By BILL SPANIEL
California Society Of CPAs
April is National Financial Literacy Month, an annual effort to highlight the importance of financial education and help Americans develop healthy personal finance skills.
Organizations and institutions across the country come together this month to help communities bolster their efforts by working as one to showcase the many available resources.
The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and the state CPA societies, including the California Society of CPAs (CalCPA.org) have supported and participated in National Financial Literacy Month since its inception more than 11 years ago, and maintain efforts year-round.
The AICPA’s 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy program is a national volunteer effort of CPAs to help all Americans understand their personal finances through every stage in life and improve their financial capability. In conjunction with the efforts of the independent state CPA societies, the program combines grassroots financial literacy efforts with free resources for the public and tools for CPAs to help educate Americans of all ages on financial topics.
The 360finlit.org website is the centerpiece of the 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy program, where consumers of all ages can find free resources to help them make sound financial decisions.
Feed the Pig is the AICPA’s national public service campaign developed in partnership with the Ad Council to encourage Americans ages 25 to 34 to take control of their personal finances and make savings a part of their daily lives. Free, interactive tools and resources are available at FeedthePig.org.
Feed the Pig for Tweens is a fun, math-based financial literacy curriculum for students and teachers in grades 4, 5, and 6. Located at tweens.feedthepig.org/tweens, the full program is available to download for free.
Ready. Set. Goal! A 4-Week Financial Fitness Challenge. One of the main reasons why most people don’t achieve their goals is lack of proper planning. This four-week challenge helps consumers jumpstart their financial understanding.
YOU Save is an interactive tool that provides a starting point financial plan based on selected goals. It shows how planning ahead can turn dollars into something you can drive, live or retire in down the road.
Creative partnerships with organizations like Refinery29, Upworthy and Dreamworks to provide ongoing resources and financial literacy awareness to audiences, regardless of where they browse.
In the past year, the AICPA’s award-winning efforts have generated more than 49 million social media impressions and more than 6.6 million website visits.
Learn more about the CPA profession’s efforts and find out what’s happening in California by visiting http://www.calcpa.org/public-resources/financial-literacy or the CalCPA Institute Facebook page.
The Money Management columns are a joint effort of the AICPA and the California Society of CPAs as part of the profession’s nationwide 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy program.