April Declared "Financial Literacy Month" (03.30)

"We are grateful to Assemblyman Koretz for carrying this important resolution to help raise public awareness about the need for financial literacy," said CalCPA Chair Steve Wimmers, CPA. "This issue is so important to CalCPA that we've launched Dollars & Sense, an outreach program designed to educate Californians, young and old, about basic financial matters."

Dollars & Sense offers practical, user-friendly seminars designed to improve Californians' knowledge of basic financial planning and tax issues. CalCPA members volunteer their time to lead the free seminars, which are typically hosted by state legislators or other community leaders.

Fiona Ma, a CPA and San Francisco supervisor, plans to host Dollars & Sense events in April that have been specifically designed for graduating high school seniors and their parents. In January, Assemblyman John Campbell hosted a Dollars & Sense event in Irvine.

"The CPA profession is at the heart of sound financial decision-making -- and CalCPA members take this responsibility very seriously," said Wimmers. "We're here to protect the public, and working with youth -- and all Californians -- to help them make responsible financial decisions is just one more way we can achieve this goal."

According to Wimmers, a recent statewide survey commissioned by CalCPA showed that nearly half of those who use credit cards carry forward a portion of their balance each month and only about one-third put a fixed amount of their earnings into a savings account.

"By making smart financial decisions, Californians can get their debt under control and start achieving their financial goals," said Wimmers. "We're here to help."

CalCPA is one of the nation's largest accounting organizations and the largest CPA association in California. Serving 27,000 members in public practice, private industry, education and government, its mission is to increase the value and promote the integrity of the CPA profession.