PORTLAND, Ore., August 27, 2014—Financial Beginnings, a Portland-based nonprofit that provides financial education programs, has announced the launch of a new program, Pathways, which will be offered by Financial Beginnings at no cost to high schools and colleges in Oregon and Washington.

Pathways helps youth, particularly low-income and underserved youth, successfully transition from high school to post-secondary education (and beyond) through informed and proactive financial decisions. Financial Beginnings received funding from COUNTRY Financial for the development of the new program.

The Pathways program topics include; career & education path, comparing schools & costs, financing college, managing debt accumulation and managing debt after school. All topics are timely with the average student loan debt of undergraduates hovering around $30,000 and the unemployment of youth between the ages of 16-24 years of age being far greater than other age groups.

“My creation of this program stemmed from the Portland State University students in my personal finance course,” says Melody Bell, executive director of Financial Beginnings and adjunct professor at Portland State University, “I saw the staggering amount of debt some were accumulating and their lack of understanding on how this debt would effect their lives after college.”

The Pathways program will join the suite of other financial education programs provided by Financial Beginnings including; Financial Footings for elementary school students, Financial Foundations for high school students and young adults, Unraveling the Mysteries of Your Money public forums and Teacher Training. To learn more about the Pathways program visit: http://financialbeginnings.org/pathways/

About Financial Beginnings
Formed in 2005 and based in Portland, OR, Financial Beginnings is a nonprofit organization that provides free financial education programs throughout the Pacific Northwest. Financial Beginnings’ largest program educates youth and young adults in the basics of personal finance through visits to schools or community groups. Financial Beginnings’ courses incorporate all aspects of personal finance to provide individuals the foundation needed to make informed financial decisions. More information is available at www.financialbeginnings.org.

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