Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Public Law 111203, the
Bureau's Office of Financial Education (''OFE'') is responsible for
developing and implementing a strategy to improve the financial
literacy of consumers that includes measurable goals and
initiatives, in consultation with the Financial Literacy and
Education Commission, consistent with the National Strategy for
Financial Literacy. The collection will focus on financial
education program elements related to increasing household
non-retirement savings and/or reducing financial distress. The CFPB
expects to collect quantitative and qualitative data through
in-person, telephone, or Internet based surveys. The information
collected through quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods
will increase OFE's understanding of what interventions can improve
financial decision-making skills and outcomes for consumers. The
core objective of the data collection is to measure the
effectiveness of selected financial education programs. This data
will provide useful information on evidence-based practices that
can be used to improve financial education programs nationwide,
leading to better financial decision-making outcomes for adult
consumers.
To develop and implement
initiatives that encourage and enable informed financial decision
making, it is first important to understand which elements of
financial education programs contribute effectively and efficiently
to improved financial decision-making. There is a growing
realization among experts in the field of financial education that
there is not enough evaluation-based evidence to indicate which
financial education strategies are most effective. According to a
recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on financial
literacy, "relatively few evidence-based evaluations have been
conducted, limiting what is known about which specific methods and
strategies are most effective." Without adequate evidence of what
works, it is difficult to improve the effectiveness and quality of
financial education, and therefore improve consumer outcomes. To
address this need, the CFPB has contracted with the Urban Institute
(UI) to engage in a rigorous quantitative evaluation of two
financial coaching programs to increase its understanding of which
interventions can improve consumers' financial decision-making
skills. CFPB has selected the Financial Clinic (the Clinic) and
South Florida Urban Ministries (SFLUM), two community-based
financial coaching providers, for the evaluation. The evaluation
will focus on the extent to which the selected sites' financial
coaching interventions increase household non-retirement savings
and reduce financial distress among program participants.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.