SCOTT MEACHAM
OKLAHOMA STATE TREASURER
For Immediate Release: February 1, 2006
Treasurer Meacham, Economic Education Group to Help
Students with Financial Skills
OKLAHOMA CITY – To help young Oklahomans manage their personal finances,
State Treasurer Scott Meacham and the Oklahoma Council on Economic Education (OCEE)
have partnered to distribute information regarding the proper use of credit cards to high school
students across the state.
Through this joint effort they are offering a free booklet entitled “The ABCs of Credit
Card Finance” to high school students, teachers and parents. Information on how to obtain credit
reports, financial terminology, consequences of careless credit card use and sample budgets are
included in the booklet to help students learn positive spending habits.
The project was announced at a news conference in the Blue Room of the State Capitol
on Wednesday.
“For Oklahoma’s future and for the future of our young people, knowledge and sound
advice are essential for managing credit card debt. Surviving and succeeding in the economy of
the 21st Century requires our youth be taught responsible credit card use,” Treasurer Meacham
said.
“With the average credit card debt among 18- to 24-year-olds jumping 104 percent from
1992 to 2001, it’s important that our young adults understand how credit works,” said Sue Lynn
Sasser, president of the OCEE, a not-for-profit organization based at the University of Central
Oklahoma that is dedicated to economic and personal finance education.
According to a recent study by Visa USA, plastic payments—debit or credit—now
account for 50.4 percent of the spending among consumers ranging from 18- to 24-years-olds.
“With young adults relying heavily on debit and credit cards, it’s important for them to
understand the advantages and disadvantages of paying in plastic,” added Sasser.
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Meacham urged high school teachers throughout Oklahoma to take advantage of this free
booklet. “We would like to