Financial literacy, as Mark Twain might have said, is a little like the weather: Everybody talks about it, but nobody does anything about it... Until now. 

The "Financial Literacy for Families Program," created by Financial Forums, Inc, is designed to provide children--together with their parents--an overview of the basic, practical skills needed to assure a family's healthy financial future.  These skills are critical to our kids' success, yet no one is systematically teaching them.  Is it any surprise that our families are swimming in debt and our economy is swamped with foreclosures?

A parent’s work is never done but at no time is it more crucial than when a graduating high school senior leaves to attend college.  Never is he or she more vulnerable, nor more in need of parental guidance, than when it comes to knowing how to spot the various hidden fees on their purchases, be it through a  check, credit or debit cards, and, in particular, ATM machines.  How can we instill financial independence even though were paying their bills? How can we make them responsible financially and teach them some important values about money that will be important to them?  Many believe that providing this information to teenagers is an integral part of raising an independent, functional young adult that knows you cant spend more than you have.

The program can also be expanded to multi-session courses to meet the needs of various organizations and audiences, including high schools, colleges, religious organizations, nonprofit and civic groups. But the essential theme is that we strive to connect kids with their parents, promoting communication, education and practical knowledge about a subject many families have difficulty talking about -money and achieving functional independence from ones Parents.

For more information about how to design a "Financial Literacy for Families Program" for your organization, contact Henry Montag or Ron Roel at henry@financialforumsinc.com or ron@financialforumsinc.com.