April 2016 Newsletter
RAISE Texas News
Register to Reserve Your Seat at the RAISE Texas Summit on May 11-12, 2016
The 2016 RAISE Texas Summit and workshops “Building Financial Success for Texans: In Schools, The Workplace and Our Communities” will be held on May 11- 12, 2016 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in Dallas, Texas. We will be discussing the latest cutting-edge information on:
- Financial Coaching
- Children’s Savings Accounts for College through Texas Schools
- Small Dollar Loan Alternatives Available in our State
- Implementing Asset-building Products and Programs in the Workplace
We are excited to announce that two of our featured speakers will be Robert Kaplan, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and Timothy Flacke, Executive Director of Doorways to Dreams (D2D) Fund. You won’t want to miss what they have to say about asset building, moving people into the financial mainstream and community engagement! REGISTER TODAY!
Radio Segment about OpportunityTexas’ Dollars for College Program Broadcast Nationally
KERA radio in Dallas produced a segment about our Children’s Savings Account pilot program, Dollars for College, in Richardson ISD to NPR’s, All Things Considered. The segment was broadcast nationally on March 11th. Click here to listen to the segment.Texas News
April is Financial Literacy Month- Get Involved!
To celebrate Financial Literacy Month, transformance (formerly Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Dallas) has scheduled financial education classes for employees of local businesses and organizations. To schedule a one-hour class for your employees on a weekday in April, click here to reserve your date and time today. Topics include: budgeting, basics of credit, spending plan design, basics of retirement planning and student loans.
Lubbock Hosts Information Sessions About the Reality of Payday Lending
Texas Catholic Conference and Texas Appleseed recently conducted information sessions about payday lending and the debt trap in Lubbock, Texas. Attendees learned that Lubbock has thirty-three payday and auto title lenders in the city that have collected nearly $9 million in fees in 2014 and repossessed around 10 vehicles a week, reported by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Click here to read about the event.National News and Resources
Blog Highlights the Connection Between Financial Stress and Work Absenteeism
A new survey of over 5,000 workers by Willis Towers Watson shows that more than one in four employees who have financial stress says it affects how well they do their jobs and increases absenteeism. Workers stressed about their finances miss 3.5 days of work per year, which is nearly double the number of absences of people who do not have financial stress, according to the survey. Even when at work, employees that are stressed about their finances tend to be more distracted. Click here to read more on the results of the survey.
Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Revalidation Dates
Congress recently passed a new law that requires older ITINs to revalidate. The deadlines for the revalidation process are below.
|
If the ITIN was Issued |
The ITIN Must Be Renewed By |
|
Before January 1, 2008 |
January 1, 2017 |
|
In 2008 |
January 1, 2018 |
|
In 2009 or 2010 |
January 1, 2019 |
|
In 2011 or 2012 |
January 1, 2020 |
For more information, please contact Victoria Benner with National Council of La Raza at vbenner@nclr.org.
Consumer Finance Survey Results Now Available
NeighborWorks America recently released preliminary results from its third annual consumer finance survey. Key highlights include:
- 28 percent of adult Americans have no emergency savings in place.
- 61 percent of adults do not follow a formal budget plan.
- 25 percent of adults only have enough in savings to get by for less than one month if faced with a financial emergency.
There are large disparities in the ability to save for an emergency by income and race. Financial capability programs, like financial coaching, can help individuals and families put together a budget to reach an individualized savings goal. Click here for more information on the survey.
Upcoming Events in April 2016
- Measuring Financial Health: 8 Key Metrics Webinar
The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) is hosting a webinar on Thursday, April 14 from 12:00pm-1:00pm CT to discuss its eight key financial health metrics to assess customers’ movement along the financial health spectrum over time. Click here to register.
- Money Smart Week
Money Smart Week is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. Hundreds of organizations across the country—including businesses, financial institutions, schools, libraries, nonprofit groups, government agencies, and the media—come together to stress the importance of financial literacy. Money Smart Week will be April 23-30, 2016. Click here to get involved.
- Teach Children to Save Day 2016
Teach Children to Save, a program sponsored by the American Bankers Association (ABA), brings together students and bankers to promote savings education. This year, Teach Children to Save Day is on April 29, 2016. Click here for resources and information about this important day.
