Governor Pillen Proclaims April as Financial Awareness Month
April 14, 2023 (LINCOLN, NE) –On April 13th, Gov. Jim Pillen proclaimed the month of April as Financial Awareness Month in Nebraska. The proclamation recognizes the importance of financial awareness to Nebraskans and Nebraska as a leader in financial innovation, financial literacy education, and consumer and vulnerable adult protection.
The month-long financial awareness campaign is an initiative from the Nebraska Council on Economic Education (NCEE) and the Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance (NDBF). Working together, the chartered, licensed financial industry, NCEE & NDBF conducting a variety of educational activities in schools, workplaces, and communities this month, and throughout the year, to educate Nebraskans about the importance of setting goals, making wise financial decisions, and protecting yourself and your financial future.
“Financial awareness is more that understanding how to spend money, it is a lifelong pursuit of using information available at the time of spending, savings, investing to make informed financial decisions. A savings program may provide peace of mind for a rainy day or a dream of a well-earned vacation. A credit card may present concerning fees, or it may be a safety backup that gets you home in an emergency. Times of increasing interest rates require consideration before using optional debt, that is not quickly repaid. Regardless of the month, now is great time to visit with your existing financial professional or open a new relationship with a bank, credit union, or registered securities professional to help protect and grow your finances,” said NDBF Director Kelly Lammers. “This next month and in months to come follow the Department on Facebook and Linked in. Today’s world of as we address There have been a number of recent financial initiatives, from the Financial Innovation Act to added consumer protections for vulnerable and senior adults. It’s important to review the basics as well as learn about new products like cryptocurrencies and digital assets to improve your financial awareness.”
“For NCEE’s almost 60-year history, we have focused on K-12 economic education. If we can reach kids early and install good financial habits, we can change their financial futures,” said NCEE president, Dr. Jennifer Davidson. “With WalletHub recently ranking Nebraska as the most financial literate state, we know that it is working; however, there is always more that can be done. I encourage everyone to engage with something during this April Financial Awareness Month. Financial literacy is a life-long pursuit. No matter what age and stage you’re at, we can always do something to better our financial position.”
One of NCEE’s signature programs is the Nebraska In-School Savings Program. These programs give select upper elementary students an opportunity to gain job skills working as school branch tellers. Student tellers from several Nebraska in school savings program will join in the proclamation signing celebration. All students in schools with a savings programs are given the opportunity to participate and save weekly. Students are rewarded with incentives for frequency of saving (not amounts), as the program is designed to reward and instill the habit of saving.
NDBF Director Lammers and Dr. Jennifer Davidson, President of NCEE, encourage all Nebraskans to take part in financial awareness efforts offered by NCEE, NDBF, and other organizations, including:
- The Nebraska Council on Economic Education is the premiere organization providing economic and financial education and resources to Nebraska. NCEE programming and resources can be found at https://nebraskacouncil.unl.edu and https://nceefinance.org.
- NDBF has information on financial education topics at https://ndbf.nebraska.gov/consumers/consumer-resources.
- The Office of the Nebraska Attorney General has information on how to protect yourself from identity theft and scams at https://ProtectTheGoodLife.Nebraska.gov.
- The Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office, in partnership with NCEE, has a robust and personalized financial education learning center, Enrich. https://nast.enrich.org/landing/nast-start-nebraska
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