SPECIAL FOCUS
Dollars & Sense
Financial literacy can stabilize family finances, inspire students’ career choices and strengthen small businesses. By Ann Wessel
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he distilled definition of financial literacy — effectively understanding and managing budgets, investments and debt — is often a one-time exercise necessary to apply for a loan or avert a crisis. But three St. Cloud area professionals who provide counseling, courses and other resources on the topic, frame financial literacy in terms of possibilities. A Lifelong Process “I think the biggest obstacle to financial literacy is the lack of awareness of how important this skill is and how it affects so many areas of your life,” said Lois Rengel, Catholic Charities’ financial and housing
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