Prosper America: New Charity Makes Financial Education Accessible to Everyone
Most Americans don’t have $400 for an emergency. Sixty five percent of American adults don’t have a budget.1 Forty six percent have less than $10,000 saved for retirement.2
These shocking statistics illustrate that, for many people, managing their personal finances is a serious challenge.
Prosper America, the nation’s first, independent non-profit charitable organization for personal financial literacy, is out to change all that.
Prosper America offers a full scope of financial education materials – tools and courses that include articles, videos, worksheets and more for self-study — through an interactive platform, the Online Learning Center.
The charity provides other practical tools, including My Deals, with thousands of money saving coupons and discounts; Quick Calculators for common financial questions; and Wealth Access, a secure online organizer for all your personal financial accounts.
“Basic financial skills are not taught in our schools, so the problems keep getting worse for the majority of Americans,” says Steve Shambora, Prosper America’s Founder and Director. Shambora has worked to develop the new charity since 2014, out of a personal desire to educate others about personal finance.
The new charity is targeted to the public, community groups (such as businesses, schools and churches), as well as other charities.
“There is not a facet of life that money doesn’t touch,” he notes. “The information and tools we offer can give anyone the skills they need to be a better steward of their resources.”
Closing the Education Void
Prosper America’s educational materials zero-in on four major knowledge gaps that have a lifetime of financial implications for every consumer:
- Finance-specific math
- Spending habits
- Goal setting
- Getting organized
Nine topic areas are currently covered in-depth for high school-aged students, through adult audiences.
Access to all of these tools is made possible by donors who want to support financial literacy, and, individuals who want to apply what they learn to their own finances.
Monthly donations are requested at $11.99 for individuals; or $23.99 for professionals who can use the program materials to promote financial literacy in their communities. One-time donations of any amount are welcome, and will fund access to the educational materials for the truly needy.
For more information or to make a donation, please visit www.prosperamerica.org, or call 866.855.6855.
1NFCC Financial Literacy Survey, 2010
2 Employment Benefit Research Institute
