Financial Education on the Pathway to Financial Inclusion

Posted by on September 24, 2012

Announcing the next in the SMDP 2012 Webinar Series

Financial Education on the Pathway to Financial Inclusion

Facilitator Candace Nelson of Microfinance Opportunities

Wednesday, October 3 11 AM – 12 PM EDT (-5 GMT)

The goal of financial inclusion has been widely embraced, and the right combination of political will and technology make it seem attainable. Yet, consumers will not be successfully ‘included’ in the financial system unless they are informed consumers, capable of comparing providers and products and choosing those that best meet their needs. Hence the link between financial inclusion and financial education which teaches the knowledge, skills and attitudes that people can use to adopt good money management practices. The evolving landscape of financial services for the poor makes financial education ever more relevant, and urgent. Mainstream financial institutions are targeting ‘downstream’ markets; beyond credit, savings, insurance, payment services, and money transfers are increasingly available. Anyone with a cell phone will be able to have a bank account.  Yet, while people may handily master a cell phone’s functionality, they often understand little about the management decisions that the keypad contains. New access to convenient debit cards and ATMs presents challenges to those trying to control their spending.

In this webinar, we will explore how financial education can respond to these challenges, defining what it is, how it is delivered to consumers in different contexts, and the difference it can make.

Webinar Presenter Bio:

Candace Nelson, Senior Technical Advisor, Microfinance Opportunities
Candace Nelson is an accomplished writer, trainer, curriculum designer, researcher and grants manager. As Senior Technical Advisor to Microfinance Opportunities (http://microfinanceopportunities.org/) and its financial education program since 2004, she has written multiple curriculum modules including Young People: Your Future, Your Money and Risk Management and Insurance: Protect Your Family’s Future, trained trainers in French and Spanish, and outlined national strategies for financial education. She also designed financial education curriculum for CARE Burundi’s savings group program with adolescent girls. At the SEEP Network, Ms. Nelson coordinates the Savings-led Financial Services Working Group which is an inclusive platform for sharing saving group experience among a wide range of practitioners. From 1999 – 2006, she developed and managed a grant program supporting economic empowerment for women in East Africa on behalf of the McKnight Foundation. She has B.A. in History from Smith College and an M.S. in Rural Sociology from the University of Wisconsin. Ms. Nelson resides in Concord, MA.

To register for this FREE webinar please follow this link

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/418527766

Thank you for your interest and support.

William Maddocks, Sustainable Microenterprise and Development Program at the Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire, USA

http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/smdp