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November 2006
Countdown to Retirement with direct depositJanuary 2007 marks the one-year countdown to when the oldest of our nation's 77 million baby boomers start hitting retirement age. If current trends hold, too many of them will choose to get their payments by paper check rather than safer, easier direct deposit. Go Direct encourages senior citizens to use direct deposit to receive Social Security, and starting in January the campaign's Countdown to Retirement initiative will bring that same message to baby boomers heading toward retirement. At the heart of Countdown to Retirement is a fun, non-binding pledge drive to encourage people to choose direct deposit for their Social Security benefit payments. Underpinning the pledge drive will be the widely publicized results of a national poll, sponsored by the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve Banks as part of Go Direct. The poll findings will shed new light on baby boomers' attitudes and behaviors regarding direct deposit, banking, retirement and other related issues. Your organization can get involved by posting a Countdown to Retirement banner on your Web site that links to an interactive quiz and direct deposit pledge on the Go Direct Web site. To find out more, visit the Go Direct Countdown to Retirement tool kit or contact your Go Direct representative. It's not too late to Go Direct during tax seasonThere's still time to get involved with Go Direct's Volunteer Tax Preparation program. Free tax prep sites aimed at low-income and elderly taxpayers are looking for banks and credit unions to prepare taxes, open new accounts, and help federal benefit check recipients sign up for direct deposit. To learn more about Go Direct's tax preparation program, please visit the Volunteer Tax Prep Tool kit on the Go Direct Web site. To locate sites in your area, call (952) 346-6055 or send an email to GoDirect@webershandwick.com today. Promote financial literacy – with Go DirectHelp senior citizens and others who receive federal benefits get more control over their money by including Go Direct in your financial literacy presentations or workshops. It's as easy as adding a slide to your presentation or handing out an information sheet or flyer. Click here for tools you can download to promote financial literacy with direct deposit. If you don't yet have a financial literacy curriculum, consider adopting the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Money Smart program -- a free training program to help adults enhance their money skills and create positive banking relationships. The FDIC recently issued a revision of Money Smart, which includes an expanded discussion of timely topics such as disaster preparedness, predatory lending, elder financial abuse, direct deposit, and identity theft. Messaging about Go Direct has been added to four of the curriculum's 10 standalone modules, specifically Bank On It, Check It Out, Money Matters and Keep It Safe. The new version of Money Smart is available at no cost, and can be used by banks, credit unions and other organizations interested in conducting financial education workshops. Money Smart with Go Direct messaging is currently available as an English-language CD-ROM. Updates for Money Smart in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, as well as computer-based instruction are planned for 2007. To order a free copy of the new Money Smart curriculum, call the Go Direct partner line at (952) 346-6055 or send an email with your name, organization name, phone number and mailing address to GoDirect@webershandwick.com. In the media
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(952) 346-6055
