (Young America's Financial Coach): "In America, you can have ANYTHING you want, just not EVERYTHING you want."

Rob Stumbaugh (Bank President): "The key to financial well-being is as follows: Same house, same spouse."

Chris Gardner (Entrepreneur & Movie Icon): "The person who is going to best look out for your financial well being does NOT live in the White House, he lives in YOUR house."

Sanyika Calloway Boyce (Financial Fitness Coach): "I did everything right academically, but everything wrong financially, so I turned my MESS into my MESSAGE."

Thank you to everyone for your continued support of this important nationwide Financial Literacy initiative. Please feel free to forward this email on to anyone else who may find it of interest, and visit BraunMincher.com for additional information, frequent updates and free Financial Literacy resources.
Sincerely,

Braun Mincher, Financial Literacy Advocate
Creator/Speaker ~ FinancialLiteracyQuiz.com (What's Your Score?)

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Quotes from Personal Finance Experts

During the filming of our documentary movie, on the topic of the Financial "Illiteracy" Epidemic in America, in early 2009, I noted the following memorable quotes from some of our interviewees, which I wanted to share. For more details, or video clips of the interviews, please visit: http://www.SecretsOfMoneyMovie.com. The quotes:

Adam Carroll (Co-Author of "The Money Game"): "It takes about 3 years of constant action towards something before you begin to achieve the success you think you should."

John "Spider" Salley (NBA Superstar): "I don't read the sports section of the newspaper because it does not contain anything that helps my business."

Peter Bielagus (Young America's Financial Coach): "In America, you can have ANYTHING you want, just not EVERYTHING you want."

Rob Stumbaugh (Bank President): "Young man, the key to financial freedom is as follows: same house, same spouse."

Chris Gardner (Entrepreneur & Movie Icon): "The person who is going to best lookout for your financial well being does NOT live in the White House, he lives in YOUR house."

Sanyika Calloway Boyce (Financial Fitness Coach): "I did everything right academically, but everything wrong financially, so I turned my MESS into my MESSAGE."
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Monday, October 5, 2009

Financial Literacy Resources from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)


October 5-6, 2009 (Washington, D.C.)
The Second Annual Financial Literacy Leadership Conference, presented by the Society for Financial Education and Professional Development, Inc. brings together leaders in the field of financial literacy to develop effective strategies and partnerships to address pertinent issues.

October 7-10, 2009 (Washington, D.C.)
The Council for Economic Education, National Association of Economic Educators, and Global Association of Teachers of Economics holds its 2009 annual conference. The conference focuses on grades K-12 economic, personal finance, and entrepreneurship education.

October 10-17, 2009 (Throughout the state)
Money Smart Week Indiana events are designed for all ages and backgrounds and include topics on teaching children how to save as well as helping seniors manage their finances. Events are held throughout the state, and some will be offered or advertised in Spanish.

October 10-17, 2009 (Throughout the state)
Community groups, government agencies, financial advisers and businesses will attend Money Smart Week Wisconsin events to answer questions on how to handle finances and to teach children about handling money.

October 15, 2009 (Local Schools)
Get Smart About Credit Day is an annual event held in October when bankers visit local classrooms to share with students the ”credit facts of life." October 15, 2009 is the date of this year’s event, the seventh annual. The foundation hosts six free Webinars to review tips on using the Get Smart About Credit Day Resource Kit, planning an event, sharing best practices, and positioning the event for Community Reinvestment Act credit.

October 17-24, 2009
The National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Council of Better Business Bureaus are sponsoring the second annual Protect Your Identity Week. During PYIW week, hundreds of identity theft protection events will be held in communities across the nation. At local events, consumers can take advantage of education workshops, the shredding of documents, and credit report reviews - - all free of charge and open to the public. A consumer Web site, in English and Spanish has been developed to highlight PYIW events and provide valuable identity theft awareness and prevention education.

October 21, 2009 (Washington, DC)
The Fall 2009 American Savings Education Council Partners Meeting will feature a presentation of the Stock Market Game, showing how the game boosts achievement in math and financial education, and a presentation of the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

October 21-23, 2009 (Philadelphia, Pa.)
The Institute for Financial Literacy hosts the 2009 Annual Conference on Financial Education. The conference provides professional development opportunities for people working in the fields of financial literacy and education.

