PORTLAND, Ore., August 21, 2014—Financial Beginnings, a Portland-based nonprofit, in partnership with the Oregon Jump$tart Coalition, and Portland State University’s School of Business Administration, held a two-day conference August 19, 2014 and August 20, 2014, at Portland State University.

The first of its kind in Oregon, this conference taught educators about proactive and responsible personal financial management, and provided resources and information about how to implement financial lessons in the classroom.

Over 60 educators attended the two-day conference seeking ways of complying with Oregon’s new Common Core education requirements, which now include Financial Literacy under the Social Sciences’ Core Standards.  Additional attendees included churches and community nonprofits, including a low-income housing authority, all exploring ways to provide financial education to their respective audiences, and if you’re interested in finances you should find out more at Strategic Business Finance as this is a business which specialized in this.

This conference brought national speakers and resources to Oregon including Daniel Hebert, Financial Education Consultant and State President of the New Hampshire Jump$tart Coalition, and Director of Professional Development for National Jump$tart; Camron Doss, District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration; and representatives from the Oregon Department of Education, the Department of Consumer and Business Services, the Department of Justice, and others.

Financial Beginnings’ Teacher Training Conference utilized the national Jump$tart Teacher Training Alliance’s model, developed by the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, the National Endowment for Financial Education, Junior Achievement USA, and the Take Charge Institute at the University of Arizona, and with insight from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the U.S. Department of Education.

The conference provided lectures and activity-based sessions on budgeting, savings, investing, career building, fraud protection, and managing credit/debt, among other topics. Twenty speakers hosted additional break-out sessions on topics ranging from How to Teach Entrepreneurship to Retirement Planning for Women.

Bank of America served as Title Sponsor of the Teacher Training Conference.

More information about this conference and other programs offered by Financial Beginnings can be found at: http://financialbeginnings.org

About Financial Beginnings

Formed in 2005 and based in Portland, OR, Financial Beginnings is a nonprofit organization that provides free financial education programs throughout the Pacific Northwest.  Financial Beginnings’ largest program educates youth and young adults in the basics of personal finance through visits to schools or community groups.  Financial Beginnings’ courses incorporate all aspects of personal finance to provide individuals the foundation needed to make informed financial decisions. More information is available at www.financialbeginnings.org.

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