First convened in December, 1995, the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy determined that the average student who graduates from high school lacks basic skills in the management of personal financial affairs. Many are unable to balance a checkbook and most simply have no insight into the basic survival principles involved with earning, spending, saving and investing. Many young people fail in the management of their first consumer credit experience, establish bad financial management habits, and stumble through their lives learning by trial and error. The Coalition´s direct objective is to encourage curriculum enrichment to ensure that basic personal financial management skills are attained during the K-12 educational experience. The wheels of education do not need to be reinvented, they simply require balance. It's time to mark your calendars and plan on attending the Jump$tart Coalition Annual Awards & Fundraising Dinner here in Washington, DC. In these chaotic financial times, it is more important than ever that our nation's students have the basics of personal finance. Please remember that as you consider your and your organization's pledge and sponsor a table or buy an individual seat for this very special gala. Come and enjoy the fine dining and network with others from across the country. Each contribution helps the coalition continue its important work! To make your pledge, reserve your place, and see the benefit levels, please click here. President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy 2008 Annual Report to the President "On January 22, 2008, President George W. Bush signed an executive order creating, for the first time, a President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy. The charge was simple, yet daunting: improve financial literacy among all Americans. After an exciting year of work toward this goal, I believe we have made tremendous progress at laying the groundwork for a comprehensive effort to achieve this goal. I am pleased, on behalf of the Council, to present the first annual report to the President, which details the progress we made this year and outlines a series of recommendations for future initiatives that will help the country achieve the level of financial literacy that is imperative in today's global economy…"   Charles R. Schwab Chairman, President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy Founder, Chairman and CEO, the Charles Schwab Corporation Please click here to view the full report. The U.S. Department of the Treasury, at the recommendation of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, has just completed the National Financial Literacy Challenge for Fall of 2008. The Challenge is a voluntary 35-question test that high school students can take to earn recognition for their financial knowledge. To view the Treasury Department's recent press release about the Challenge, please click here. Teachers: If you participated in the Spring and/or Fall 2008 Challenge, you will automatically be notified when the next teacher registration begins. If you are a high school teacher who did not participate in the Spring or Fall 2008 Challenge and would like to be placed on the teacher distribution list, please click here. State Jump$tart Coalitions and Partners Promote Financial Literacy across the Country!

Jump$tart Presents Federal Legislators and Odom Awards

Jump$tart's aim is to identify high-quality personal finance materials for educational use. The Clearinghouse is a database of personal finance resources available from a variety of education providers such as government, business and non-profit organizations. Once you find a material of interest, you can order it directly from the source. Many of the materials are low cost or free of charge. Teachers often use these personal finance teaching materials to support their state's standards in economics, business, math and family and consumer science.

2008 Jump$tart Coalition Annual Awards Dinner -->

Jump$tart Coalition - 2009 Meeting/Events Schedule First Quarter National Board Meeting Board Dinner, Wednesday January 28 Board Meeting, Thursday, January 29 SIFMA Washington, DC Office. National Board Members only, please. Jump$tart Special Event Fundraising Dinner Reception 6:30 p.m., dinner 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 1 Renaissance Washington DC, Hotel Second Quarter Board, Partner, State Leader and Committee Meetings State Leader and Committee Meetings, Wednesday, April 1 Partners Meeting, Board Meeting, and Workshop, Thursday, April 2 Renaissance Washington DC, Hotel Financial Literacy Day on Capitol Hill The date of this event has been tentatively set for April 28 in a House Office Building. The date and precise location are subject to the calendar of the U.S. House of Representatives. Jump$tart will send/post additional information as it becomes available. Third Quarter Board Meeting Board Dinner, Wednesday, July 22 Board Meeting, Thursday, July 23 Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC. National Board Members only, please. Fourth Quarter Board, Partner, and Committee Meetings Committee Meetings; Networking Reception, Thursday, October 22 Partners Meeting, Board Meeting, and Workshop, Friday, October 23 National Education Association, Washington, DC All meetings will be held in the Washington, DC area. Precise locations will be announced prior to each meeting. Partners with meeting space in the greater Washington, DC area are invited/encouraged to donate their meeting space and be recognized for their in-kind contribution.

