CFO SINK ENCOURAGES FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN 2008 NATIONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY CHALLENGE

TALLAHASSEE— Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink encouraged Florida high school students and teachers to participate in the 2008 National Financial Literacy Challenge (NFLC), available online until May 16, 2008. The President Advisory Council on Financial Literacy prompted the U.S. Department of Treasury to encourage financial literacy education among students by enacting the NFLC competition.

“Financial literacy education is essential for our high school students to be prepared with the necessary knowledge to be successful in life,” said CFO Sink. “I encourage Florida’s high school teachers to register their students for this exciting and important national challenge.”

Florida high school students at least 13 years of age are eligible to participate in a 35-question financial literacy test, as part of a national challenge aimed at raising awareness about financial literacy education.
Participants scoring in the top 25th percentile will receive national recognition from the federal government and the top scores will win the NFLC challenge award.

The test is available at no cost online at http://FLC.treas.gov/teacher. High school teachers must first register their class at the above link before their students are eligible to participate.

CFO Sink has long been a strong proponent of financial literacy, and oversees Florida’s Financial Literacy Council. Through regional outreach coordinators, her Department of Financial Services (DFS) aggressively educates consumers in their local communities on topics such as the wise use of credit cards, identity theft, hurricane preparedness, small business security, life insurance policies and first-time homebuyer workshops. During 2007, DFS conducted more than 2,680 outreach events around the state.

For more information on CFO’s financial literacy efforts or the Financial Literacy Council, please visit www.MyFloridaCFO.com.