March/April 2021
Financial Literacy Update: March/April 2021
Share This Page:
This publication is a part of:
Collection: Financial Literacy Updates
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)'s Financial Literacy Update is a bimonthly e-newsletter that reports upcoming events, new initiatives, and related resources of the OCC and other government agencies and organizations. The Financial Literacy Update provides brief descriptions for upcoming events in chronological order. New initiatives and resources are listed in alphabetical order. Visit www.occ.gov/flu for more information. We welcome your feedback.
COVID-19
America Saves COVID-19 Resources
American Bankers Association
Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Protecting Your Finances
- Financial Education Resources for Older Adults, Their Families, and Practitioners
- Mortgage and Housing Assistance
- Navigating an Early and Unexpected Retirement
Federal Communications Commission
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Trade Commission
Financial Health Network
Foundation for Financial Planning
George Washington University Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center
Internal Revenue Service
Military Saves COVID-19 Resources
National Community Reinvestment Coalition
National Credit Union Administration
National Disability Institute
National Foundation for Credit Counseling
National Housing Conference
Next Gen Personal Finance
OCC’s HelpWithMyBank
Operation HOPE
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
U.S. Department of Defense
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. General Services Administration
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Events
COVID-19 and Your Finances
April 8, 2021 (Online)
The Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education offers this webinar that gives action steps for improving personal finances.
Money Smart Week
April 10−17, 2021 (Nationwide)
Money Smart Week is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. Hundreds of organizations across the country—including businesses, financial institutions, schools, libraries, nonprofit groups, government agencies, and the media—come together to stress the importance of financial literacy.
Building Native Communities: Financial Skills for Families
April 12−16 (Online)
Oweesta Corporation offers this train-the-trainer training and certification program to help Native community development financial institutions, tribes, and other Native organizations establish and sustain financial education programs in their communities.
Native CDFI Practitioner Certification
March 1−5, 2021 (Online)
Oweesta Corporation offers this training to increase understanding of the foundational components and different aspects of operating a Native community development financial institution. The training is designed to help attendees attain the Native community development financial institution practitioner certification. The training is free to Native Americans and those working in Indian country.
Don’t Say That! Navigating the Fine Line Between Investment Education and Advice
March 11, 2021 (Online)
The Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education’s webinar series discusses common investment questions. The series also addresses how to counsel professionals to protect themselves when educating clients about investing.
Educator Professional Development Webinar Series
March–May 2021 (Online)
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City sponsors this series of webinars for K-16 educators.
Personal Finance Seminar for Professionals
May 13, 2021 (Online)
The University of Maryland Extension presents the Personal Finance Seminar for Professionals. Participants learn about today’s most critical financial issues and how to turn information into consumer knowledge and action.
Virtual Professional Development for Personal Finance Teachers
March 2021 (Online)
Next Gen Personal Finance offers interactive, collaborative professional development training, including personal finance content, strategies, and resources for the classroom.
Initiatives
2020 U.S. National Strategy for Financial Literacy
The U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission’s report details the federal government’s financial literacy priorities and underscores the commission’s plan to collaborate with state, local, and tribal governments and the private sector to strengthen financial capability for all Americans.
2021–2022 Bank On Account Standards
The Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund has released its Bank On 2021–2022 account standards. The standards outline the characteristics of safe and affordable banking accounts.
Bankers Needed: Promote Socially Distanced Personal Finance with the 2021 Lights, Camera, Save! Video Contest
The American Bankers Association (ABA) Foundation is sponsoring its annual video contest for banks to encourage teenagers to educate themselves and their peers about the value of saving and using money wisely. Banks host local competitions and select winners to compete in a national competition for up to $5,000 toward their savings goals.
Free Virtual Financial Counseling and Coaching
The Association of Financial Counseling and Planning, in partnership with the Yellow Ribbon Network, is offering free financial coaching and counseling.
LifeSmarts Online Consumer Challenge
The National Consumers League hosts LifeSmarts, an online competition open to all students in grades 6–12. In September 2020, LifeSmarts celebrated 27 years of empowering teens to become smart, savvy consumers. Each month, LifeSmarts focuses on a different category important to teen consumers: personal finance, health and safety, consumer rights, technology, and the environment. Students compete online and in person throughout the year to win scholarships and prizes. Experts in LifeSmarts subject areas are needed to serve as judges and officials at the state and national competitions.
