Just did my training call for financial literacy. It was kind of dissapointing because it sounds like they have too many volunteers. It's good, but it's bad. I am not sure if I Will even get a chance to go out and speak. Oh darn - LOL. But I will try.

Of course they did say if we worked out something on our own they would support us with materials and such. So I am thinking I will have to try that perhaps. Or start thinking about how I could do this on my won completely.

With tax season coming up I don't plan to spend much time on this, but maybe a project to figure out next summer.

Anyway, we got some really great ideas though through this training. They said one thing they did was "build a budget" - either as a class or in groups. Start with an income and put together a budget. Then re-evaluate the wants and needs and how to pare it down. I guess they have a lot of materials on compounding and saving $1 million, etc., the angle discussed here in the forums.

Another idea was to bring in some of our credit card offers and analyze the interest rates and fine print, etc. Kind of like saying - hey doesn't this look great at face value, but let's really dig down and figure what this means. With real world examples. I think that is a GREAT idea.

Suggesstion for generating discussion - if someone asks a question, pose that question to the rest of the class first.

Also bring candy as a reward for participating in the discussion. I went to a professional presentation where that was done - for adults - and it REALLY worked. Kids probbaly really eat that up - literally - hehe.

I also got a link yesterday about the American Institute of CPAs new ad campaign and savings push to the 25-34 year old crowd. HEre's their new website.

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www.feedthepig.org

"Benjamin Bankes is not just your average pig-about-town; he's a piggy bank, all grown up. And Benjamin has a message to share: Feed the Pig. In other words, take small savings steps today to build a solid financial tomorrow.

Benjamin is the star spokespig of a new national public service campaign from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and The Advertising Council. The goal of the campaign is to encourage the 40 million Americans age 25 to 34 to take control of their personal finances. The campaign, Feed the Pig ™, is a new component of the 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy effort which aims to educate Americans about how financial issues affect their lives. It features a Web site, www.360financialliteracy.org, offering free tools and resources to help Americans manage their finances through every stage of life.

Become a friend of Benjamin! Check out his MySpace page!

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is the national professional association of CPAs, with approximately 330,000 members in business, industry, public practice, government and education. The AICPA sets the ethical standards for the profession and the auditing standards for private companies, non-profit groups, and federal, state and local governments.

The Advertising Council has produced thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day. The Ad Council aims to foster tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives.

For more information about this campaign, please contact feedthepig@aicpa.org.

Thanks. Now go Feed the Pig."
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They have a lot of work to do. But look out for Benjamin Bankes - coming soon to a t.v. near you.

Frankly, I think the pig is creepy. We'll see how it goes. LOL. For now I think this site is doing a lot better, and much more appealing. We'll see all they have up their sleeve I guess. I think an online community like this makes all the difference in motivating people to save though. OR keeping up interest, vs. somewhere where you just read articles.