Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink has appointed nine Floridians to serve on the state's first Financial Literacy Council. The council was created by the Florida Legislature in 2006 to study the financial problems that affect consumers, particularly young persons, seniors, working adults, and small business owners, which arise from a lack of basic knowledge of financial and insurance issues. The council will develop recommendations to Sink as part of a plan to develop programs and resources to help increase individuals' financial and insurance knowledge.
"As the Chief Financial Officer, one of my highest priorities is educating consumers about money," said Sink. "I am pleased to appoint nine highly qualified individuals to the Financial Literacy Council, and I look forward to working with them to empower Floridians to take control of their financial futures."
Sink said the council will help educate Floridians about important financial issues, such as avoiding excessive debt, the importance of saving, making sound investment decisions, and planning for retirement. Financial literacy education is essential, as recent news reports show that American consumers are living paycheck to paycheck and spending every dollar they earn. In fact, the U.S. government recently calculated consumer savings at the lowest levels since the Great Depression. In essence, too many consumers are spending more than they earn.
The following nine individuals have been appointed to the state's Financial Literacy Council:
Paul Auslander, CFP, president, American Financial Advisors (Orlando).
James R. De Santis, M.Ed., executive director, Florida Council on Economic Education (Tampa).
Liana Fox, Ph.D., professor, Hillsborough Community College (Tampa).
Richard George, president, Junior Achievement of West Central Florida (Safety Harbor).
Cassandra J. Grayson., M.Ed., senior vice president, Florida Credit Union League (Tallahassee).
Doug Heinlen, member of Florida Executive Council, American Association of Retired Persons (Sarasota).
Deidre Newton, M.B.A, president and CEO, Community Real Estate Services, Inc. (West Palm Beach).
Obdulio Piedra, Miami-Dade market president, Great Florida Bank (Pinecrest).
Dulce M. Suarez-Resnick, senior account manager, HBA Insurance Group (Miami).
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