October 28, 2009 (Boston, Mass.)
The Massachusetts Financial Education Collaborative is holding a summit at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The summit focuses on program information, coordination and delivery of financial education for young people (K-16), adults and seniors.

October/November 2009 (Boston, Mass.)
The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston presents the 2009 Reserve Cup Challenge to representative high schools - one from each New England state - to compete in a quiz show that tests students’ knowledge of financial matters, ranging from financial literacy to economics to personal finance.

November 4, 2009 (Lubbock, Texas)
The Texas Department of Banking provides hands-on training on three financial education curricula: the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’s “Building Wealth,” the FDIC’s “Money Smart Program,” and JA Worldwide’s “Junior Achievement.”

November 6-8, 2009 (Washington, D.C.)
The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy presents the first nationwide conference devoted entirely to personal finance education in grades K-12.


The FICO Mortgage Recovery Initiative is a comprehensive solution that meets the needs of Main Street and Wall Street. It follows the federal government’s Making Home Affordable guidelines. This program streamlines consumer loan applications and provides servicers with deep analytic solutions to help them work with their customers.


The Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians Field Operations, in partnership with First Nations Development Institute, conducted a train the trainer session at the National Indian Program Training Center to prepare Fiduciary Trust Officers to provide financial literacy training to trust beneficiaries throughout Indian Country. Training also has been conducted at Fort Berthold and Standing Rock.

The Maryland Coalition for Financial Literacy (MCFL) is an initiative to meet the urgent need for more financial education. The MCFL works with educational leadership groups, parents, the financial services industry, and others to find the best program for each of Maryland’s 24 public school systems as well as nonpublic high schools. The MCFL also works with partners to develop programs for adult constituencies such as employee groups, senior citizens, first-time homebuyers, and new immigrant groups.

Native American Bank (NAB) and the Native American Community Development Corporation (NACDC) have developed a “Mini-Bank” program, which the NACDC delivers to elementary schools located on Native American reservations in Montana, Idaho, and Colorado. The program allows Native American youth to enhance their financial literacy skills by actually opening a savings account with NAB and learning, in a school setting, the value of saving, and the power of compounded interest. A combined Mini-Bank and Land Education curriculum is now offered in collaboration with Indian Land Tenure Foundation.

The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) announced a new investor education initiative to equip millions of union and employee association members with the knowledge and skills they need to protect themselves from investment fraud. Through a new outreach program, “United Against Investment Fraud” (UAIF), NASAA is working with unions and employee associations to bring investor education to the workplace. The UAIF program teaches union members how to spot con artists and how to check the backgrounds of stock brokers and investment advisers.

President Barack Obama announced new Federal resources to make it easier for American families to save for retirement. These new IRS initiatives include guidance on saving for, and choosing retirement plans, including design options; expanding opportunities for automatic enrollment; making it easier to save tax refunds; showing how employees can save payments in their retirement plans they would receive for unused vacation or other similar leave; and helping employees and employers understand their tax-favored rollover and other savings options.

The University of Albany’s Center for Excellence in Aging Services presents the Senior Financial Literacy Training and Education Initiative. This program provides to seniors a basic understanding of financial literacy, risk factors for financial exploitation, and an understanding of social work roles focused on senior financial literacy.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) began a two-year pilot project to review affordable and responsible small dollar-loan programs in financial institutions. The pilot is a case study intended to identify effective and replicable business practices to help banks incorporate affordable small dollar loans into their other mainstream banking services. Resulting best practices from the pilot will be identified and will become a resource for other financial institutions.

The "Your Money Bus Tour" is a consumer outreach initiative that kicks off its second year on October 1, 2009. In each city, local financial advisors volunteer their time to meet with residents and answer their financial questions—free of charge, with no strings attached. The bus tour is strictly an educational event; a way to give back to the community and help residents with financial questions. This year, the organization plans to visit 25 cities across the U.S. The tour is sponsored by the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors Consumer Education Foundation (NAPFA), TD Ameritrade, Kiplingers Personal Finance Magazine and FiLife.com.


