The National Financial Educators Council is creating a world
where people are informed to make qualified financial
decisions that improve their lives, the lives of their loved
ones, and the lives of people they reach around the globe.
Mission & Model
The National Financial Educators Council
(NFEC) is dedicated to creating a world
where people are informed to make
qualified financial decisions that improve
their lives, the lives of their loved ones, and
the lives of people they reach around the
globe.
National Solution
There is little question that a financial illiteracy epidemic currently
plagues citizens all across the country. The NFEC is actively working
toward a national, scalable solution to that epidemic. Recently we
published a report on our findings – the National Financial
Capability Strategy.
The National Financial Capability Strategy clarifies key approaches
to promoting financial education and presents a framework upon
which to build to strengthen the financial capabilities of our
nation’s citizens. Our team analyzed 47 recent proceedings
documents, agency reports, conference presentations, and peerreviewed research articles to clarify key points of agreement and
topics for future research. The objective is to push the financial
literacy movement past the tipping point by mobilizing efforts
toward reaching a shared vision based on best practices suggested
by the latest, most rigorous research.
This report was originally developed by the NFEC for internal use to
shape its organizational direction. Our decision to share the
information demonstrates our open source business model – our
commitment to providing key performance benchmarks for the
industry and sharing best practices to help other organizations
shape their campaigns. Thus we will urge the financial literacy
movement forward.
The National Financial Capability Strategy report presents some of
the overall policies identified by various agencies to guide
nationwide financial literacy promotion. As a result of our analysis,
three common themes emerged from the current data to shape our
business model and underpin national standards for promoting
financial literacy: Education, Awareness, and Sustainability.
As a nationally-recognized financial literacy
resource provider, the NFEC helps
organizations reduce the time, expense, and
personnel needed to implement successful
financial literacy initiatives. We have
developed more than 80 financial literacy
assets to provide practical education, raise
awareness, and help ensure maximum
program impact well into the future.
Before the NFEC, the benefits of a
comprehensive financial literacy initiative
were only available to large institutions with
ample investment dollars. Now those
benefits are readily accessible to all
organizations and individuals with a desire
to make lasting impact on the lives of their
community members.
Education
The NFEC is a 100% independent educational organization
whose material is focused solely on improving participants’
financial capabilities. The financial education resources
were developed in collaboration with the NFEC’s Curriculum
Advisory Board – a group of financial professionals,
educators, and personal finance experts – resulting in
materials that meet educational standards while
maintaining real-world applicability.
Educational Resources
The NFEC offers an extensive set of educational materials. Programs are available for all age groups and
socioeconomic backgrounds. The programming is designed to be fun, engaging, and motivating – inspiring
participants of all ages to take positive action. Our educational assets include:
•
Certified Financial Education Instructor training. The CFEI is the preeminent financial educator training
program. The coursework has been accepted by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards® for
Continuing Education credits, has received Professional Designation listed on the FINRA site, and is being
taught through top universities.
•
Curriculum, Presentations, & Online Learning Centers. More than 400 hours of financial literacy
curriculum have been developed. These state-of-the-art materials save our Patrons time and money by
reducing the personnel needed to develop comprehensive financial literacy presentation. The curricula
have been tested by thousands of organizations and delivered in multiple formats (in-person, online,
mobile applications) to make a lasting difference in participants’ financial capabilities.
•
Events & Speakers. From hands-on workshops to high-profile celebrity financial literacy events, NFEC
productions are sure to educate and entertain attendees of all ages in a variety of settings. The NFEC has
produced one of the largest financial literacy events in the country – serving an average of over 1,000
people per event – and founded the first national speakers’ bureau, the Personal Finance Speakers
Association.
Awareness
The NFEC is committed to raising awareness about the
financial literacy movement. Our focus on promotions and
advocacy engages target communities in the financial
education process to present far-reaching campaigns. These
campaigns succeed to garner media attention and attract
others interested in promoting financial literacy, thus helping
increase the reach and frequency of the message.
Awareness Foundation
From its inception the NFEC has focused on building a strong foundation. These efforts have earned us
recognition by academia, the media, financial professionals, and industry leaders. Solid infrastructure supports
our efforts to bring financial literacy into the mainstream and become known as an authority figure promoting
the benefits of financial wellness. The core pillars that form the foundation of our awareness initiatives are as
follows:
•
Brand. Over the years the NFEC has built one of the most recognizable brands in the financial education
industry. Clear messaging, distinct brand image, 100% independence, and a clearly-defined plan distinguish
the NFEC from others in the space. The NFEC has become positioned as an industry leader with major
influence on the efforts of other financial education companies.
•
Reach. The NFEC’s reach and influence has grown steadily. We now have one of the most highly-visited
financial education websites and social media followings in the industry. We have provided more than 10,000
organizations and individuals with financial education programming – reaching people in all US states and 56
counties.
•
Media Recognition. Our focus on developing assets that support media efforts has paid off; now the NFEC is
one of the top financial education companies covered in the press. The NFEC has been featured in CNN
Money, FOX Business, TIME, Yahoo Finance, MSNBC, and The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, and has received
over a million impressions on the front page of Yahoo Sports.
