Category: Financial Literacy Tools

Meet the Paying for College Resource. Your new, go-to destination to help students and families figure out how they’ll pay for college.

You’ll have access to free info and tools to help them make their plan:

• Why to fill out the FAFSA
• How to compare award letters
• Finding scholarships
• What to know about student loans

…And so much more!

Plus, check out the must-see video series.Watch by topic or the entire show to tackle questions about paying for college. They can be shown in the classroom, at financial aid nights, and more!

Get started at www.PayForCollegeResource.com

You’re a huge help to students and families as they plan for college, and we hope this resource can help you with the paying for college piece. Please feel free to share any of the resource’s info and materials on your school’s website, via social media, and with your peers. Attached you’ll also find a flyer to help spread the word.

For teachers who are interested in materials to teach Social Security, check out the 5/7/2019 post from the Social Security Administration.  View Post on SSA.gov.

In May, we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week and honor all of the educators who are preparing students for the future. Social Security knows that a well-informed instructor is usually the best one suited to educate others. That’s why we have online resources that are easy to access and share.

Social Security’s Educator Toolkit is a rich resource for teachers and advocates. Our Information for Educators page contains information and resources to engage students and to educate them on Social Security. It includes:

• Infographics and handouts for each lesson plan
• Links to Social Security webpages
• Talking points
• Quiz questions and answers

In 2017, the Investor Protection Institute (IPI) and state securities agencies sponsored the DASH for the STASH contest in which an estimated 1,300 individuals participated in. DASH for the STASH is a “scavenger hunt”- like contest that teaches and then quizzes participants on investing topics such as financial fraud, building a nest egg, selecting financial advisers and the cost of investment fees. A total of 138 public libraries and other locations in eight jurisdictions participated in the contest. Participating jurisdictions included Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.

Of the 1,300 individuals who participated at host locations, 346 submitted completed responses and 171 of those responses had the correct answers. One individual, from each of the jurisdictions, who submitted all correct answers was randomly selected as a winner and received a $1,000 IRA contribution.

The DASH for the STASH contest also included an online version for the first time in 2017. The online version was open to anyone, regardless of location, and ran from April 1, 2017, to October 31, 2017. Of the 184 completed online responses, 53 were correct and seven winners were randomly selected to receive $150 IRA contributions.

Between the DASH host locations and online version, 15 winners were selected. Of those 15, two winners were from Iowa.

• A 37 year-old male in Urbandale, Iowa won a $1,000 IRA fund contribution by participating at the Mason County Public Library. He said, “I found the DASH for the STASH fun and very informational. The posters were full of financial information and descriptions that helped me understand different options for our money to work for us.”
• A 29 year-old female in Des Moines, Iowa won a $150 IRA fund contribution by participating in the DASH national online version and said, “DASH for the STASH was not only fun but it gave me the foundation I needed to get started with my own retirement fund!”

In addition to IPI, other organization that were involved with the 2017 DASH for the STASH included Alaska Division of Banking and Securities, the District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation Securities Division, the Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions, the Ohio Division of Securities, the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities, and the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office.

For more information about the 2017 DASH for the STASH, click here. Information on whether the DASH will occur in 2018, has not yet been released.

Find even more financial literacy resources by signing up for the Department of Education’s quarterly Financial Literacy Update. Click here to view past issues and to sign up for this additional quarterly newsletter resource.