Building Your Future developed by The Actuarial Foundation helps students easily grasp the essentials of personal finance, gives them multiple opportunities to practice core skills and showcases the real-world impact of the financial decisions they make. Each chapter is classroom ready, with a Teacher's Guide that provides handouts and answer keys, instruction and assessment suggestions, definitions and resources that align with national mathematics and personal financial education standards.


The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis offers Cards, Cars and Currency, a curriculum that challenges students to become involved in three specific areas of personal finance—credit cards, debit cards, and the purchasing of a car.

The Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship at the University of Delaware provides to teaching professionals knowledge, skills, and innovative curriculum to equip Delaware K-12 students with the economic, personal finance, and entrepreneurial foundations necessary to become informed, active participants in today’s world.

Consolidated Credit Counseling Services utilizes educational programs, professional counseling and money management instructions to establish a customized program that fits peoples needs.

Consumer Action is a nonprofit, membership-based organization that serves consumers nationwide by advancing consumer rights; referring consumers to complaint-handling agencies through a free hotline; publishing educational materials in Chinese, English, Korean, Spanish, Vietnamese, and other languages; and comparing prices on credit cards, bank accounts, and long distance services.

This summer, more than one million older Americans will be forced into the Part D “doughnut hole”—a coverage gap in Medicare’s program that leaves seniors liable for all of their own costs while still paying premiums. AARP is launching a new free online resource to help these and other older Americans avoid this dreaded coverage gap.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) offers EDIE the Estimator. This estimator can calculate your FDIC insurance coverage in each FDIC-insured bank where you have deposit accounts. EDIE lets you know, in a printable report for each bank, whether your deposits are within or exceed coverage limits.

American Consumer Credit Counseling’s Financial Fitness Center is an online resource offering an enormous amount information on personal money management. Web seminars, podcasts, tips of the week, calculators, worksheets, resource articles, links and more are provided to help consumers better manage their money. Information is available free-of-charge.

The Financial Security for All Community of Practice (COP) is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service chat programs that consist of monthly personal finance topics. Upcoming topics of discussion are Tips for Happy Holidays without Financial Hangover (October 29, 2009) and Promoting Positive Financial Behavioral Change (November 19, 2009).

FINRA Investor Education Foundation provides support for innovative research and educational projects aimed at segments of the investing public. Through grants, researchers explore investor behavior and develop practical ways to avoid costly mistakes and ensure that reliable financial and investor education is available to all who need it. It also sponsors SaveAndInvest.org, a free service that provides financial education tools for military families and older investors (aged 55 years or older) as well as additional investor resources.

The Institute for Financial Literacy is a nonprofit organization that assists its clients directly with programs in financial counseling, financial education, and bankruptcy-related services.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis offers “It’s Your Paycheck,” a curriculum designed for use in high school personal finance classes. This curriculum is made up of three sections—"Know Your Dough," "KaChing!" and "All About Credit." The lessons in each section employ teaching strategies to engage students so that they can apply the concepts being taught.

The Maryland Council on Economic Education provides individualized assistance to develop a curriculum that includes economic and financial instruction and to develop assessments to measure learning. It also offers free teacher workshops and courses to prepare instructors to teach the content lesson plans and other classroom materials. The curriculum includes programs and seminars are available for adults and community groups. Other programs include the Maryland-DC Stock Market Game™, a poster contest for students in grades 1 through 8 and the Maryland Economics Challenge competition for high school students.

Money Savvy Generation develops innovative products to help parents, educators, and others teach the skills of basic personal finance. Currently, this program is taught in school districts in 27 states and the District of Columbia.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City has developed a new role play, “Payment Parliament,” an interactive way for students to enhance their reading skills while learning about key financial concepts. This program is targeted toward students in grades 5 through 8 and covers different payment methods available to consumers.

The National Credit Union Foundation’s “Right at Home: Financial Answers for Home Ownership,” informs people on how to keep their home in tough economic times. Free and objective information, tips, and resources are provided for those who are falling behind in their mortgage payments but want to work out a plan to stay in their home or to move without foreclosure. Information focuses on finding a mortgage loan that fits your budget, protecting your credit rating, avoiding fraud, and creating a budget to manage your money.

