InCharge Debt Solutions Debuts "Teach Money" Program to Advance K-12 Financial Education

ORLANDO, Fla., July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- InCharge^® Debt Solutions ("InCharge"), a nonprofit credit counseling agency, announced today that its Teach Money program reached the milestone of being completed by more than 1,000 future educators in Central Florida.  The program is funded by Chase and is designed to address one of the fundamental steps outlined by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in its report "Transforming the Financial Lives of a Generation of Young Americans: Policy Recommendations for Advancing K-12 Financial Education," (April, 2013).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120731/DC49521LOGO)

The CFPB recommendation to "Create consistent opportunities and incentives for teachers to take financial education training with the express intention of teaching financial management to their students," is directly addressed by Teach Money, which was already under development by InCharge and Chase and designed for students pursuing an Education curriculum.

"A University of Wisconsin research study found that the problem of financial education is that teachers don't know how or what to teach," said Karen Carlson, Director of Education at InCharge Debt Solutions.  "So we took the approach of developing a financial literacy course for teachers that improves their own financial situation, increases their financial literacy and gives them the tools to teach this to their students."

InCharge conducted workshops at the Orlando campus of the University of Central Florida (the largest university in Florida and second largest in the nation), and the Cocoa, Florida campus of Brevard Community College.   The 1,000 college students who completed the course will be surveyed and their input will be used to improve both the course and course materials for workshops being planned at various colleges and universities throughout the 2013/14 school year.  InCharge also published a 120-page Teach Money workbook given to workshop attendees and Financial Literacy Education Kits are being made available to future teachers throughout the nation.

InCharge Debt Solutions provides bankruptcy counseling, credit counseling, and housing counseling services to consumers and service members in need of financial literacy education, money management guidance, and help finding the right debt solution for their specific situation.

• Bankruptcy Education and Counseling: Take required pre-filing counseling (from certified counseling staff) and pre-discharge course. Call 866-729-0049.

• Credit Counseling: Certified credit counselors give free, confidential counseling (online or by phone) and offer an alternative to debt consolidation through debt management programs and free budgeting assistance. Call 877-486-4924.

• Housing Counseling Services: Get help with HUD-approved foreclosure prevention, first-time homebuyer education and free counseling. Call 877-251-1882.

• Servicemember Help: Specialized help for military families facing financial difficulty. Call 877-258-9549.

• Online Counseling: Free, comprehensive web counseling provides budget building tool, analysis and available solutions from your computer. Visit: InCharge Debt Solutions.

About InCharge^® Debt Solutions
Founded in 1997, InCharge® Debt Solutions is a leading 501(c)(3) non-profit, community-service organization offering confidential and professional credit counseling, housing counseling, debt management, bankruptcy education and general financial education to individuals seeking options to manage credit card debt and consolidate debt payment. The company, accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) and a member of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), interacted with over 1.1 million consumers in 2012. InCharge is affiliated with InCharge® Education Foundation, Inc. (ICEF) which is dedicated to providing educational products, services and research supporting the personal financial literacy of consumers across America. ICEF also provides financial literacy training to servicemembers and their families through Military Money.

SOURCE InCharge Debt Solutions