Oct 10, 2009

University To Receive Grant From Social Security

From a press release:
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Financial Security has received first-year funding of $1.48 million to participate in the Social Security Administration's new Financial Literacy Research Consortium (FLRC). ...

The FLRC-supported research will include projects requiring extensive quantitative data analysis, as well as those gathering data through qualitative interviews and focus groups. Funded projects will define and identify forms of financial literacy during the life course and among low-income and other specific populations. This research will also explore "teachable moments," times that motivate a change in financial behavior, and identify potential financial education strategies for targeted populations. ...

The Center for Financial Security will sponsor a symposium, "Family Financial Security: Implications for Policy and Practice," on Monday and Tuesday, April 19-20, at the Fluno Center for Executive Education at UW-Madison. The symposium will convene leading applied researchers and practitioners to present current thinking across disciplines. Four panels — credit, retirement saving, thrift and banking — will each feature several papers. Participants will discuss how innovative programs, policies and products can best promote family financial literacy.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Often wondered why SSA does this when they defer to the secretary of Labor to speak about the program. Seriously, for as long as I can remember all official administration pronouncements about the viability of the program come from someone other than SSA's COSS. So what is going to be done with this material? Speaking about financial literacy would seem to be more in line with an agency like SEC, FTC, Treasury but SSA?

Nancy Ortiz said...

I know I'm paranoid, but this sounds like a carryover from the Bush admin, a sort of back-door approach to a pitch for privatization. The COSS's PR guys should do this if anyone does--send us the usual posters to put up in the reception area, send us power point slide shows for speeches we didn't have time to make, etc. We need to spend the money on something else--especially now, under the CR. This time of year, it can be 6 months before we can buy photocopy paper. Phooey. Who's minding the store in the White House?