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April is Financial Literacy Month, and  since 2007, the Richmond Fed has used this time to emphasize the need for students and adults to learn skills that will help them make important financial decisions. Throughout the month of April, the Bank will be drawing attention to emerging economic issues and sharing personal finance resources through a variety of programs that are open to all through online registration.

As the economy begins to recover from the pandemic-related recession, Richmond Fed economists and others are assessing its lasting impact on education, the workforce and the roles individuals play in shoring up the economy. Efforts are underway to understand what financial literacy will mean in the future and how best to equip people with the information they need. The Bank’s Economic Education and Research teams routinely educate and share insights on issues related to financial literacy in the reports and articles housed in the Access to Credit and Workforce Development sections of the Bank’s website.

“COVID-19 forced millions to manage very scarce financial resources to navigate a period of great health- and job-related uncertainty,” said Kartik Athreya, Executive Vice President and Director of Research. “Now, as we recover, many will seek to restore their balance sheets while managing the needs of daily life. Financial literacy will be central to how quickly and cost-effectively they can do this, perhaps more than at any time in the past decade.”

Financial Literacy Month Virtual Programs

On April 7, hear from an expert how the economy has changed in the past year at our Evening with the Fed: COVID and the Economy – Then and Now. Attendees will also receive classroom resources to share the topic with their students. On April 8, college students and professors are invited to hear how climate change is impacting the economy and financial markets in our Richmond Fed on Campus webinar.

We also will be sharing our financial literacy resources with educators through programs with our partners. On April 22, join Federal Reserve Education for an ECONnections with the Fed webinar to learn about the latest college, career and entrepreneurship classroom resources, including the Richmond and San Francisco Fed’s Invest in What’s Next. Additionally, the Bank’s Economic Education team will share Invest in What’s Next this month as part of the North Carolina Council on Economic Education’s virtual Economics and Personal Finance Spring Institutes.  The Bank partners with a cohort of economics and personal finance teachers each year to glean insights from their perspectives in the classroom, and in the April 21 episode of the Bank’s podcast, Speaking of the Economy, several of this year’s  Teacher Collaborative Committee members will share why personal finance matters to them and how they teach their students the importance of being financially literate.

The Richmond Fed’s focus on financial literacy doesn’t end on April 30. Learn more and register for upcoming programs, and sign up for alerts to stay informed about new resources.