ALEXANDRIA, VA (March 26, 2014) – April is National Financial Literacy Month, and National Credit Union Administration Board Chairman Debbie Matz urged credit unions to use the month to promote greater consumer education among their members.
“Advancing financial literacy is a top priority for NCUA, and it’s a core mission for credit unions,” Matz said. “While consumer education is a year-round effort, Financial Literacy Month is a good reminder about the importance of learning how to manage money and build financial security. Credit unions should use this month to help their members become smarter consumers.”
Credit unions can partner with national and local organizations such as schools, non-profits and other consumer focused groups to offer workshops and distribute outreach materials.
NCUA has several activities planned for the month, including:
- A free webinar for credit unions, “Financial Literacy: Putting Your Mission into Action,” on April 3, beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern. Online registration is available here.
- A Twitter chat focused on financial literacy on April 23 from 11 a.m. until noon, Eastern, hosted by Kenneth Worthey, Financial Literacy and Outreach Analyst with NCUA’s Office of Consumer Protection. Credit unions and consumers are encouraged to follow the conversation and contribute using the #NCUAChat hashtag on Twitter. Participants can submit questions ahead of time to socialmedia@ncua.gov.
- A new video documenting the history of America’s credit unions and NCUA, which will be available on the agency’s YouTube channel April 1.
- Participation in the Financial Literacy Day event on Capitol Hill on April 10 to educate lawmakers, congressional staffers and the public about federally insured credit unions and the role of NCUA. The event is convened by the Jump$tart Coalition, Junior Achievement USA and the Council for Economic Education.
Beginning in April, consumers can also visit NCUA’s updated pages on MyCreditUnion.gov and the agency’s financial literacy site, Pocket Cents, to get more information about saving, borrowing and managing credit.
Additionally, NCUA’s consumer Twitter feed, @MyCUgov, provides personal finance tips covering a wide range of topics year round. During April, @MyCUgov will focus on financial literacy issues like saving, budgeting and borrowing.
NCUA is the independent federal agency created by the U.S. Congress to regulate, charter and supervise federal credit unions. With the backing of the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, NCUA operates and manages the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, insuring the deposits of more than 96 million account holders in all federal credit unions and the overwhelming majority of state-chartered credit unions. At MyCreditUnion.gov and Pocket Cents, NCUA also educates the public on consumer protection and financial literacy issues.