By David Clay, SVP of Finance

While April is National Financial Literacy month, for Cash America, every month is another opportunity to promote and encourage financial literacy. Cash America has a history of helping hard-working Americans meet their financial needs so they can achieve their dreams. One way in which we help meet those needs is providing financial literacy through a variety of programs we sponsor.

Students at Arlington High School inTexas learn how to achieve financial success

For example, we sponsor the First Command Financial Education curriculum for high school students. Students in Texas can select classes at their high schools from a range of financial topics, such as balancing a checkbook, how to save, loans and insurance. We began supporting the project with First Command in a pilot program in 2009. Last year, we worked with the Consumer Service Association of Texas to donate funds to help pay for the program’s curriculum.

Individuals learn financial tips with
our coworkers in Chicago, IL

We have also partnered with the Consumer Financial Services Association of America (CFSA) to teach classes to Arlington High School students.

But this kind of financial literacy information isn’t only available to students. We also provide easy-to-use budgeting tools and tips for saving money on our website. Our tips include five steps to financial success:

>Track your daily expenses

>Create a budget and stick to it

>Trim your living expenses

>Consider a part-time or weekend job to catch up on your bills

>Consider converting unused and excess assets to cash.

Click here to see a budget worksheet and helpful hints on how to cut back on expenses. The tips include a wide range of ways to save in your daily life, such as meals and grocery bills, recreational expenses and transportation costs. Establishing and maintaining healthy financial habits is an important component of life and will help you reach your goals in the future.