As part of a nationwide initiative to improve students’ financial literacy, EC held its concluding Money Smart Week event April 10, where guest speakers discussed the importance of financial literacy.

Presentations, hosted in the Distance Education Center, were made by Wells Fargo representatives Nancy Machado, George Rios and Jose Pereda; SchoolsFirst Credit Union’s Stefan Kirk Wright; www.firedupforsuccess.com CEO Mary Lyn Miller; and EC’s financial advisor, Candace Colescott.

“The most important reason we need to be literate in finance is personal responsibility,” Colescott said. “Many of the financial issues we face from one until you die are things that the government no longer is going to be taking care of.”

A book by Jean Chatzky, called “Money Rules; The Simple Path to Lifelong Security,” was given to those in attendance.

“People need to learn and know what’s going on, and need to be informed,” Colescott said. “If not, they won’t know how to take care of themselves.”

Savings are critical when planning for the future, and having the knowledge to prosper in difficult times is the key to becoming financially independent.

“When it comes to students, it is very important for them to learn how to manage checking and savings accounts and how to establish good credit,” Pereda said. “Especially if they’re going to be asking for student loans, because it is the only type of loan that will follow you to your grave if not paid off, even after filing bankruptcy.”

For more information, students were encouraged to visit www.moneysmartweek.org or www.bankrate.com for more in-depth detail of how to manage their finances.

“It is critical that students have an exposure to the great variety of information that will help them to be more financially comfortable,” Alice Grigsby, director of learning resources, said.