Financial Literacy for Students

Comptroller Franchot continues to fight for Maryland students by pushing for a high school graduation requirement in personal finance. In his latest efforts to advance the cause of financial literacy, he has launched a petition drive directed at gathering 10,000 signatures for the 2012 Maryland General Assembly session.

Petition

We, the undersigned, recognize that an education in the principles of personal finance - including the proper use of credit, the risks of excessive debt, the value of sound household budgeting and the importance of saving and investing for the future - is critical to a productive livelihood for Maryland's public school students. We believe that our nation's economic crisis - in which far too many Marylanders lost jobs, homes and life savings - strongly reinforced the need to provide our students with these essential tools of financial security. Finally, we believe that those who graduate from high school, and go on to higher education or enter the job market with an understanding of these principles, are at a significant advantage over those who do not.

It is for these reasons that we, as Maryland families, taxpayers and students, call upon the Maryland General Assembly to follow the lead of several other states in the country, and pass legislation in 2012 that will require all of our high school students to complete a standalone course in financial literacy in order to graduate.

Disclaimer: By adding your name to this petition, you are supporting the premise stated above. Details provided by signers are not used to send unsolicited e-mail, and are not sold to any 3rd party.

For more information on the Comptroller's initiative to promote financial literacy, contact Christine Feldmann at cfeldmann@comp.state.md.us or call her at 410-260-6346.

Important links for financial literacy

• Financial Literacy in the Baltimore Sun
• Financial Literacy in the Capital newspaper
• Maryland Coalition for Financial Literacy
• Maryland Council on Economic Education
• U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission
• Junior Achievement of Central Maryland