April is National Financial Literacy Month
A November survey by Javelin Strategy & Research found that nearly one out of five consumers surveyed do not currently monitor or manage their personal finances, which is more than double the 8% rate recorded in 2009.
Last year President Obama declared April as National Financial Literacy Month and called on Americans to “recommit to teaching ourselves and our children about the basics of financial education.” This issue of Debt Matters is devoted to the three "S"s of financial literacy: saving, spending and sharing.
When it comes to financial literacy, few people need to be told that April is also when federal income taxes are due. What you may not know is that your Uncle Sam also provides many excellent financial tools absolutely free including courses, worksheets, calculators, games, videos and podcasts. Below is a list of some of the top sites:
National Financial Education Network of State and Local Governments
Brought to you by 22 Federal entities that work on improving financial literacy and education, this site offers informative articles organized by life events and popular topics as well as tools you can use to better understand you own finances.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
The agency tasked with safeguarding your savings also offers information on consumer protection, identity theft and financial privacy.
At this site you can find complete courses in financial literacy and podcasts as well as courses to teach money management to children.
Here you can find information about laws protecting consumers as well as sample letters and instructions for lodging a complaint with retailers and service providers.
Federal Citizens Information Center
For more than 40 years, the Federal Citizen Information Center has been a trusted one-stop source for answers to questions about consumer problems and government services. You may view and order free government publications on a variety of consumer issues.
This site offers free information and publications for adults as well as classroom materials to teach financial matters to children.