 

Hands on Banking® El futuro en tus manos® Money skills you need for life   Wells Fargo & Company provides free, innovative, interactive financial education through its program Hands on Banking www.handsonbanking.org and the Spanish version El futuro en tus manos www.elfuturoentusmanos.org. These entertaining programs and lessons teach students and adults the basics of good money management. The curriculum is engaging and fun for school-age students and meets or exceeds national and state education standards for economics, financial literacy, mathematics and English language arts. Teachers find it easy to integrate the age-specific lessons into their classrooms to help students address real-life financial situations. Hands on Banking covers topics including budgeting, the importance of saving, bank accounts and services, establishing and maintaining good credit, planning for college, buying a car, basic investing, and more. Available free on the Internet, CD-ROM, and printed curriculum Contains no product promotion or commercial content Colorful, interactive instruction in English and Spanish for four age groups, from 4th grade through adult Animated, narrated, and closed-captioned Special online features including calculators, ATM simulator, online banking tour, dictionary of financial terms, library of reference articles, and helpful Web links Ideal for self-study or classroom use Teacher's Guides include worksheets, teaching tips, classroom activities, assessments, and more Hands on Banking was developed in partnership with teachers and students from across the U.S. Since its introduction in January 2004, the Hands on Banking Web site has had 6,000 unique visitors per month viewing an average of 90 pages per visit. Wells Fargo has distributed more than 500,000 free CD-ROMs and 10,000 free Teacher's Guides to individuals, schools, and not-for-profits. "The Hands on Banking program has been a great success," said Dick Roberts, field coordinator, Beyond the Bell Branch of the Los Angeles Unified School District. "The extended day partner agencies and educators find it easy to deliver after school, and students say it makes a valuable subject exciting and fun to learn. From a curriculum standpoint, it meets the rigorous California State educational standards and the Governor's initiative for Beyond the Bell programs." "Wells Fargo's commitment to education with no commercial agenda is making it possible for us to strengthen the financial skills and knowledge of a significant portion of our district," continued Roberts.   Kids - 4th and 5th grade A cartoon space alien named Zing takes kids on an exciting exploration of money and money management on planet Earth.   Teens - 6th to 8th grade Angie, an outgoing, money-savvy teenager, shares what she's learned about managing money to her best advantage. Teens learn the basics of budgeting, savings and checking accounts, responsible borrowing, and more.   Young Adults - Ages 15-21 From the set of Studio Z, four young, energetic reporters explore real-life questions about money management. Young adults gain concepts and skills to achieve financial self-sufficiency and independence. Topics include goal setting, budgeting, living within your means, saving and paying for college, buying a car, renting an apartment, responsible use of credit, and more.   Adults A friendly, knowledgeable team of six banking professionals present the concepts and skills of money management. Adults learn banking and credit essentials as well as how to buy a home, start and manage a small business, invest for the future, and plan for retirement.   For further information, please contact: Pamela Erwin Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo Foundation Wells Fargo & Co. HOBinfo@wellsfargo.com   REALITY CHECK HAS MOVED! Here is the new URL: http://www.jumpstart.org/realitycheck The Jump$tart Coalition 2009 12 Principle Calendars are now available! The Jump$tart Coalition® has developed twelve personal finance principles for young people to connect to their financial futures. This year, these practical, everyday ideas are sponsored by Capital One®. If followed, these principles can help students stay connected to their financial lives-start today! If you would like to order a hard copy of the calendars, please click here. If you would like to download a PDF version of the calendar, please click here. Please click HERE if you would like to see lessons plans developed around the 12 Principles. Support for the survey provided by the Merrill Lynch Foundation. Financial Literacy: Improving Education The positive turnaround in financial literacy scores that was first noted in the 2004 survey, continued-albeit slowly-in 2007. Beginning with an average score of 57.3 percent in 1997, scores fell to 51.9 percent in 2000 and 50.2 percent in 2002 before staging a rebound to 52.3 percent in 2004. In 2007, the mean score increased by a tenth of a percent to 52.4 percent. The increase is certainly not overwhelming but somewhat reassuring given that the gains of two years ago appear to be holding. On a more positive note, the proportion failing this exam (a score below 60 percent), decreased from 65.5 percent in 2004 to 62 percent in 2007. In his preface to the 2007 edition, Senator Michael B. Enzi (R-WY) added: A life of financial success and security begins with a strong education. Every generation of Americans is introduced to the realities of spending, saving and finance at a younger age than the last. Yet for many years, our nation's financial literacy has not kept pace. Many young people today take jobs with salaries far beyond what their parents earned. They also begin to live a lifestyle they believe fits that income, including cars, boats and luxury vacations. Many realize too late that what their parents have is the result of accumulation over years of hard work. The younger generation discovers their income cannot keep up with their spending, and they fall into debt. In the worst cases, these bad financial practices can eventually lead to broken marriages, families and futures. CLICK HERE TO ORDER The Coalition produces a quarterly newsletter called the "Jump$tart Update" designed to keep educators informed about personal finance education tools and concepts, sample lesson plans, upcoming events and the activities of the Coalition and member organizations. Receive a sample copy of the newsletter by calling (202) 466-8604. Order online by clicking here. The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy 919 18th Street, N.W. Suite 300 Washington, DC 20006 Phone: (888) 45-EDUCATE Fax: (202) 223-0321 Email: info@jumpstartcoalition.org Copyright © 1997-2008 The Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy. All rights reserved.