Saving Our Futures: A Financial Responsibility Program for Young People is an online curriculum that teaches young people in middle school and high school financial responsibility and methods for advocating for smarter money management in their homes, communities, and from elected officials. The curriculum is a program of the America’s Promise Alliance.

Smart Borrower provides to people the information they need to make smart decisions about borrowing money for a home, car, college education, or other high-cost items or services. LendingTree created this online resource to make personal finance information easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to act on.

The Stock Market Game is a program of the SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education received results from a rigorous evaluation study conducted by Learning Point Associates with a grant from the FINRA Foundation that show students who play The Stock Market Game outperform their peers in mathematics and financial literacy. According to the independent evaluation team, the gains are substantial at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. In addition, teachers reported that the program influenced their own financial practices.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City has developed a new role play, “There’s No Business Like Bank Business,” an interactive way for students to enhance their reading skills while learning about key financial concepts. This program targets students in grades 3 through 5 and introduces the workings of a bank and the benefits of saving money in one.

What to Do if You’ve Lost Your Job is presented by AARP. It provides people with a checklist of suggestions on immediate steps to take together with longer term ideas for dealing with this new situation.

Wi$eUp is a financial education program designed for Generation X and Y Women. It was developed by the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau in support of the Department of Labor's Strengthening the Family Initiative.

The Women’s Institute for Financial Education (WIFE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing financial education to women in their quest for financial independence. WIFE offers reviews of personal finance books and features articles on personal finance topics, online video clips, and archived WIFE e-newsletters—all designed to improve the financial expertise of women.

HSBC Bank developed Your Money Counts.com, a comprehensive online learning resource that helps people understand finances and make informed financial choices. This online guide to financial and credit education provides people with interactive calculators, information on current money issues, in-depth information on specific money topics, financial education booklets, and quizzes to test their financial knowledge.
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Tuesday, September 8, 2009

PBS to Air 2 TV Specials on Financial Literacy - TOMORROW (Wednesday, September 9, 2009)

Per Laura Levine, Executive Director of the National Jump$tart Coalition for Financial Literacy in Washington, DC:

Just a reminder that tomorrow evening (Wednesday, September 9, 2009), most PBS stations will air two new special TV segments that address timely Financial Literacy issues:
  1. Sesame Workshop will present "Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times," a program designed to help families with young children communicate during time of economic insecurity. The program is hosted by Al Roker, Deborah Roberts, and Elmo; featuring Jump$tart friend Jean Chatzky. Scheduled to air on PBS at 8 PM Eastern (check your local listings). Click here for more information and to be linked to their website.

  2. "Your Life, Your Money" produced by Jump$tart national partner, WNED Buffalo/Toronto, and hosted by Donald Faison, star of "Scrubs." Your Life, Your Money is aimed at young adults who want to get their financial lives on track. It features a number of financial experts, including Jump$tart friends Michelle Singletary and Beth Kobliner. Scheduled to air on PBS at 9 PM Eastern (check your local listings). Click here for more information and to be linked to their website.
Each of these websites will offer ongoing financial education resources. Be sure to tune in to watch live or set your DVR to record it!
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Friday, July 3, 2009

Chris Gardner Documentary Clip



Chris Gardner is a self-made multi-millionaire, entrepreneur, author, motivational speaker and philanthropist, who was portrayed by Actor Will Smith in the 2006 Hit Movie, The Pursuit of Happyness. This is brief clip of our interview with Chris which will be featured in our forthcoming documentary movie, Secrets of Money: The Financial Illiteracy Epidemic in America Exposed. Be sure to watch the whole clip -- the last part is the best!
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Financial Literacy Resources from The OCC

I just received this periodic update email from The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and thought it contained a lot of valuable financial literacy resources which I wanted to share:

