To celebrate April as Financial Literacy Month, the Oklahoma Jump$tart Coalition is again conducting Jump$tart Your Money (JYM) Week, April 20-26. Joining in the statewide effort to promote financial education, the Oklahoma Society of Certified Public Accountants is offering free Financial Fitness Kits through public libraries across the state and online at www.KnowWhatCounts.org.

The fifth annual JYM Week brings organizations, businesses and schools together to educate all Oklahomans about money issues, a topic brought more to light by recent economic events and startling financial statistics for the state.

For example, a 2007 A.G. Edwards Nest Egg Savings Study ranked Oklahoma 47 out of 50 states for personal savings. Other research indicates Oklahoma ranks in the top 10 states for personal bankruptcy filings and for credit card debt per capita. Additionally, a study released in March by Hill & Knowlton, Inc. shows only 27 percent of consumers believe the new administration can solve the current economic crisis.

Although JYM Week offers classes and seminars statewide, the free Financial Fitness Kits were created to help time-challenged Oklahomans.

The OSCPA Financial Fitness Kits include information on retirement planning, paying for college, starting a business and more. Plus, kits include a 16-page “How to Raise a Financially Fit Child” booklet, created with the Oklahoma Council on Economic Education; as well as “Freshman Finance 101,” a guide to help understand the basics of finance. Additionally, the OSCPA offers CD versions of the kit, a move the OSCPA hopes will encourage tech-savvy individuals to also participate.

For the second year, the OSCPA is also partnering with libraries across Oklahoma for kit distribution.

“We received such wonderful feedback from many Oklahomans, so we asked state libraries to continue working with us. This means Oklahomans can pick up their kits from nearby libraries or from our office,” said Amy Welch, OSCPA communications director. “They can also download the whole kit or specific elements of the kit from our Web site.”

To find a distributing library or to download the kit, visit http://www.knowwhatcounts.org/.

Welch said the OSCPA offers the materials at no cost to help Oklahomans get information even if they can’t attend a JYM Week workshop or seminar.

Visit http://www.oklahomajumpstart.org/ for more information about the Oklahoma Jump$tart Coalition and JYM Week, including a calendar of events.

With more than 6,600 members in public practice, industry, government and education, the OSCPA is Oklahoma’s only statewide professional association of certified public accountants. For 90 years, the organization has provided professional education, conducted quality reviews and promoted and maintained high standards of integrity and competence within the accounting profession.