Center for Economic Education director, 308.865.8707
The University of Nebraska at Kearney Center for Economic Education and the Kearney Area $martMoney Advisory Council today announced that the second annual Kearney Area $martMoney Week is set for Nov. 6-10 in Kearney.
Mary Rittenhouse, director of the UNK Center for Economic Education, said that $martMoney Week is designed to educate consumers about personal financial management and entrepreneurship, and to create awareness of a wide range of topics such as home ownership, investing, budgeting, identity theft, retirement financing, the value of saving and how to start a private business.
This year, for the first time, $martMoney Week will feature free classes, seminars and activities in both English and Spanish.
The educational activities of $martMoney Week will be provided by local community groups, businesses, schools and non-profit organizations.
According to Dr. Robert Duvall, president and chief executive officer for the National Council on Economic Education headquartered in New York, the mission of $martMoney Week is to combat financial illiteracy and provide greater education to consumers.
“An educated populace, armed with the knowledge to make sound savings and retirement decisions, can pave the way to a stronger economy in the future… citizens educated in economics will be better equipped to make informed decisions in evaluating debates over Social Security and retirement policy,” he said.
According to Rittenhouse, the members of the $martMoney Advisory Council who co-coordinate $martMoney Week provide a variety of seminars and events to help educate consumers in personal finance matters, with specific attention paid to young people and those without bank accounts.
“Although financial illiteracy isn’t limited to these demographics, they are the most likely to over-extend their credit, make poor financial choices, become victims of identity theft and potentially seek bankruptcy as a cure for financial woes,” Rittenhouse said. “We want people to learn to stretch their money, because money does not come with instructions.”
For more information on $martMoney Week or on the $martMoney Advisory Council, please visit www.unk.edu/smartmoney,or call Mary Rittenhouse at 308-865-8707.
