Podcast Extra: Financial Literacy Month

[00:00:00] Speaker A: You check your account balance and realize you have no idea where your last paycheck actually went. Bills are piling up. That nagging anxiety kicks in and you wonder, how did I even get here? If that hits too close to home, you're far from alone. And April just happens to be the one month of the year the entire country stops to do something about it. I'm Jim Tarabokhi here for the Retirement Radio Network powered by Amerilife. Financial literacy is so important because it's what you're going to base the rest [00:00:28] Speaker B: of of your life on. [00:00:30] Speaker A: Resource wise. John Ford of cnbc bringing up an obvious but important pointer about money and finances. April is National Financial Literacy Month. It started back in the early 2000s when Congress realized too many Americans were leaving school without the first clue about how to manage a paycheck, a credit card, or a financial future. Fast forward to 2026 and the problem hasn't gone away. In fact, nearly half of us adults still give themselves a C minus or worse on money knowledge. And as CNBC's Bertha Combs tells us, one of the best investments you can give yourself learning how to manage your money. [00:01:05] Speaker B: You know, we all work very hard for our money and we should learn how to make our money work for us. And I think if you invest in knowing how to manage your money that it will pay off as you get older, it'll pay off in your life. [00:01:22] Speaker A: It's about knowing enough to stop making the same expensive mistakes and finally starting to make decisions that move your financial life forward. So. So here are five quick financial wins you can achieve this month. Review one monthly bill and see if you can cut, renegotiate or cancel it. Follow that with pulling up your free credit report and spot any surprises. Next, set one small savings goal. Even 20 bucks a paycheck counts. Don't forget to learn just one new money concept, like how compound interest actually works for you instead of against you. And maybe the most powerful one, Sit down with your partner and and or your kids and have one honest conversation about money. No judgment, just a real talk. While Financial Literacy Month won't fix every financial bump in the road you may have, it can be the month you finally stop feeling helpless about money and start feeling in control. So pick one thing. Do it this week because the best time to get smarter with your money was 20 years ago. The second best time right now in April for the Retirement Dad Radio Network, powered by Amerilife. I'm Jim Tarabokia.