Every year, the American Banker's Association presents Get Smart About Credit Day to help educate young people about the importance of using credit wisely. While this event targets young people through their classrooms, the lessons of Get Smart About Credit Day can apply to all of us, regardless of age. It's a great time for you to review your credit smarts and figure out areas where you maybe need more education.
Topics frequently covered in Get Smart About Credit Day programs include:
- understanding your credit report,
- credit worthiness,
- identity protection,
- identity theft,
- opening a bank account,
- online and mobile banking,
- how to write a check,
- managing your money,
- what kinds of credit are available,
- how interest works,
- how to use credit wisely,
- knowing how to use credit cards,
- different types of loans, and
- paying for college.
Do you consider yourself an expert on all these topics? Very few people are. Most people know a little bit about most of these issues, but not everything about every topic. Heck, I'm in the process of learning about a new type of loan right now, as we take out a construction loan to build a house.
While this isn't an official thing, I encourage you to make your own Get Smart About Credit Day by taking a little time today to learn more about one of the topics listed above, or a similar topic that interests you. If you have children, take a moment today to teach them something about credit. There are literally a million resources available: books, military family readiness centers (Airman and Family Readiness Center, Fleet and Family Service Center, Marine Corps Community Services, and Army Community Services,) or the amazingly wide world of the internet. Pick a topic about which you want to learn more, pop it into your internet search engine, and see what comes up.
If you have questions, or have a subject that you'd love to see me write about, leave a comment and I'll see what I can pull together!