July 14, 2009 (St. Louis, Mo.)
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis offers “Lessons in Children Literature,” a professional development workshop for 1st-5th grade educators. The course covers curriculum ideas designed to help students gain personal finance and economic knowledge while they read.
July 16, 2009 (St. Louis, Mo.)
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis offers “Personal Finance: Your Students’ First Steps,” a professional development workshop for 9th-12th grade educators. The course covers two new curricula designed to help students meet their first personal finance challenges. It's Your Paycheck! introduces students to wages and taxes while also preparing them for the tempting world of credit cards, payday loans, rent-to-own contracts and check cashing schemes. Cards, Cars and Currency focuses on that first important purchase—a car—and also helps students learn more about the costs and benefits of using credit cards for smaller purchases that can add up to big problems.
July 20-24, 2009 (Boston, Mass.)
Junior Achievement Worldwide holds its Worldwide Leadership Conference with the theme,“ Connecting to Build a Better World.”
July 20-24, 2009 (Philadelphia, Pa.)
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia offers “Making Sense of Money and Banking,” a five-day course for teachers that covers money, banking, and the Federal Reserve System. The course is taught by Federal Reserve economists, economic education specialists, and staff from state centers on economic education. Emphasis is placed on active- and collaborative-learning teaching methods and curricula for teaching money and banking in the grades K-12.
July 22, 2009 (Canyon, Texas)
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Texas Council on Economic Education, West Texas Center for Economic Education, College of Business, and West Texas A&M University offer a one-day teacher workshop for secondary educators called “Get Your Kicks on Route 66.” The workshop examines the West Texas economy and how it relates to what is going on nationally as well as globally. Also addressed are the major economic drivers that make this region work, especially as they relate to the natural resources of wind, water, and energy.
August 3-6, 2009 (Tempe, Ariz.)
The 2009 National Youth Involvement Board Annual Conference provides insight and resources that can be used to understand young consumers and teach them good money management skills.
August 4, 2009 (Philadelphia, Pa.)
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia offers a one-day professional development program that introduces middle school teachers to methods for teaching personal finance topics, such as personal decision making, saving, investing, budgeting, and the wise use of credit.
August 19, 2009 (Dallas, Texas)
The Texas Department of Banking provides hands-on training on three financial education curricula: the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’s “Building Wealth,” the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) “Money Smart Program,” and JA Worldwide’s “Junior Achievement.”
August 31-September 1, 2009 (San Antonio, Texas)
The National Community Tax Coalition, a project of the Center for Economic Progress, holds its 2009 Annual Conference. Themed “Realizing the Dream: Promoting Financial Opportunity in All Communities,” the two-day conference provides opportunities for training, learning, networking, and shaping the direction of community-based tax preparation, financial services, leadership development, and advocacy.
September 11, 2009 (Chicago, Ill.)
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago holds this conference to bring people together with researchers and representatives of partner organizations to discuss strategies for designing successful programs and partnerships in financial literacy and financial education. The conference provides research that evaluates the effectiveness of financial education and counseling and opportunities for participants to learn from partners about what works and what could be improved.
September 14, 2009 (Washington, D.C.)
The National Foundation for Credit Counseling holds its 2009 Annual Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. The national agenda focuses on financially responsible behavior and helping the foundation’s members deliver quality financial education and counseling services.

October 7-10, 2009 (Washington, D.C.)
The Council for Economic Education, National Association of Economic Educators, and Global Association of Teachers of Economics holds its 2009 annual conference. The conference focuses on grades K-12 economic, personal finance, and entrepreneurship education.

October 21-23, 2009 (Philadelphia, Pa.)
The Institute for Financial Literacy hosts the 2009 Annual Conference on Financial Education. The conference provides professional development opportunities for people working in the fields of financial literacy and education.
November 4, 2009 (Lubbock, Texas)
The Texas Department of Banking provides hands-on training on three financial education curricula: the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’s “Building Wealth,” the FDIC’s “Money Smart Program,” and JA Worldwide’s “Junior Achievement.”
November 6-8, 2009 (Washington, D.C.)
The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy presents the first nationwide conference devoted entirely to personal finance education in grades K-12.

The Bank On Cities Campaign is a technical assistance project that helps municipal officials build a comprehensive asset-building agenda for residents. Project participants learn how to access financial services, accumulate and protect savings or other financial assets, and avoid unmanageable debt and bad credit, which are the keys to both family financial stability and the broader economic vitality of their cities.

