Saving and Investing Workshops Presented to Arkansas Teachers

Middle and high school teachers from around Arkansas attended workshops this summer presented by the Little Rock Branch in collaboration with the Arkansas Securities Department and EconomicsArkansas. The Basics of Saving and Investing: Investor Education 2020, produced with funds from the Investor Protection Trust, was provided by the Arkansas Securities Department. Workshops were held in Little Rock, Beebe, Springdale, Pine Bluff, Camden and Magnolia, Ark.

“Financial literacy is very important to all students. This workshop is especially needed to stress the idea of starting a saving and investing plan at a young age,” said Billy Britt, economic education specialist at the Little Rock Branch. “We want students to realize that they must start planning their financial futures early if they want to retire without financial worries. Learning some basics about saving and investing in school is important to everyone’s financial literacy,” Britt added.

Topics presented during the six-hour workshop included:

• Technology training. Educators were shown web sites like the Federal Reserve System web site, Yahoo’s finance web site, and online saving and investing sites.
• Why people save and invest. Learning to look at the time value of money and decision-making model activities were among the concepts teachers practiced during this session.
• An introduction to financial markets. Zoe Rossi of the Arkansas Securities Department talked to participants about understanding risk and return, learning about different types of investments, how financial markets work and the regulation of financial markets.
• Planning and investment concepts. Teachers were given a model plan to help their students plan for their financial futures.
• Fraud and how to prevent it. Seminar presenters discussed investment scams, schemes and swindles, hallmarks of telemarketing fraud and how to become victim-proof.