Building and maintaining financial security is increasingly difficult for a growing portion of American households. Wealth is less prevalent in middle-class households and increasing among the already well-to-do. At the same time, poverty is growing and concentrating disproportionately among the...

A recent study finds that telephone and face-to-face counseling can be equally effective and appear to generate equivalent outcomes for consumers' creditworthiness two years later. The increase in telephone and online counseling may encourage consumers to seek earlier assistance for their credit...

Government actions, combined with oversight and standardization from industry organizations, benefit consumers by enabling them to more easily identify agencies that work in their best interest and are certified to provide them with quality financial education.

Access to mainstream financial services is on the horizon for unbanked and underbanked consumers in Houston through Get Checking(TM), a national initiative sponsored by eFunds Corp. and the University of Wisconsin Extension.

Consumers can go online to get advice about choosing the right agency.

When the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas updated its popular print publication, "Building Wealth: A Beginner's Guide to Securing Your Financial Future", it also produced a new animated, interactive CD-ROM version.

A unique partnership between Unity One Federal Credit Union and Fort Worth's Washington Heights Elementary School created a "Kids Bank" that encourages savings and teaches children valuable financial skills that will benefit them for a lifetime.

Last fall, the Texas Department of Banking surveyed Texas banks to identify the financial education services and programs they offer. One hundred and fifty-four banks responded to the online survey.