Practical Money Skills is a free financial literacy program to help Canadians understand the fundamentals of money management. Created by Visa, the program offers money management resources including calculators, games, and lesson plans tailored for use by Canadian families and educators.

Spotlight

Trim holiday spending
The thrill of thrift still has Canadians in thrall. Despite cheery “It's over!” proclamations about the recession, consumers from coast to coast appear determined to keep their holiday spending in check. In fact, 44 per cent of Canadians have vowed to trim their holiday buying, which amounted to $571 per adult last year. But we all know what happens to resolutions made months before Bing Crosby's White Christmas is piped into every mall. Read more.

Visa revises its financial literacy site
It's appropriate that here in the middle of Credit Education Week, Visa Canada says it has relaunched its financial literacy web site: practicalmoneyskills.ca The revamp makes the site more accessible to young adults, teachers and consumers contemplating such varied life events as saving for university or the financial implications of divorce. There are also some interactive games like Financial Football which try to put some fun into attaining financial literacy. Read more.

2009 Financial Literacy Summit
The 2009 Financial Literacy and Education Summit brought together international leaders of finance, including Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, to discuss strategies for improving financial education and individual money management. Held at the Chicago Federal Reserve, the event featured panelists focusing on the global imperative for financial literacy and the opportunities for cooperation in providing necessary educational resources. Watch specific segments of the Summit or view the entire webcast at your leisure. View Webcast.

Fostering financial literacy
Ian Balfour, a former Paralympic alpine skier knows the value of understanding the world of finances. Balfour, who today is an associate with the law firm Blake, Cassels& Graydon in Calgary, recently helped Visa launch its newly-revised financial literacy resource named Choices & Decisions: Taking Charge of Your Financial Life. Read more.

Learning

Landing a Job You've probably been in school for nearly your entire life. And it may seem as though it's been a very long and drawn-out session of on-the-job training. But what feels like the end of one part of your life is actually the beginning of a much larger one. Welcome to the job market. Read on.	Choosing Childcare A caregiver will take part in some of the earliest development and education that your child will receive. Arm yourself with good information to make the best decision. Read on.	Home Equity A big advantage of home ownership is the equity you build in your home. The faster you pay your mortgage and build equity, the better financial shape you'll be in. Read on.

Spotlight

Learning