May 7, 2019
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Devra Dragos, Nebraska Library Commission
402-471-4335
800-307-2665
Angelita Plemmer Williams, FINRA Investor Education Foundation
202-728-8988
@FINRAFoundation
Nebraska Library Commission Receives FINRA Investor Education Foundation Grant to Expand Personal Finance Collections to Aid Consumers Following Devastating Floods
[LINCOLN] — The Nebraska Library Commission today
announced plans to expand personal finance e-book collections available
through public libraries following receipt of a grant from the FINRA
Investor Education Foundation.
The additional resources will help ensure that
residents have the information they need when making critical money
decisions as they repair, rebuild, and clean up following the March 2019
flooding.
“When disaster strikes, the community comes
together,” said Rod Wagner. “We want everyone to know that their library is
both a welcoming convening place and a location where our families can
obtain unbiased information to guide financial choices that will have
lasting impact.”
Filing claims, accessing government resources,
managing lump-sum payments from insurance companies, and meeting immediate
expenses when income might be disrupted — these are just a few of the money
challenges that residents in disaster areas must navigate.
FINRA Foundation President Gerri Walsh noted, “Many
of us lack experience with these decisions. Nonetheless, we have to get it
right the first time around or face long-term financial consequences.
Fortunately, your library has information that can help.”
The expanded personal finance collections are made
possible by a $20,000 grant from the FINRA Foundation. For more than a dozen
years, the FINRA Foundation has provided funding, staff training and
programs to build the capacity of public libraries to address the financial
education needs of people nationwide. Much of this has been accomplished in
partnership with the American Library Association through a program known as
Smart investing@your
library®.
The FINRA Foundation is also providing materials
that explain the red flags of financial fraud and what people can do to be
vigilant and counter the persuasion tactics that fraudsters use.
It is estimated that consumer financial fraud costs Americans more than $50
billion a year, according to FINRA Foundation
research.
Financial fraud is
especially prevalent following major natural disasters. Since it was
established in 2005, the National Center for Disaster Fraud, which is part
of the U.S. Department of Justice, has logged more than 92,000
disaster-related complaints from all 50 states. Financial fraud makes tough
times all the more difficult for people recovering from the trauma inflicted
by disasters.
The FINRA Foundation has issued an
Alert
with practical guidance to help residents protect themselves from fraudulent
schemes. (See:
https://www.saveandinvest.org/disaster-fraud-nebraska.)
Ms. Walsh observed, “Recovery follows disaster, but
the path to recovery can be smooth or very bumpy. And financial fraud can be
one of the biggest potholes along that road. The Nebraska Library Commission
is working to make sure your library has information to help people avoid
the financial potholes and bring the route to recovery into sharper focus.”
As the state library agency, the Nebraska
Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs
of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide
promotion, development, and coordination of library and information
services, “bringing together people and information.”
The FINRA
Foundation supports innovative research and educational projects that
give Americans the knowledge, skills, and tools to make sound financial
decisions throughout life. For more information about FINRA Foundation
initiatives, visit
finrafoundation.org.
###
The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are
always available on the Library Commission Website,
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases .