Financial Literacy

Some foreign-born students at Howard Community College enter professor Mary Beth Furst's business class, sit attentively through instruction and say next to nothing. Furst said that when they are called upon, "You would think they were going to die, because they're really uncomfortable speaking up. " She recently discovered one of the reasons behind the silence: Some students hail from countries where it is disrespectful to ask an instructor a question. Furst and other HCC faculty and staff are learning about the college's ever-diversifying student population — and coming up with better ways to break down cultural and communications gaps — through a professional development program called INSPIRES Global Perspectives.

Central Library 10375 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. 410-313-7800. •All Together Now. Saturdays, 10:15 and 11:30 a.m. All ages; 30 minutes. •Book Boosters. Wed., April 4, 7 p.m. Discuss latest reads and hear suggestions from fellow book lovers. •Eclectic Evenings. Second Tuesdays, 7 p.m. •English Conversation Club. Mondays, 10 a.m.; and Thursdays, 7:30 p.m. Practice speaking and understanding English in a group setting.

Baltimore police arrested five people last week accused of impersonating city tax collectors and going to the homes of elderly residents to rob them. These are disturbing allegations. But apparently, scam artists who pretend to have ties to the government so they can take advantage of older consumers aren't all that rare. That's what senior advocates are telling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the federal agency with a mandate to promote financial literacy among those 62 and older and protect them from fraud and abuse.

Hey everybody, National Financial Literacy Month has arrived! It's scheduled to overlap with the tail end of tax season, which is always a good time to take a moment to review your finances and set up a plan for the coming year. Think of it as spring cleaning for both your file cabinets and your wallet. Get started with information from two government resources: MyMoney.gov and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau . Celebrate this weekend at these events: --- See the Rev. Billy preach against the evils of consumerism at 7 p.m. tonight (Friday)

As the nation slowly recovers from the worst recession since the Great Depression, states across the country are looking for ways to better protect themselves from future economic downturns. While long-term economic development planning is vital, perhaps the most effective tool Maryland can use to combat future downturns is to take the important steps necessary to educate our children in the basic principles of financial literacy. Our national economic crisis has painfully reminded us that far too many Marylanders lack an adequate understanding of the proper use of credit, the risks of excessive debt, the principles of sustainable household budgeting and the importance of saving for the future.

Let's test your financial literacy. Which of the following options tends to have the highest growth over periods of time as long as 18 years: (a) a U.S. government savings bond (b) a savings account (c) a checking account (d) stocks This was one of 30 multiple-choice questions in a financial literacy test given to 5,775 high school seniors during December and January in 305 schools across the country. It was the latest in a series of surveys by the not-for-profit Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy every couple of years since 1997.

Are you smarter than a fifth-grader? That's the title of a television quiz show where comedian Jeff Foxworthy is the host. Adults risk embarrassment before a national TV audience as they try to answer questions from a fifth-grade curriculum. Questions cover the usual academic topics, such as geography, math, science and history. Nowadays, the topic of personal finance is becoming more commonplace in the school curriculum, even in fifth grade. But, apparently, it's not prevalent enough in school or elsewhere.

For most children, an occasional game of "Monopoly" and a piggy bank stuffed with pennies is the extent of their early financial education. But Neale Godfrey's two children, ages 5 and 8, already have bank accounts, are saving for their college education with certificates of deposit and divide their weekly allowances among savings, charities, lunch money and funds for special purchases."

F inancial Literacy: Key to Our Children's Future As the nation slowly recovers from the worst recession since the Great Depression, states across the country are looking for ways to better protect themselves from future economic downturns. While long-term economic development planning is vital, perhaps the most effective tool Maryland can use to combat future downturns is to take the important steps necessary to educate our children in the basic principles of financial literacy.