[OPLINLIST] Celebrate National Financial Literacy Month - April 2012

[Ashlee Clark]

The following message is posted on behalf of the Ohio Jump$tart
Coalition.

________________________________

Celebrate National Financial Literacy Month - April 2012

 

Did you know that April is National Financial Literacy Month? That's
right, there's a whole month dedicated to promoting the importance of
financial literacy and teaching Americans to develop good financial
habits. 

 

In 2000, the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, a
national coalition of financial education advocates, began promoting
April as Financial Literacy for Youth Month. In March 2004, the U.S.
Senate passed Resolution 316 which officially designated April as
National Financial Literacy Month.

 

The recent recession may be behind us, but Ohioans still have few
reasons to celebrate. Here are some facts: 

1.     Ohio high school students received an average score of 67.57% on
the 2011 National Capability Challenge, an exam designed to gauge
students' knowledge of personal finance concepts. Scores declined from
an average of 70.71 percent in 2010.

2.     The Ohio Attorney General reported Ohioans lost $2 million in
2011 to sweepstakes scams.

3.     Ohio's unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in December 2011
according to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. An
alarming trend in which families are dipping into retirement savings in
order to pay bills and make ends meet continues.

4.     Student loan default rates at Ohio private-for-profit schools
continued to soar through 2010, with some default rates at trade schools
exceeding 40 percent. 

 

Personal finance education must begin at an early age and continue for a
lifetime. Sharing financial education books, articles and videos with
your library members is a great way to change lives and raise awareness
of National Financial Literacy Month. That's something we can all
celebrate.

 

Leslie Blackston-Favors

Ohio Jump$tart Coalition

7748 Chancel Drive

Columbus, OH 43235

Ph: (614) 840-0892

 

The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy is dedicated to
improving the financial literacy of our nation's pre-kindergarten
through college-age youth.  Volunteers in 49 states support the
Jump$tart mission by providing advocacy, research, standards and
educational resources. For more information on the Jump$tart Coalition
for Personal Financial Literacy and the Ohio Jump$tart Coalition visit
http://www.jumpstart.org and http://www.ohjumpstart.org.

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