April: Financial Capability Month

April is National Financial Capability Month. Originally designated as National Financial Literacy Month in 2004, this observance has evolved to focus on financial literacy and ensure that Americans have access to unbiased and trustworthy financial education and understanding of financial services and products. This observance also includes raising awareness of consumer protection laws as well as consumer education, helping Americans recognize, avoid, and report frauds and scams.

The U.S. Treasury defines financial capability as “the capacity, based on knowledge, skills, and access, to manage financial resources effectively.” In other words, it’s your ability to put your financial knowledge and skills to work. This translation of knowledge to action (behaviors) helps you manage and protect your money, build productive financial habits, and move closer to your present and future financial goals.

Building and maintaining financial capability is a lifelong journey. It’s a cycle of learning and leveraging what you know. It’s about understanding and assessing your situation, including your beliefs and feelings about money. It’s also about processing knowledge and information, evaluating options, making informed decisions, and taking action. The more informed you are about your financial choices, the better your financial outcomes are likely to be.

No matter where you are on your financial journey, increasing your financial capability can be as simple as:

Under the Federal Credit Union Act, promoting financial literacy is a core credit union mission. While credit unions serve the needs of their members and promote financial literacy within their communities, the NCUA works to reinforce credit union efforts, raise consumer awareness and increase access to credit union services. The NCUA also participates in national financial literacy initiatives, including the Financial Literacy and Education Commission(Opens new window), an interagency group created by Congress to improve the nation’s financial literacy and education.

In addition, the NCUA partners with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the U.S. Department of Education in a Youth Financial Education Collaboration Agreement aimed at helping students and families save for college and encouraging the development of smart money habits. The NCUA is also a national partner of the Jump$tart Coalition(Opens new window) for Personal Financial Literacy.

Related Resources:

Financial Literacy Tools and Resources

MyMoney.gov

FDIC Money Smart

ConsumerFinance.gov

Youth.gov

All branches of ACT 1st FCU will be closed Monday, October 14th, 2024 to observe Columbus Day. You can conveniently conduct your banking transactions using our Mobile App or Online Banking from anywhere and at any time.