[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 65 (Thursday, April 4, 2013)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 20219-20220]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07922]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 65 / Thursday, April 4, 2013 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 20219]]


                Proclamation 8951 of March 29, 2013

                
National Financial Capability Month, 2013

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                All Americans deserve the chance to turn their hard 
                work into a decent living for their families and a 
                bright future for their children. Seizing that 
                opportunity takes more than drive and initiative--it 
                also requires smart financial planning. During National 
                Financial Capability Month, we recommit to empowering 
                individuals and families with the knowledge and tools 
                they need to get ahead in today's economy.

                My Administration is dedicated to helping people make 
                sound decisions in the marketplace. Last year, we 
                partnered with businesses and community leaders to roll 
                out new public and private commitments to increasing 
                financial literacy. We released a new financial 
                capability toolkit to help schools and employers as 
                they launch their own initiatives. And with our College 
                Scorecard and Financial Aid Shopping Sheet, we are 
                working to give families clear, transparent information 
                on college costs so they can make good choices when 
                they invest in higher education. Together, we can 
                prepare young people to tackle financial challenges--
                from learning how to budget responsibly to saving for 
                college, starting a business, or opening a retirement 
                account.

                Financial capability also means helping people avoid 
                scams and demand fair treatment when they take out a 
                mortgage, use a credit card, or apply for a student 
                loan. My Administration continues to encourage 
                responsibility at all levels of our financial system by 
                cracking down on deceptive practices and ensuring that 
                consumers are informed of their rights.

                We also know that too many families are living 
                paycheck-to-paycheck, unable to take advantage of tools 
                that would help them plan for a middle class life. That 
                is why we must build ladders of opportunity for 
                everyone willing to climb them--from a fair minimum 
                wage that lifts working Americans out of poverty to 
                high-quality preschool and early education that gets 
                every child on the right track early. These reforms 
                would encourage the kind of broad-based economic growth 
                that gives everyone a better chance to secure their 
                financial future.

                Our history shows that there is no economic engine more 
                powerful than a thriving middle class. Reigniting that 
                engine means giving ordinary citizens the tools to find 
                prosperity, including strong financial capability. To 
                learn more about managing money and navigating the 
                21st-century marketplace, visit www.MyMoney.gov and 
                www.ConsumerFinance.gov, or call 1-888-MyMoney.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim April 2013 as 
                National Financial Capability Month. I call upon all 
                Americans to observe this month with programs and 
                activities to improve their understanding of financial 
                principles and practices.

[[Page 20220]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2013-07922
Filed 4-3-13; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F3