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For Your Life April 15, 2025

Money Management During National Financial Literacy Month: The Stress-reducing Real-Life Finance Program

April is National Financial Literacy Month. If you feel like your employees, or yourself, are lagging in your financial planning (or have no plan at all), it’s time to embark on a pain-free, stress-reducing (money is the consistent top stress-producer in national polls) journey with the help of Old National’s Real-Life Finance program.

Did you know that:

  • Americans lost an average of $1,506 in 2024 due to financial illiteracy, paying higher credit card interest and fees, overspending more, and falling victim to fraud at a higher rate
  • The average American has only $400 in cash savings and lives paycheck to paycheck
  • Only 26 states mandate financial education as a high school graduation requirement
  • 74% of teens in the U.S. don’t feel confident in their personal finance knowledge
  • The percentage of U.S. adults with “poor” financial literacy increased from 20% in 2017 to 25% in 2023
  • Individuals with “very low” levels of financial literacy are seven times more likely to spend 20 hours or more per week dealing with personal finance-related issues
  • In 2024 alone, Old National’s Real-Life Finance and financial empowerment efforts reached more than 30,000 individuals online and in in-person workshops

With less than half of U.S. adults at the “financially literate” level, the U.S. government is asking banks and private sector companies for help.

The U.S. Treasury Department recently released its inaugural National Strategy for Financial Inclusion, which includes recommendations for how financial institutions and employers can contribute to fostering financial access, resilience, and well-being.

The Real-Life Finance Answer

Old National’s response is Real-Life Finance, our financial education platform that allows participants to learn at their own rate, and about the subjects that interest them, for a one-time-only fee of only $4.95.

For organizations looking for financial education for their employees, we have more than 230 licensed instructors across the Midwest and Southeast with the ability to host live workshops and empower organizations with financial knowledge. 

"Driving financial education is crucial. It ensures that everyone, regardless of their location, has access to the knowledge and tools they need to make informed financial decisions," says Ben Joergens, Financial Empowerment Director. “We were pleased to expand our reach last year to include more than 2,800 Spanish-speaking participants, with plans to continue that growth.”

For more information on the Real-Life Finance program click here, or contact Ben Joergens at Ben.Joergens@oldnational.com.

 

Also tune-in to the Real-Life Finance Podcast.

https://rlf.buzzsprout.com/

 

 

 

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