National Personal Finance Challenge
The Council for Economic Education sponsors this nationwide competition, which provides high school students with opportunities to build and demonstrate their knowledge of money management.
Pro Bono Financial Planning Grants
The Foundation for Financial Planning is offering grants to nonprofit organizations whose programs link pro bono financial planners to people in need. Programs should include one-on-one engagements between Certified Financial Planner professionals and pro bono clients and comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines. Grants are generally in the range of $5,000 to $40,000. The foundation also helps bring free financial advice and planning to people in need by matching certified financial planner professionals with volunteer opportunities nationwide.
Project REACh
The OCC has launched Project REACh (Roundtable for Economic Access and Change) to bring together leaders from the banking industry, national civil rights organizations, business, and technology to promote financial inclusion through greater access to credit and capital. The initiative seeks to reduce specific barriers that prevent full, equal, and fair participation in the nation’s economy.
Spring Break Financial Education Classes
The Game Theory Academy is offering “spring break” financial education classes on Zoom. The classes are open to youth across the United State and are geared toward low-income teens ages 16-19. Students can earn a stipend for completing the class.
Resources
Building Blocks of Youth Financial Capability
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offers activities to teach youth financial literacy skills that are designed for use in a single class period for grade levels K-12 and can be integrated into a variety of subject areas.
Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund Bank Account Resource
The Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund has created this guide for opening an affordable bank account to receive COVID relief payments. The accounts meet BankOn consumer protections.
Consumer.gov
This Federal Trade Commission website provides resources about credit, debt, identity theft, and avoiding scams, as well as budgeting, opening a bank account, shopping for prepaid cards, and managing money in general. The website is available in Spanish at www.consumidor.gov/.
Earned Income Tax Credit Central
This Internal Revenue Service website is for the agency’s partners, employers, government agencies and offices, and tax preparers as a resource for helping tax filers use the earned income tax credit.
FDIC Deposit Insurance Education Materials
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has made significant improvements to its deposit insurance education materials. The changes are designed to allow the public to quickly access basic information while still offering the traditional in-depth and comprehensive deposit insurance information.
Financial Aid Toolkit
The U.S. Department of Education provides tools and resources to help parents and students learn about financial aid.
IdentityTheft.gov
This Federal Trade Commission website helps people report and recover from identity theft. It is available in Spanish at Robodeidentidad.gov.
Investor.gov
Investor.gov is the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s resource to help investors make informed decisions and avoid fraud. The website includes information on investing and investment products, a glossary of investment terms, alerts and bulletins on frauds and current investment topics, publications, and free financial tools and calculators. Investor.gov also offers a free and simple tool to check the background of an investment professional.
MoneySkill
The American Financial Services Association Education Foundation offers this free, online personal finance curriculum. The curriculum has 37 modules focused on a variety of topics, including income, saving and investing, credit, and insurance. The curriculum is available in English and Spanish and is audio-equipped for English users.
MyCreditUnion.gov
The National Credit Union Administration’s official consumer protection website, MyCreditUnion.gov, offers educational information, resources, and articles designed to help individuals make smarter financial decisions and better choices with their money.
MyMoney.gov
This U.S. Department of the Treasury website provides financial education information and resources from across the federal government. The website highlights MyMoney Five (which provides links to resources and tools related to five principles for managing money), a research clearinghouse, games for youth focused on money, and a section on financial choices for major life events.
OCC Financial Literacy Resource Directory
The resource directory provides information on financial literacy resources, issues, and events of importance to bankers, organizations, and consumers of all ages. The resource directory includes descriptions of, and contact information for, government programs on financial literacy education and capability. It also includes organizations whose missions are to support financial literacy through campaigns, fact sheets, newsletters, conference materials, publications, and websites.
ReportFraud.ftc.gov
The Federal Trade Commission’s website is designed to make it easier for people to report fraud, scams, and bad business practices.
What You Should Know About Tech Support Scams
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains how to spot, avoid, and report tech support scams.