Mayor Bloomberg’s Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan has provided New Yorkers with access to free financial counseling at the city’s Financial Empowerment Centers in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens in addition to the Bronx. Services are provided by professional counselors in person or by phone in English and Spanish. Opening additional Financial Empowerment Centers is one of Mayor Bloomberg’s 18 initiatives to help New Yorkers face current economic challenges.


Money Smart Week Wisconsin October 10 – 17, 2009, is a public awareness initiative that aims to build financial knowledge so people can deal with their own money more quickly, confidently, and shrewdly. The workshops, seminars, programs, events, and other activities help people and their families, students, homeowners, businesspersons, employees, and other community members expand their opportunities through improved financial literacy.

The National Academy of Public Administration has launched a student-focused, public awareness campaign designed to demonstrate the importance of financial responsibility and to inspire students to make their voices heard in the ongoing fiscal policy debate. “Budgetball” is an innovative new sport that combines fiscal strategy and physical play. The game takes students out of the classroom and on to the field for competitive play that highlights the relationships among debt, savings, interest, and taxes.

The North American Securities Administrators Association provides information and tools on financial services and investments, including tips for avoiding investment fraud and where to go for help.

Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants has a variety of financial literacy programs targeting high school and college students. Its “High School Liaison Program” provides each high school in Tennessee with a volunteer certified public accountant to speak to students about career options or personal finance. The organization also offers a personal finance session to high school juniors and seniors who attend its summer Accounting Academy, a four-day program designed to expose students to career opportunities in the accounting profession.

The National Endowment for Financial Education has launched a National Financial Literacy Campaign that encourages Americans to start achieving their financial goals by accessing practical information on the Smart About Money Web site.

"United We Serve" is a nationwide service initiative, announced by President Obama, that will help meet growing social needs resulting from the economic downturn. The initiative aims to both expand the impact of existing organizations by engaging new volunteers in their work and encourage volunteers to develop their own "do-it-yourself" projects. United We Serve is an initial 81 days of service, through September 11, 2009, but hopes to grow into a sustained, collaborative and focused effort to promote service as a way of life for all Americans.

The Virginia CASH Campaign (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope) helps low- and moderate-income workers move toward greater self-sufficiency (a) by receiving the federal Earned Income Tax Credit that can supplement earnings and (b) through financial literacy and other asset-building activities. The campaign promotes the Earned Income Tax Credit program through education, outreach, and awareness; provides free tax preparation to avoid the high cost of professional preparers and to avoid refund anticipation loans; and promotes financial opportunities to the unbanked.

The Association of Credit and Collection Professionals International’s Education Foundation provides a free and confidential resource for helping consumers find solutions to credit and debt issues.
MetLife released a new publication, The Benefits Edge: Honing the Competitive Value of Employee Benefits, written by industry expert Dr. Ron Leopold. Grounded in MetLife research, The Benefits Edge contains pragmatic principles and ideas designed to help employers make more strategic investments in employee benefits with an eye toward optimizing return on benefits investment and delivering greater competitive advantages.
The Cooperative Extension System’s Financial Security for All Community of Practice hosts a series of informational chat sessions through the University of the District of Columbia. Visitors to the site can ask questions and get answers from extension personal finance experts. Also available on the site is a locator for local extension offices and institutions.

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling has launched Debt Advice, an interactive Web site that gives consumers access to numerous financial education tools and helps them find a certified credit counselor closest to them.

The Federal Reserve has created a Credit Card Repayment Calculator. Based on the information the user provides, the calculator will give an estimate of how long it will take to pay off the credit card balance. A second calculation helps the user develop a plan for paying off the balance sooner.

The FDIC has released the Money Smart Podcast Network, the portable audio (MP3) version of the award-winning Money Smart financial education. The new version of Money Smart is suitable for use with all MP3 players, enabling consumers of all ages to learn to make informed and prudent financial decisions while “on the go.”

The FDIC has issued a variety of tips to help consumers stay on guard financially in the current economy, in areas ranging from foreclosure rescue and loan modification scams to deceptive offers of FDIC-insured certificates of deposit. The FDIC published these tips in the spring 2009 issue of FDIC Consumer News, the agency’s quarterly newsletter for consumers, which is available on the Web site.

