[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5369]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Conaway) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize April as National 
Financial Literacy Month and highlight the key role that the American 
Institute of Certified Public Accountants, or the AICPA, and State CPA 
societies and CPAs across the country play in educating all Americans 
about their personal finances.
  National Financial Literacy Month is a yearly reminder of the 
importance of working to improve Americans' understanding of their 
personal finances. For over 10 years, the AICPA, its members, and State 
CPA societies have been the leaders in the financial literacy campaign 
by providing free programs, tools, and resources for all consumers. 
Thousands of CPAs across 55 States and jurisdictions are volunteering 
their time to educate consumers to understand their personal finances 
and their financial goals.
  The AICPA, along with the State CPA societies and like-minded 
financial educational institutions, plays an essential role in 
educating all Americans so that they will have the knowledge to make 
decisions for a lifetime of financial well-being. By focusing on 
financial education as a lifelong endeavor, CPAs are encouraging 
children to learn about the value of money and teaching adults the 
importance of saving for a secure retirement.
  Mr. Speaker, we have thousands of college students who are unfamiliar 
with the impact their student loan debt will have on their early 
career. A financially literate college student will understand those 
implications and ramifications and would be better served and be better 
suited or be better able to make better decisions with respect to 
whether or not to take on that debt as they pursue their college 
education.
  All Americans, from high school students to older adults, need the 
tools and resources to make educated decisions about their personal 
finances. Through the AICPA's flagship 360 Degrees of Financial 
Literacy program, CPAs across the country are volunteering to help all 
Americans understand their personal finances through every stage of 
life. The program combines grassroots advocacy with free public 
resources and tools for CPAs to educate Americans of all ages.
  There is an urgent need to improve the financial literacy of all 
Americans. A recent survey showed that 47 percent of American 
households are not saving any of their current income for retirement. 
This means almost half of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck 
and without any savings plan for financial hardships or retirement. 
Providing all Americans with the information necessary to make educated 
decisions will help households understand the value of savings for 
retirement and lead to a lifetime of financial well-being.
  Again, I would like to congratulate the AICPA and State societies for 
this effort in helping Americans become more financially literate.

                          ____________________