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OAKLAND, CA (June 16, 2008)—In an effort to promote financial literacy among high school students, California Check Cashing Stores and NetSpend Corporation, one of the leading providers of prepaid solutions in the United States, are teaming up to offer a one-hour program on the basics of personal finance to northern California high school students.
California Check Cashing Stores offers alternative banking services to the unbanked and underbanked populations of Northern California by providing check cashing, payroll advance, money orders, bill payment and other services.
California Check Cashing course leaders have presented the program to high school economics and American government classes in San Jose, Sacramento and East Bay. The one-hour presentation covers topics such as the power of saving, the wise use of credit cards, prepaid debit cards, everyday financial skills and how to set personal financial goals and create a budget. At the end of the presentation, students receive additional materials in either English or Spanish.
"This financial literacy program provides students with essential skills they will need to take control of their money and set out to achieve personal financial goals," said California Check Cashing CEO Rick Lake. "Through these presentations to students, we are finding out just how much of a need there is for this type of information."
The program also includes information on other financial tools available to students, such as prepaid debit cards, which are more convenient than carrying cash and have the security benefits of a card. Customers simply load funds onto the cards at participating locations and can use them to make purchases, pay bills, secure reservations and shop online without the need for a bank account or credit history.
"More and more young people are discovering the benefits of prepaid debit as a payment option," said NetSpend Chief Executive Officer Daniel R. Henry. "These cards are an important tool in anyone's wallet because the cards empower people to take control of their spending and budgets, helping bring them into the financial mainstream where they can enjoy the convenience, the security, the freedom and the features typically associated only with bank accounts."
Beyond learning about financial tools, the university interns who deliver the financial literacy course have found that the students, who are primarily high school seniors, also have a lot of questions about paying for college, how to invest money and plan for retirement.
"I didn't realize how much high school seniors think about personal finance until I started giving these presentations," said Allyson Holmes, a child psychology major at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology and a course leader for the program. "The program has made me realize how much need there is for this type of information in schools."
Holmes said that when she was in high school, this type of information was not available, so she has learned a lot about how to prepare for her own future. "This program has been beneficial to me as well," she said. "Teachers also see the value of the information in helping students map their financial futures. We are often invited back to deliver the presentation to other classes."
California Check Cashing Stores and NetSpend continue to offer the program to high schools in San Jose, Sacramento, East Bay, Stockton and Fresno. For more information on the program, contact Rick Lake at (510) 834-2274 ext. 200.
About California Check Cashing Stores, LLC
California Check Cashing Stores (CCS) provides alternative banking services to the unbanked and underbanked populations of Northern California. CCS provides check cashing, payroll advance, money order, bill payment, and other services at over 95 locations. The business began with the opening of one store in Concord, California.
www.99payday.com
About NetSpend Corporation
NetSpend Corporation is one of the leading providers of prepaid debit cards in the United States. A pioneer in the industry since its inception in 1999, NetSpend prepaid debit cards give financial freedom and convenience to the more than 100 million underbanked consumers in the United States. NetSpend is the only company in the prepaid debit industry to offer an end-to-end solution for consumers and merchants with a proprietary processing platform, card fulfillment, customer service and risk management capabilities. More information about the company can be found at http://www.netspend.com or by following the company on Facebook or Twitter.
Media Relations
Members of the media may contact NetSpend's public relations department via email at mediarelations@netspend.com.
Cardholders may contact Customer Service at customerservice@netspend.com.
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