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Financial Literacy

Proper use of money directly affects our quality of life. That’s why I have made financial literacy a priority of this office. Since adding financial literacy to the duties of the State Treasurer (without spending any additional state funds), we have been busy working with people across the state to help them understand how to navigate their personal finances and make positive change in their lives.

Good financial education needs to start in the home. Parents are the biggest influence on society, and modeling a willingness to discuss finances and seek out helpful resources will encourage children to do the same. Our habits, good or bad, are likely to see themselves repeated in our kids. Showing our children how to work their way into sound financial practices is helpful, no matter where that work begins.

Now is the time to start building your tomorrow. Often, small changes can yield great results. I strongly encourage every North Dakotan to take your information, use the tools provided by my office, and explore the financial opportunities available to you. You will soon see just how easy it is to set yourself up for a future of financial success.

It is important to make learning fun—and to that end, we have launched a program called “Financial Football,” http://www.northdakota.financialfootball.com which is an NFL themed money management video game. These tools are just a start, and I am excited to continue the mission to inspire students and families to start talking about finances.

Another financial literacy initiative is to bring innovative technology-based financial education to every high school across North Dakota.  We have collaborated with EverFi, a leader in financial literacy programming, to provide every high school the opportunity to reach its students with a meaningful digital learning experience that is both standards-based and easy for teachers to implement.  The course covers critical topics, including credit cards and debit cards, compounding interest, financing higher education, and basic investment options, as well as many other confusing, but vital topics.