Press Releases

For Immediate Release
October 05, 2009	Contact: Charles Evenson 608-266-2026

DFI Secretary Heinemann Urges Participation in Fourth Annual Money Smart Week Wisconsin

2009 Campaign Offers 100s of Free Events

(Madison) DFI Secretary Lorrie Keating Heinemann today urged Wisconsin citizens to take advantage of the fourth annual Money Smart Week WisconsinSM (MSWW) campaign. The statewide initiative runs October 10-17. It offers over 600 activities, classes and events, nearly all of which are free and open to the public. Secretary Heinemann also singled out planning committees around the state for their exceptional hard work in preparing for the campaign.

“Money Smart Week 2009 offers a great opportunity to gain money skills at a time when people can benefit from them more than ever,” said Secretary Heinemann. “Planning committees have done an amazing job of preparation this year and I commend and thank them for it. They are continuing successful events of the past two years and trying new approaches in 2009.”

She cited some examples.

• Dane County: Power of Change Family Festival, Oct. 10—will again be held at the Financial Education Center. Meridee Maynard, Senior Vice President, Northwestern Mutual is keynote speaker. It’s great for kids with 300 Penny the Pigs being handed out.
• Fond du Lac: Family Fun Moolah Day, Oct. 10—takes place at the Public Library. The day before, Friday, Oct. 9 during a special “Library After Hours” event, the library will unveil its newest collection—The Money Smart Neighborhood—made possible by a $52,000 grant from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Investor Education Foundation (FINRA) and the American Library Association.
• Fox Cities Area: The Big Read, Oct. 10—will be going on at libraries throughout the Fox Cities area. It will feature story time, songs, activities and visits by Ben Franklin.
• Sheboygan County: Oct. 12 kickoff at Rotary meeting with keynote Wendy Bauman, President, Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative, plus nearly 150 events on multiple topics, some in Spanish, several repeated throughout the week to ensure access.
• Winnebago County: Financial Funfest, Oct 9—will kick off that area’s Money Smart activities at the Boys and Girls Club with games, food, crafts, prizes, Ben Franklin.
• Green Bay Area: Oct. 14—Green Bay Packers are hosting Get Your Students Pumped Up on Personal Finance and Economics at Lambeau Field. Former Packer President Bob Harlan will address the group of K-12 teachers.
• Milwaukee Area: Oct 9-10—Milwaukee Fatherhood Summit and Money Smart Wisconsin Financial Fair two days Oct. 10 and Oct. 16—in Spanish and English.
• Washington County: offers over 45 programs throughout the week.
• Wausau Area: Oct. 3—kicks off with third annual Money Conference
• Winnebago County Kickoff with Ben Franklin: Oct. 9—Boys and Girls Club of Oshkosh hosts families, children of all ages and adults, offers free Penny the Pigs

The complete calendar of events can be found at: www.moneysmartwi.org. For the first time, the campaign offers Regional Home Pages for communities with planning committees. Access is available on the left side of the Money Smart Home Page under: Search: WI REGIONS.

Twenty-one state areas have organized planning committees for the 2009 campaign. The committees include Dane County, Dodge County, Douglas County, Eau Claire area, Fond du Lac County, the Fox Cities area, Green Bay area, Kenosha County, Knapp area, La Crosse County, Manitowoc County, Marshfield area, Menominee County/Nation, Milwaukee area,
Northwest Wisconsin general area, Rice Lake area, Sheboygan County, Spooner area, Washington County, Wausau area and Winnebago County.

Governor Doyle’s Council on Financial Literacy created Money Smart Week WisconsinSM four years ago with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The Council modeled the initiative after similar campaigns run by the Chicago Fed in the cities of Detroit and Chicago. Wisconsin’s campaign has the support of the Federal Reserve Banks of both Chicago and Minneapolis. Secretary Heinemann serves as chair of the Council and First Lady Jessica Doyle serves as its honorary chair. David Mancl, Director of DFI’s Office of Financial Literacy and an appointee to the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, serves as its Executive Director.

The campaign’s goal is to help families, students, homeowners, businesspersons, employees and other community members expand their opportunities by improving their financial literacy. MSWW guidelines prohibit promotion of products, services or sales pitches at events. For more information contact David Mancl, Director of DFI’s Office of Financial Literacy at 608-261-9540 or email him at david.mancl@dfi.wisconsin.gov.