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Vermont Celebrates Money Smart Week April 18-25

April 17, 2015

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Vermonters are encouraged to visit one of the 183 public libraries in the state next week to learn more about personal finance and to support national Money Smart Week, April 18-25.

The Vermont State Treasurer’s Office and the Vermont Department of Libraries are partnering to promote financial literacy and highlight resources available in Vermont public libraries. The libraries across Vermont received bookmarks, table signs and other materials to help them showcase their financial resources.

“Our libraries provide residents with a local source of information and resources to assist Vermonters in furthering their knowledge of personal finance,” said State Treasurer Beth Pearce. “Libraries provide an accessible location for people to explore money topics ranging from planning for retirement to teaching your children about money.”

Launched in 2002 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Money Smart Week programs are now active in more than 45 states through national partnerships with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Cooperative Extension and the American Library Association.

“We hope Vermont citizens will take advantage of these resources and visit their local libraries during Money Smart Week,” said State Librarian Martha Reid. “Libraries are excellent sources of information about personal finance and many libraries will offer related programming during April. Whether it is saving for college, managing a budget, understanding investments, or planning for retirement, Vermonters need reliable and current information – and your local library can provide the resources you need to be a smart consumer.”

The State Treasurer’s Office and Vermont Department of Libraries have distributed a DVD of the public television documentary, “Thinking Money – The Psychology Behind our Best and Worst Financial Decisions,” to libraries throughout the state. Many libraries will show the DVD and hold a discussion afterwards. The program was provided to Vermont by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.

For more information on personal finance topics, Vermonters may visit the State Treasurer’s Office financial literacy web site at MoneyEd.Vermont.gov. A link to a list of all of Vermont’s public libraries is also available through that page.