U.S. Treasury Updates National Financial Literacy Strategy for 2026
The Financial Literacy and Education Commission holds public meeting to discuss Trump Accounts implementation and gather feedback for updating the national strategy. Only 38% of Gen Z meet basic financial literacy benchmarks.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC) convened a public meeting on February 6, 2026, to address financial literacy and education. The meeting, chaired by Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, focused on the implementation and outreach of "Trump Accounts," which aim to provide real-world investing experience to American children to advance financial literacy.
Secretary Bessent emphasized integrating these accounts into existing financial education efforts across federal agencies. Key participants included officials from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, National Credit Union Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Social Security Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service.
FLEC is also updating its U.S. National Strategy for Financial Literacy, having issued a request for information to solicit public feedback on how to ensure financial literacy programs remain relevant, effective, and responsive. The comment period for this update closes on April 6, 2026.
As of January 2026, global financial literacy figures indicate that 33% of adults worldwide are considered financially literate, meaning over 3.5 billion people lack basic financial knowledge. In the U.S., only 38% of Generation Z meet basic financial literacy benchmarks, and about 46% struggle with cryptocurrency concepts, while nearly 33% find inflation and interest rates challenging.
Key statistics for 2026 highlight that U.S. Adults answered only 49% of basic personal finance questions correctly. The average consumer debt reached 04,755 as of mid-2025, and total U.S. Household debt hit 8.59 trillion in September 2025. Only 30% of Americans could cover a ,000 emergency expense from savings.
Roughly 75% of adults report never receiving personal finance education in primary or secondary schooling, and 74% believe they would have made better financial decisions with earlier education.