In its winter 2008/2009 issue of FDIC Consumer News, the FDIC issued tips to help consumers spend less, save more, protect against fraud, and borrow wisely at any time but especially during a difficult economy.

The Financial Literacy of Young American Adults, an analysis of the Jump$tart Coalition’s 2008 biennial survey, is available in PDF on the Jump$tart Web site. The survey, which launched in 1997 and has been conducted every other year since 2000, focuses on high school seniors but included college students for the first time in 2008. The results of these surveys (and comparisons with earlier surveys) are included in the book. Also available on this site is Making the Case for Financial Literacy, 2009, a collection of personal finance statistics that Jump$tart compiled from other sources.
Financial Literacy Online is a product of National Student Loan Program, a nonprofit student loan guaranty agency dedicated to financial literacy, based on the belief that education helps all consumers manage debt and other financial matters. Financial Literacy Online is a comprehensive and convenient online learning center that teaches students the basics of personal money management. Courses are for students planning for college, enrolled in college, planning to graduate from college, or recently graduated from college. Anyone interested in money management—including parents—may take the courses.
Investor Education Fund, in partnership with the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, sponsors “Funny Money for High Schools Assembly Program,” an entertaining show that takes students on a financial literacy tour through the basics of balancing a checkbook, reconciling a debit card statement, learning credit card fundamentals and more.
Junior Achievement and the Allstate Foundation have created a new series of free, downloadable teaching tools to help parents talk to their children about smart money management. Lessons cover budgeting, the importance of saving, understanding the cost of credit and how to use it, and more.
The National Theatre for Children has developed a communications strategy that combines live theater and multiplatform educational materials to communicate complex messages to hard-to-reach audiences. Mad About Money is a four-part program that teaches children about forming savings habits, evaluating risks, and the difference between a debit card and a credit card.
My Money Management is a unique industrywide effort to provide consumers with comprehensive financial education resources to help guide their personal finance decision-making process. This Web site provides consumers with tools and resources from a variety of sources, including financial service companies, advocacy organizations, and personal finance experts. My Money Management is an initiative of the Financial Services Roundtable.
Smarty Pig is a free, online savings account for people who want to save for specific goals. The account also is FDIC-insured. A person types in the dollar amount they wish to save and the time frame in which they would like to reach their goal. The Web site technology suggests a monthly deposit amount to the account holder to reach that goal.
The U.S. Social Security Administration offers a wide variety of new and important publications and other resources and tools for the public about retirement, benefits, and support for family members in the event of disabilities or death.
Wells Fargo recently launched a free virtual world, “Stagecoach Island,” an entertaining and interactive companion site to Hands on Banking, its free financial education program. Teens can explore the island and its hidden secrets, connect with friends and make new ones, and learn smart money management. Educators can use the “Stagecoach Island” virtual world in the West Texas Center for Economic Education classroom to teach important lessons in budgeting, saving, managing credit, buying a home, and getting a job. Participants earn virtual money by visiting the Learning Lounge, and answering questions about money management. They can also obtain virtual jobs, credit cards, and home loans giving players the opportunity to learn, earn, build and, play in a virtual world.
The American Bankers Association has launched “Teach Children To Save,” a Web site designed to make classroom lessons for children available to everyone. The site offers tips for young people and their parents on how to establish a budget, start a savings account, and make regular deposits.
The National Endowment for Financial Education has developed a new Web site dedicated to help people optimize their retirement paycheck by making wise decisions.


­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­HelpWithMyBank.gov - The OCC’s Web site that provides answers to more than 300 commonly asked banking questions. While targeted at national bank customers, the site answers many questions common to all banking consumers and provides useful information about contacting regulators of state banks, thrifts, and other financial institutions. A link from HOPE NOW to HelpWithMyBank.gov has been established.


MyMoney.gov - The U.S. government's Web site dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics of financial education. The site houses important information from 20 federal agencies on such topics as buying a home, foreclosure prevention, deposit insurance, privacy, fraud, scams, balancing a checkbook, and investing in a 401(k).


Have a financial literacy event coming up worth noting? Rolling out a new financial literacy initiative? Developing a new tool or product? Have general feedback? E-mail us at communityaffairs@occ.treas.gov.
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