Summary and Conclusion

Abstract

This is the final chapter of this book. It provides a summary of research findings and offers concluding thoughts on financial education programs. It describes the book as having significant utility for universities and colleges seeking to implement their own financial education programs; changing existing programs; making programs more relevant; or expanding program delivery on their campuses. The chapter compares the various models of financial education and provides key insights into their similarities and differences. It explains that the nature, extent, development, and success of college-based financial education programs are contingent on several factors including an awareness of the need for financial education; where that awareness emerges from; the interest and energy of faculty and/or administrators; the emergence of program champions to further the financial literacy cause; program champions’ ability to navigate the institution’s bureaucracy; marketing of the program; where the program is housed and cultivated; the connectivity of the program with the student population; and the general resources available for program development. This chapter also offers some ideas about why some state colleges and universities are not providing financial education to their students.