Thrifty Thinking: Free Classes During Money Smart Week

Thousands of free financial education classes and seminars for consumers will be held throughout the U.S. during Money Smart Week, April 22-29.
Classes are open to people of all ages at businesses, financial institutions, schools, libraries, community organizations and government agencies throughout the country. They cover a wide variety of money-management topics including saving for college, buying a house, using credit wisely, managing student debt and financing retirement.
The educational events will be carried out by local and regional partnering organizations. In addition, there are several national partners, including the American Library Association, the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Financial Planning Association and the United States Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension.
“Money Smart Week is an incredible opportunity for consumers to access free advice on all areas of personal finance,” said Heather Greenwell, Outreach Program Lead, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, which coordinates the campaign. “We hope individuals and families will take advantage of these educational offerings and ultimately improve or enhance their financial success.”
Money Smart Week is the broadest and most comprehensive financial education program in the country. Started in 2002 in Chicago with just 40 programs, it has expanded significantly to become the only national educational program for people at all stages of life.

According to exit surveys, most participants indicate they’re likely to change the way they manage their money after attending a Money Smart Week Class.

Consumers who are interested in finding out about classes in their area during Money Smart Week can visit www.moneysmartweek.org .

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Created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2002, Money Smart Week® is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. This is achieved through the collaboration and coordinated effort of thousands of organizations across the country including businesses, financial institutions, schools, libraries, not-for-profits, government agencies and the media. Programming is offered to all demographics and income levels and covers all facets of personal finance. Partnering organizations will host their events April 22 - 29, 2017. For more information about events or becoming a partner, visit www.moneysmartweek.org.