Awareness
Promotional Initiatives
Through high-profile promotions, partnerships, and
marketing the NFEC has developed nationallyrecognized campaigns. These efforts have placed us
among the leaders in the industry in sharing and
mainstreaming the financial literacy message. Our
promotional initiatives focus on:
•
•
Celebrity Relationships. The NFEC has partnered
with more than 50 celebrities, dignitaries, and
professional athletes to promote financial wellness
in communities across the country. These
relationships have yielded high-profile recognition
and garnered millions of media impressions to raise
awareness for the financial literacy movement.
Public Service Announcement. The NFEC has
developed print, video, and radio PSAs that
encourage financial wellness. Our ‘The Talk’ PSA
was featured in TIME and was promoted via our
celebrity partners including Mrs. DC America (also
a Mrs. America contestant) whose platform was
financial literacy.
How an Ad Will Persuade You to
Talk to Your Kids About Money
By Dan Kadlec @dankadlec
Coming soon to a magazine,
newspaper or Web page near you:
emotionally charged public-service
messages designed to jolt parents into
having “the talk” with their kids. Not
that talk. The tougher one about how
to budget, save and otherwise manage
money.
The National Financial Educators
Council just unveiled a series of
gripping print ads that liken poor
personal finance skills to common
dangers like, say, texting and driving
or unprotected sex. Featured images
include a girl crossing the street in a
blindfold, a teen drinking and driving,
a child playing on train tracks and a
youngster abusing prescription drugs.
•
Activation. Our commitment to providing Patrons and
partners with training and resources to promote
financial wellness has significantly expanded our
reach. Activating our awareness campaigns has
greatly extended our message reach and frequency.
•
National Financial Educators Day. The NFEC is
committed to honoring financial educators. Financial
Educators Day was established to recognize those
individuals who are working to improve financial
capabilities among people in their communities. The
inaugural year recognized over 100 financial
educators from 43 states and was publicly launched
at Transamerica’s 2014 Retirement Readiness
Summit.
Sustainability
As demonstrated in the National Financial Capability
Strategy report, financial literacy programs with the best
chance of long-term success are those that achieve
sustainability over time. The NFEC designs financial
education programs that work in the free market.
Helping organizations and individuals develop sustainable
personal finance programs is a prime focus of the NFEC.
Aligning our financial literacy programming with the overall
organizational objectives of clients, sponsors, patrons, and
partners helps ensure that financial education lessons
continue to have major impact in perpetuity. Some of the
key features of the NFEC’s scalable model include:
Business Structure
The NFEC is an independent, for-profit financial literacy council with a social enterprise business model. This
structure gives us the freedom to deliver an unbiased financial education and support organizations in need of
assistance, while demonstrating a scalable model that ensures profitability. Social responsibility, conscious
capitalism, and free enterprise are the fundamental principles underpinning our teachings and overall business
model.
The NFEC allocates a portion of revenue generated into the following four funds:
•
Social Enterprise Fund. Supports organizations to fund their financial education programs by providing
training, resources, and funding opportunities designed to help them develop sustainable programming.
•
Innovation Fund. This fund supported development of material covered in this brochure along with one
of our latest innovations, SavingsFund – the first crowdfunding platform designed to help kids save
money for their futures.
•
Awareness Fund. This fund supports our PSAs and other promotional efforts, including the Family Savings
Challenge – a campaign designed to help families build savings and learn essential money management
lessons.
•
Investment Fund. The NFEC invests in companies aligned with its long-term strategic vision, providing
opportunities to expand the impact of our vision for a national solution.
Sustainability & Conclusion
Business Structure (continued)
Open Source. Using an open source model, the NFEC supports industry sustainability by sharing best practices,
data, and resources. The NFEC is uniquely positioned to share best practices because its material is tested by
reputable organizations around the globe – providing feedback, test results, and surveys to generate the empirical
data needed to fine-tune and perfect programming.
Legislation. To ensure long-term change, the NFEC has drafted student loan legislation to encourage collegebound students under 18 years old to take a personal finance class prior to committing to student loan debt – the
College Student Protection and Financial Education Act. Although our long-term goal is to create a world where
all youth receive a financial education, the NFEC is focusing its efforts first on this niche market because people
agree that financially illiterate 17 year olds are not able to make qualified financial decisions.
Infrastructure. Our training and resources support a growing national coalition of educators and advocates. The
NFEC designs win-win solutions that facilitate collaboration between a wide range of stakeholders to support the
philanthropic, personal, and business goals of our Patrons while helping us work toward a national solution. This
collaborative approach is designed to unite the industry toward finding effective solutions to promote financial
wellness.
Conclusion
The NFEC has a clear business model to address the
financial illiteracy epidemic. We have developed key
ingredients covered in the National Financial Capability
Strategy,
including
state-of-the-art
education,
widespread awareness about the financial literacy
movement, and the creation of sustainable, scalable
programs that ensure long-term success at raising the
financial capabilities of citizens around the world.
For those looking to make a real, measurable impact on
the financial capabilities of citizens – the NFEC and our
international team of advocates and educators are the
best choice. Our programs cost less per student than
most financial literacy programs, and we lead the
industry in creating mainstream awareness.
We invite you to join us in the financial literacy
movement. Together we can educate the world’s
citizens to make qualified financial decisions that
improve their lives, the lives of their loved ones, and the
lives of people they influence worldwide.
www.FinancialEducatorsCouncil.org