Released: November 16, 2010
Consumer Action and Experian present National Financial Empowerment Conference
Contact: Linda Sherry, 202-670-3601 (Spanish and Chinese speakers available)
Consumer Action, the national nonprofit education and advocacy organization, and Experian®, the leading global information services company, have joined forces to sponsor the first National Financial Empowerment Conference from Nov. 16–17 in Chicago, Ill. The conference, which includes top adult financial education practitioners from consumer-based organizations (CBOs) across the country, will provide an opportunity for attendees to exchange best practices and proven strategies for financial empowerment. “Consumer Action has developed a unique model to help communities spread the word of financial health,” said Ken McEldowney, Consumer Action’s executive director. “By forging key partnerships nationwide with CBOs and giving them free tools to conduct outreach in their communities, we have built a more complete understanding of what works and what doesn’t. We are grateful for Experian’s support because it allows us to bring CBOs together to share best practices for financial empowerment.” “Experian knows how important it is to reach out to consumers who need meaningful information about credit and credit reporting,” said Maxine Sweet, Experian’s vice president of public education, who is presenting financial literacy information at the conference. “The consumer-based organizations that will be our guests at the Chicago conference play a vital role and serve as a trusted source in helping their local communities live credit smart.” At the conference, Consumer Action and Experian will unveil a joint comprehensive consumer education and training module focusing on credit reports and credit scores and consumer/specialty reports. The free multilingual module can be mixed and matched according to the needs of trainers and learners. The conference will be attended by 68 community adult education advocates from 59 organizations in 21 states. The groups include credit counseling and cooperative extension agencies, as well as social services, employment training, diversity and civil rights, legal aid, housing assistance and community development organizations. The conference will feature speakers, panel discussions and training seminars focusing on how CBOs can effectively communicate the role credit management plays in overall financial health. Experian, which has developed its own library of consumer education resources to help consumers understand the need to manage credit wisely, will provide an overview of these resources. Consumer Action trainers will present newly developed adult learning activities related to financial topics. To view the new teaching module, go to Credit Reports, Credit Scores and Specialty Reports. To learn more about Experian consumer education resources, visit http://www.experian.com/crediteducation.