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Media Tips and Talking Points

Tips for Working with the Media

Define your audience. Ask yourself whom you want to hear your message and what you want them to remember.

Pick three key points. By repeating a few, simple points again and again throughout the interview, you increase the chances of your words' sticking in the minds of your intended audience.

Remember your name. Use your organization's name whenever possible instead of generic pronouns such as "we." 

Offer background. The reporter may know a lot or a little about the subject. Provide written background or follow up with more information.

Double check. Before the interview is complete, confirm the accuracy of numerical facts and quotes.

Avoid misquotes. The more information the reporter has, the less likely you are to be misquoted. If you are, call the reporter to restate your position without arguing. Sending a letter to the editor or asking for a retraction are drastic measures and should happen only after you've talked with the reporter.

Talking Points

• Many young Americans don't know the financial facts of life.  For many schools, financial education, like art or music classes, is a luxury they just can't afford.  Only seven states* require a personal finance course for high school graduation, and several states** will incorporate financial education into their curricula in the coming school years.  At present, as many as 86 percent of students have never taken a course in personal financial education. 

*Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, New York and Utah. 
**Texas, South Dakota, and Missouri have passed legislation in 2006 and are waiting for implementation. 

• Bankers are experts at money management, so it's a natural fit for them to be involved in financial education efforts.  Just as local firefighters and police officers teach community safety courses, bankers have knowledge and skills that can fill the financial education gap.  The ABA Education Foundation's saving and credit programs have helped thousands of bankers teach money management skills to more than 1.5 million children and young adults. 
  
• Educated consumers are better customers. Teaching children how to save and budget will help them manage their finances in the future.  Financially educated consumers are more likely to save for the future and manage their finances responsibly.  Studies show that only 10 hours of  financial education can help students manage their money better(National Endowment for Financial Education 2003-2004 Impact Evaluation).
  
• A 2006 Jump$tart Coalition study surveyed 12th graders' knowledge of personal finance basics and they answered, on average, 52.4% of the questions correctly.  The questions asked of the nearly 5800 students in 37 states covered the basics of personal finance and the average student answered only half of the questions correctly. Only 6.9 percent of students scored a "C" or better
  
• Teens spent $159 billion in 2005 (Teenage Research Unlimited).  Teens are a powerful force in our economy.  Marketers know that their purchasing power is huge, and therefore teens are inundated with advertisements and are pitched for new products each day.  Because they are buying, typically they're not saving for the things they will need in the future.  Bankers can provide guidance and help young people learn how to budget, save, and manage their money responsibly.

Get Smart About Credit

• The goal of the American Bankers Association Education Foundation's Get Smart About Credit program is to raise awareness about the responsible use of credit so teens and young adults can learn how to use credit correctly.  The choices young adults make with their first credit card will impact their lives years for many years when they apply for a car loan or even a mortgage.  Teaching young people how best to use credit will equip them to handle adult financial responsibilities. 
  
• Although millions of high school students take drivers education, most don't learn the rules of the road for credit cards.  The ABA Education Foundation's Get Smart About Credit Day paves the way when it comes to learning how credit works and understanding needs versus wants.
  
• Americans spend $1.22 for every $1 they earn, according to the Myvesta Foundation. How are people spending more than they earn?  Often by overextending their credit cards.  Teaching teens and young adults that credit is an important tool for the future that eventually may help reverse this trend. 

Teach Children to Save

• On National Teach Children to Save Day bankers across the country trade in their balance sheets for blackboards and teach young people their financial ABCs.  Presentations include games and activities about the concept of saving, how interest makes money grow, how to budget and determining needs and wants. 
  
• A decade ago, the American Bankers Association Education Foundation created the Teach Children to Save Program and National Teach Children to Save Day, which is held each April. To participate in the program, volunteer bankers across the country visit elementary and middle school classrooms to teach students about the concept of saving, how interest makes money grow, how to budget and determining needs and wants.
  
• Our nation's savings rate, measured as the percent of disposable personal income is negative, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.  Today's citizens aren't saving, plain and simple.  As recently as five years ago, our nation heeded the message that saving for a rainy day should be a top priority, and at that time Americans were saving almost four percent of their disposable income. That trend has reversed.  Simple lessons on saving can help get children and teens on the right track.