FINANCIAL LITERACY EDUCATION & ADVOCACY

Spreading financial knowledge is essential to building stronger families and communities. These topics
cover education methods and advocacy strategies.

TOPIC 237
Teaching Financial Literacy in Schools: Curriculum and Impact
Financial literacy education in schools is one of the most powerful interventions for improving long-term economic
outcomes for young people, yet access remains unequal across states and districts. This topic provides educators,
administrators, and advocates with tools to build and expand school-based financial education programs.

State financial literacy education mandates and gaps
Age-appropriate financial literacy curriculum design
K-12 standards: NGPF, Jump$tart Coalition, CEE frameworks
Integrating financial literacy into existing subjects
Experiential learning: simulations, school stores, investing clubs
Teacher training and financial literacy professional development
Measuring student financial literacy outcomes
Closing the financial literacy gap for underserved student populations

TOPIC 238
Workplace Financial Wellness Programs
Financial stress is one of the leading causes of reduced productivity and employee disengagement, making
workplace financial wellness programs a high-ROI investment for employers. This topic helps HR professionals and
employers design and implement programs that genuinely improve employees’ financial lives.

The business case for employer-sponsored financial wellness
Components of a comprehensive financial wellness program
Student loan assistance as an employee benefit
Emergency savings programs in the workplace
Financial coaching and counseling as a benefit
Measuring employee financial stress and program effectiveness
Financial wellness for hourly and low-wage workers
Integrating retirement plan education into wellness programs

TOPIC 239
Community Financial Education: Reaching the Underserved
Community-based financial education programs reach people where they are, breaking down barriers of access,
trust, and cultural relevance that formal institutions often miss. This topic guides financial educators, CPAs, and
community organizations in designing impactful programs for those who need financial literacy most.

Designing financial education programs for community impact
Partnering with libraries, community centers, and nonprofits
Serving unbanked and underbanked populations
Culturally responsive financial education
Free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs
CFPB and government resources for community educators
Measuring community financial education impact
Faith community partnerships for financial education delivery

TOPIC 240
Financial Coaching and Counseling: Skills and Practice
Financial coaching addresses the behavioral and emotional dimensions of money management that technical
financial advice alone cannot resolve. This topic prepares CPAs, counselors, and educators to apply
evidence-based coaching techniques that produce lasting financial behavior change.

Difference between financial coaching, counseling, and advising
Core coaching competencies for financial professionals
Behavioral finance and the psychology of money
Building rapport and trust with financially vulnerable clients
Goal setting and accountability frameworks
Motivational interviewing techniques for financial behavior change
Ethics and professional boundaries in financial coaching
Building a financial coaching practice

TOPIC 241
Financial Literacy for Youth: Building Early Habits
Financial habits and attitudes formed in childhood and adolescence persist into adulthood, making early financial
education one of the highest-leverage investments parents and communities can make. This topic provides
parents, educators, and community leaders with engaging, age-appropriate financial literacy frameworks for youth.

Age-appropriate money concepts for children (ages 5-12)
Allowance and earning as financial education tools
Teaching saving, giving, and spending with three-jar method
Teen banking, debit cards, and financial responsibility
Entrepreneurship education for youth
Family money conversations: breaking the taboo
Youth-focused digital tools and apps for financial learning
Biblical financial values for children and teenagers

TOPIC 242
Financial Empowerment for Underserved Communities
Systemic economic disparities have left millions of Americans without access to mainstream financial services,
wealth-building tools, and financial education. This topic calls financial professionals and community leaders to
action, providing both practical strategies and a justice-centered framework for financial empowerment.

Economic disparities and their root causes
Access to banking: why communities are unbanked and solutions
Predatory lending: payday loans, rent-to-own, check cashing
Credit building pathways for thin-file consumers
CDFI lending and community-based financial services
Generational wealth building in historically marginalized communities
Advocacy for systemic financial inclusion policies
The role of faith leaders in community economic empowerment

TOPIC 243
Church-Based Financial Education Programs
The local church has unparalleled access to trust, relationships, and community influence that make it an ideal
venue for transformative financial education. This topic provides church leaders and financial ministry volunteers
with a framework for building a biblically grounded, practically effective financial discipleship program.

Why the church is a uniquely powerful platform for financial education
Designing a church financial literacy ministry
Curriculum options: Crown Financial Ministries, Financial Peace University, homegrown
Biblical financial principles as curriculum foundation
Small group financial discipleship models
One-on-one financial counseling in the church setting
Community financial education through church outreach
Measuring spiritual and financial transformation in the congregation

TOPIC 244
The Role of CPAs in Financial Literacy and Community Advocacy
CPAs possess unmatched credibility and technical expertise that, when directed toward financial literacy advocacy,
can transform communities and change lives. This topic challenges and equips CPAs to step into the financial
literacy space as educators, advocates, and community champions.