Financial Literacy and Education Commission

The Financial Literacy and Education Commission was established under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. The Commission was tasked to develop a national financial education web site (MyMoney.gov) and a national strategy on financial education. It is chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury and the vice chair is the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. The Commission is coordinated by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Consumer Policy.

VISION and MISSION

The Commission’s vision is of sustained financial well-being for all individuals and families in the U.S. In furtherance of this vision, the Commission sets strategic direction for policy, education, practice, research, and coordination so that all Americans make informed financial decisions.

 

Commission Member AgenciES

The Commission is made up of the heads of 24 federal agencies: Department of the Treasury (Chair), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Vice-Chair), Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Interior, Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Federal Reserve Board, Federal Trade Commission, General Services Administration, National Credit Union Administration, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Office of Personnel Management, Small Business Administration, Securities and Exchange Commission, Social Security Administration, and the White House Domestic Policy Council.

FINANCIAL LITERACY AND EDUCATION COMMISSION PUBLIC MEETING – July 20, 2023

The next public meeting of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC) will be held on July 20, 2023, from 9:00 – 10:30 AM Eastern Time. FLEC members will attend the meeting in-person. The public can view the meeting through the live webcast here: Treasury webcast.

Treasury’s Under Secretary for Domestic Finance Nellie Liang will chair the meeting on behalf of the Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen. The Vice Chair of the FLEC, Rohit Chopra, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will also participate.

This meeting will focus on the financial literacy and educational needs of Tribal and Native communities.  U.S. Treasurer Chief Lynn Malerba will provide remarks as well as moderate a panel discussion with Native leaders.  The meeting will also feature a panel on the federal educational and financial literacy resources available to Tribal and Native communities.

You do not need to register to view the webcast. If you require a reasonable accommodation or communication access services such as Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART) or sign language interpretation, please contact [email protected].

SUBSCRIBE TO MEETING NOTIFICATIONS

Subscribe now to the Financial Education and Capability updates to receive notification of the next meeting. 

FLEC NEWS

In October 2021, the FLEC launched an effort to study the impact of climate change on households and communities. This effort is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government approach to tackling climate change and will bring together all FLEC agencies, and additional agencies, to write a comprehensive report with the goal of identifying priority policy actions to increase household and community financial resiliency. The report will explore financial risks to households and communities, especially low-income and historically disadvantaged communities, of climate change and climate transition.

FLEC will work to develop an understanding of:

  • how households, communities, and the smallest businesses experience financial resilience in the face of climate change and climate transition, supported by resilience-supporting financial products and financial infrastructure supporting environments.
  • how to map climate-related financial risks, and identify which groups and regions will be most impacted; and
  • what tools and best practices could be effective at addressing risks and vulnerabilities and how to implement them equitably.

For more information on this effort, see the press release here and sign up for updates.

 

