Washington, D.C. — As an active and dedicated member agency of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced its strong support for the newly unveiled National Strategy for Financial Literacy. This sweeping federal initiative is designed to serve as a comprehensive roadmap, guiding nationwide actions aimed at enhancing youth financial competency, fostering resilient saving and investing habits, significantly improving Americans’ understanding of digital financial literacy, and equipping consumers with the critical tools needed to identify, avoid, and protect themselves against fraud and scams in an increasingly digital economy.

The rollout of the new national strategy comes at a pivotal time for American households navigating complex economic landscapes, rapid technological shifts in banking, and evolving financial products. By aligning federal resources and encouraging cross-sector collaboration, the initiative seeks to establish a unified approach to addressing the persistent gaps in financial knowledge across diverse demographics. The CFPB, utilizing its extensive research capabilities and regulatory expertise, has long championed initiatives that empower consumers to make informed financial decisions throughout their lives.

To support these overarching national goals, the CFPB has developed an array of evidence-based financial education resources specifically crafted to help Americans increase their overall financial well-being. Central to this effort is the bureau’s youth financial education strategy, a meticulously researched framework that outlines precisely when and how children and youth acquire the foundational knowledge, practical skills, and behavioral patterns that strongly correlate with adult financial stability and success.

This research-backed framework is anchored around three core building blocks that children naturally develop as they grow: improving executive functioning skills, creating and encouraging positive financial habits, and steadily building financial knowledge alongside advanced decision-making skills. By focusing on these developmental milestones early in life, educators, parents, and community leaders can help lay the groundwork for long-term economic security, ensuring that younger generations enter adulthood prepared to manage credit, debt, savings, and investments responsibly.

The newly established National Strategy for Financial Literacy builds upon these developmental principles by outlining clear priority areas for the Financial Literacy and Education Commission. These priorities are structured to direct federal focus toward the most critical areas of need in contemporary American society, ranging from the earliest stages of youth education up to advanced financial literacy challenges faced by adults navigating digital marketplaces and retirement planning.

Beyond establishing broad priorities, the National Strategy for Financial Literacy identifies and emphasizes a series of best practices designed to ensure that financial education delivery is both effective and impactful. Among these recommended approaches are providing actionable and timely education precisely at key financial decision points in a consumer’s life, tailoring educational content to specific life stages and individual personal situations, and reinforcing foundational concepts over time rather than relying on isolated, one-time interventions.

Furthermore, the strategy highlights the importance of incorporating experiential and hands-on learning methods, supporting high-quality instruction for educators, and rigorously evaluating program effectiveness to ensure that resources are yielding measurable positive outcomes. These best practices were developed through an extensive and collaborative process that included consultation with agencies represented on the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, valuable public input from stakeholders across the country, and independent academic research on financial literacy and education.

The Financial Literacy and Education Commission itself operates under a legislative mandate established by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. Congress created the commission with the explicit mission to improve the financial literacy and education of persons living in the United States through the development and implementation of a comprehensive national strategy designed to promote financial health and economic education.

The structure of the FLEC reflects a broad, multi-agency commitment to economic empowerment, bringing together the heads of 23 federal agencies alongside the White House Domestic Policy Council. The commission is chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury, while the leadership team includes the Acting Director of the CFPB serving as Vice Chairman, underscoring the bureau’s central role in shaping national consumer protection and financial education policy.

Reflecting on the bureau’s ongoing commitment to these initiatives, leadership has consistently emphasized the vital connection between robust financial literacy programs and consumer protection. Discussions at recent FLEC meetings have focused heavily on how federal agencies can better coordinate their outreach efforts, share successful program models, and ensure that underserved communities have equitable access to high-quality financial education resources. As the implementation of the National Strategy for Financial Literacy moves forward, the CFPB remains positioned to play a leading role in translating these high-level federal goals into practical, accessible tools for consumers nationwide.