St. Louis Fed Adds Free Educational Materials for Economics and Personal Finance

ST. LOUIS — The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis has added a dozen new materials to an already-robust supply of free personal finance and economic education resources for students and consumers.

The new materials can be found at the St. Louis Fed’s Econ Lowdown web site for economic education resources.  They include online courses, simulated online chats, videos, an audio podcast, and a mobile app.

The number of states requiring personal finance curriculum in public high schools is on the rise, and adults of all ages are often overwhelmed by choices when trying to decide how to save for retirement.

With the St. Louis Fed’s latest tools, students and consumers alike can learn about anything from choosing between retirement plans, to completing a W-4 form, to the basics of supply and demand.

“With the nation still recovering from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, it’s crucial that everyone—particularly our students—prepare themselves for a healthy financial future,” said Mary Suiter, economic education officer at the St. Louis Fed.

Here is a complete list of the new materials:

• Supply and demand course: One version for high school students and another for consumers
• Personal Finance 101 simulated online chats: Resume 101; Car Insurance; Buy Here, Pay Here; Completing a W-4; and Interviewing Tips
• The second episode  in the No Frills Money Skills video series: “Ways to Save: 401(k) and Roth 401(k)”
• The third episode of the Econ Lowdown video podcast series: “Equilibrium”
• The 12th episode of the Econ Lowdown audio podcast series: “Price Signals”
• An updated Econ Lowdown mobile app: Beat the Expert
• A monthly newsletter for teachers of economics and personal finance that offers information on professional development opportunities and new classroom materials

Econ Lowdown also has a new and improved, more user-friendly and searchable web site, plus social media accounts.  On the Econ Lowdown Facebook and Twitter pages, followers can find personal finance tips, information on new classroom materials, and economics context for headlines in the news.  

The St. Louis Fed offers free downloadable lesson plans, interactive whiteboard activities, and online courses for classrooms ranging from elementary school to college.  The organization reaches 275,000 students with its online tools and programming.  Materials also are available to help the general public understand anything from inflation to saving for retirement.

Visit http://www.stlouisfed.org/education_resources/ to see the complete collection of free online educational tools.