Previous Activities and Meetings


Resources

  • Higher Education Financial Education Resources Updates - 2023 Members of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC) Working Group on Higher Education, with input from other FLEC members, compiled resources to provide useful information to program leaders, educators, financial aid professionals, and students. The FLEC published higher education reports in 2015 and 2019, and this factsheet represents an update to those publications, highlighting newly-available resources.
  • U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission Report FY 2021 This report serves as the Financial Literacy and Education Commission’s (FLEC) Strategy for Assuring Financial Empowerment (SAFE) report for FY 2021.
  • National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2020  The National Strategy details the federal government’s financial literacy priorities and underscores its plan to collaborate with state, local, and tribal governments and the private sector to strengthen financial capability for all Americans. 
  • U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission Report FY 2020  This report serves as the Financial Literacy and Education Commission’s (FLEC) Strategy for Assuring Financial Empowerment (SAFE) report for FY 2020. Given the events of 2020, the report primarily focuses on the FLEC’s response to the COVID-19 national emergency.
  • Best Practices for Financial Literacy and Education at Institutions of Higher Education This report provides recommendations for higher education institutions to deliver effective financial literacy education and resources to help students make informed decisions and avoid pitfalls associated with financing education.
  • The National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2016 Updated is the FLEC’s latest addition to the 2011 National Strategy which established several goals for the various sectors of our economy which are seeking to improve individual financial well-being and financial literacy. This update emphasizes the progress that has been made in expanding and improving financial education, recent findings on the state of financial education and effective approaches and trends that may affect financial education in the future.
  • MyMoney.gov is the federal government's website that serves as the one-stop shop for federal financial literacy and education programs, grants and other information. MyMoney.gov is available in English and Spanish.
  • Call 1­800-FED­-INFO if you have a question about federal agencies, programs, benefits or services related to financial literacy and education. Our trained specialists can answer your question in English or Spanish, or refer you to the agency that can help.
  • Special Issue on “Starting Early for Financial Success” – Journal of Consumer Affairs: To further share information and research that can help prepare young people for their financial lives, the FLEC requested that the Journal of Consumer Affairs dedicate a special issue to financial literacy research focused on “Starting Early for Financial Success.” Ten new academic research papers are now published and publicly available in the Spring 2015 issue. Here is a summary containing research abstracts and hyperlinks to the articles 
  • The FLEC’s Resource Guide for Financial Institutions  Incorporating Financial Capability into Youth Employment Programs is aimed at financial institutions interested in enhancing youth financial capability by partnering with youth employment programs. It maps how and why financial institutions can engage in helping young people achieve greater financial well-being and employment success. 
  • The FLEC's Resource Guide for Youth Employment Programs Incorporating Financial Capability and Partnering with Financial Institutions is aimed at youth employment programs interested in enhancing youth financial capability by partnering with financial institutions. It maps how and why youth employment programs can partner with financial institutions to engage in helping young people achieve greater financial well-being and employment success. This is a companion to the Resource Guide for Financial Institutions noted above.
  • Youth Savings Programs: The information listed below was developed to provide information on Youth Savings Programs, such as in-school bank and credit union branches, which can expand the financial capability of youth.
  • College Savings and Financing Resources This document lists an array of resources for students and their families with tools and information to help make informed decisions about saving, paying, or financing their higher education. This list was compiled by members of the Postsecondary Subcommittee of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC), and offers free resources from federal agencies.
  • Opportunities to Improve the Financial Capability and Financial Well-being of Post Secondary Students This report has been prepared by the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC) and describes the state of financial education among postsecondary students. The report describes current efforts to enhance financial education in a number of institutions with regards to student understanding of financial aid and financial education topics. The body of the report describes issues facing postsecondary students regarding financial education and federal government policies and resources to address them.  Further, this report identifies programs that promote or enhance financial literacy for students, including those that involve partnerships between nonprofit organizations. The report concludes with a series of recommendations for how institutions of higher education can better equip students to make critical financial decisions.

       Report Summary : FLEC Postsecondary Report Summary

  • 2012 Research Priorities and Research Questions. This document summarizes research priorities identified by the Financial Literacy and Education Commission’s Research and Evaluation Working Group, in consultation with members of the President’s Advisory Council for Financial Capability’s Research and Evaluation Subcommittee, and other experts. The document is intended to inform members of the Commission, other federal government supports of research, and private sector and academic researchers and research funders so that they may address the most important questions facing the financial literacy and education field, reduce duplication and overlap, and make best use of limited research dollars. 
    2012 Research Priorities
  • 2013 Research Priorities for Starting Early for Financial Success. This document updates the 2012 research priorities to identify areas where they can be connected the Financial Literacy and Education Commission’s strategic focus on Starting Early for Financial Success
  • Promoting Financial Success in the United States: National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2011 was created through a process that included conversations with private, public, and non-profit representatives from the field. Articulating a vision of sustained financial well-being for individuals and families in our nation, this document sets strategic direction for policy, education, practice, research, and coordination in the financial literacy and education field.
  • National Strategy Book
  • National Strategy Background Report
  • 2015 Strategy for Assuring Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Report
  • 2016 Strategy for Assure Financial Empowerment (SAFE)  Report