AFCPE Membership Spotlight: Rita Green

AFCPE Membership Spotlight: Rita Green

Dr. Rita Green understands the importance of savings and the positive impact it has on families. “Saving money is an important element in the financial security of families,” Rita notes. “Savings provides a firm foundation that can help families weather the financial storms that occur due to job loss or unexpected expenses.”

As the Family Financial Management State Specialist for Mississippi State University Extension Service, Dr. Rita Green provides leadership in personal financial education under the broad categories of basic money management, credit control, fraud and identity theft, youth financial literacy, and homebuyer education. In 2013, Rita secured funding from the Bank of America Charitable Trust through the Consumer Federation of America to develop the TV segment, Your Money Minute.

Your Money Minute consists of brief, one-minute segments designed to air during America Saves Week. It first aired in 2013 on two Mississippi Delta-based stations and has run in consecutive years as part of the Mississippi Saves campaign. At this past year’s AFCPE Research & Training Symposium, Dr. Green was awarded the 2014 Outstanding Consumer Information Award for her work developing the series.

According to a recent report from the Corporation for Enterprise Development, only about 49 percent of Mississippians have savings accounts. Mississippi also has the highest concentration of payday lenders in the country. Your Money Minute airs on a station that reaches a population of over 1 million people in what is essentially one of the most economically vulnerable areas of the state.

The segments are designed to be brief. The brevity of the sessions increases the likelihood that viewers will listen to, and learn from, the important savings advice being offered. Not only do they air during America Saves Week, but also during the vulnerable tax season. During this time, many commercials are encouraging consumers to utilize predatory products for their refund checks. Your Money Minute offers a valuable message during a critical time. The segments replace the messages of predatory products with important advice on saving.

This week, Your Money Minute will air once again on television stations across the state. The series schedule includes:

Monday – Importance of Saving Money
Tuesday- SMART Goals
Wednesday-Identifying Sources of Money to Save
Thursday -Methods or Ways of Saving Money
Friday – Review of the Week’s topics

We applaud Rita, the innovative approach she developed to deliver important savings advice to consumers, and the good work she continues to do in the field. If you are a Mississippi resident, be sure to take the pledge to save at www.mississippisaves.org and tune in to Your Money Minute airing February 23 – 27!