By Dan Kadlec, author and journalist.

I’d like to think the cavalry is coming. But it isn’t—not quickly enough, anyway. For all the lip service to financial education and well-intentioned research surrounding what works best when it comes to teaching young people about money, much too little instruction is actually taking place. In plain view, the next generation is growing up as financially inept as the last.

Financial illiteracy brought us the Great Recession. Individuals had taken on crushing credit card debt, renounced the concept of an emergency fund and inked mortgages that made no sense. Sure, bankers were complicit. But that’s all the more reason to get serious about raising the public’s financial I.Q. Read more…

POSTED: April 10, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: Financial Literacy, financial literacy month, National Standards for Financial Literacy, partners, personal finance, Students, Survey of the States

By Amy Rosen, President & CEO, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship; Vice-Chair, President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability.

America must make a choice to become financially literate, and we must start acting now with our youngest generation. During the past half-decade we have been unfortunate witnesses to the consequences of debt and poor financial decisions. We have seen the suffering of families on a micro level and experienced the macro pains in small towns and big cities. Let’s seize this opportunity to make a change. We can improve ourselves while offering young people the best foundation for their future and for our country. Read more…

POSTED: April 8, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: Financial Literacy, financial literacy month, partners, personal finance, President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability, Students

By Jeffrey M. Lacker, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond; CEE Board Member.

What’s the first thing you think of when you read the words “financial literacy”? How to write a check? There’s sure to be a website to help you with that. In fact, if you Google it, you’ll get about 1.4 billion results. How to create a budget? You’ll find more than 2.8 billion results. In other words, there are plenty of resources to guide you through these and other financial decisions.

So it may surprise you to hear that the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond has added to these options by creating a new financial education and resource website. One of the first things that you’ll notice, however, is that our site is not about every financial decision. It’s about big ones. And it reflects our belief that financial literacy efforts should focus on key financial decisions – ones that have major and long-term impacts for individuals and their families. Read more…

POSTED: April 2, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: CEE Board, Federal Reserve, Financial Literacy, financial literacy month, partners, personal finance

By Nan J. Morrison, President & CEO, Council for Economic Education.

As all of you know, April is no longer “the cruelest month”; it is now financial literacy month!

All of us at CEE are enthusiastic about our plans to celebrate the progress being made in financial and economic literacy and the chance to involve all of you.

First and foremost, we are launching our new National Standards for Financial Literacy, providing a toolkit for educators in creating a solid curriculum for all of our students. By giving financial and economic education equal status with other subjects (math, science, languages), we will increase both state and national will and resources to this mission.

In addition, throughout the month of April, we will share the perspectives here of some of our nation’s most important financial, corporate, and political leaders on the need for and importance of financial and economic literacy. Look out for essays from great guest bloggers, such as:

Lori Berkes-Nelson, President, Econ Illinois
Lynn Fitch, Mississippi State Treasurer
Congressman Rubén Hinojosa, TX-15
JD Hoye, President, National Academy Foundation
Max Isenberg, freshman at the University of Pennsylvania and former National Economics Challenge finalist
Dan Kadlec, journalist
Jeff Lacker, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and CEE Board Member
David H. Lillard, Jr., Tennessee State Treasurer
Barbara O’Neill, Extension Specialist in Financial Resource Management, Rutgers Cooperative Extension
Brian Page, 2011 Ohio Department of Education Milken National Educator Recipient
Mike Periu, President, Proximo, Inc. and CEE Board Member
Amy Rosen, President & CEO, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship
Joan Rosenbaum, 5th grade teacher

And more!

Check out this link to see the events that we will be sponsoring for April as well.

At the end of the month, I will share my thoughts on these experiences. And I hope that you will share some of your experiences with us here.

We know that financial literacy changes the way people see the world and their roles in it. Together, we can make a difference.

Nan J. Morrison
President & CEO
Council for Economic Education

POSTED: April 1, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: CEO, Councils & Centers, Financial Literacy, partners, personal finance, Students, teachers

April is Financial Literacy Month (FLM), and as we prepare to lead the industry in outreach, advocacy and awareness, we invite you to join us in New York City and Washington, D.C. for our special events. Read more…

POSTED: March 21, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: Capitol Hill, CEO, Councils & Centers, events, Financial Literacy, Government, NYSE, Panel Discussion, partners, personal finance

By Katie Bryan, America Saves Communications Manager.
The theme for America Saves Week 2013 is more than just a theme; it’s is the essence of a sound approach to savings, designed to help individuals take financial action. Set a Goal. Make a Plan. Save Automatically. Knowing what you want to save for, how to achieve it, and then making the savings process automatic will allow you to reach your savings goal.

Set a Goal

You can save more by having a goal in mind. Visualizing what you want to save for gives your savings a purpose. You may be tempted to withdraw from your savings if it has no purpose. But once you have a goal in place, you know that taking money out of your savings is taking away from that ultimate goal. So what are you saving for? An emergency fund, a home, retirement, a car? Read more…

POSTED: February 25, 2013 | BY: Leslie Rasimas | TAGS: America Saves Week, Credit Cards, Financial Literacy, partners, personal finance, Saving