The FT Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign will deliver clear and compelling content on basic financial subjects, and work with partners to make sure the information reaches people who need it most in the UK and around the world, say the publishers.
FT deputy editor Patrick Jenkins, consumer editor Claer Barrett, contributing editor and educator Lucy Kellaway, and other experts will be closely involved with launching the initiative in 2021.
“Too many people don’t have the basic financial knowledge to help them manage their own money and their lives, compounding the rift between the haves and have-nots that has caused such dislocation in our societies in recent years. The FT is uniquely placed to help bridge the gap in financial literacy,” said Patrick Jenkins, FT deputy editor and head of the new campaign.
“Led by our journalists, this educational campaign will help decode the financial world and give people straight answers on crucial issues, from credit card interest and student loans to taxes and how to start a business. We hope that our readers, many of whom have expertise in this area, will also play a vital role in this effort,” said Roula Khalaf, FT editor.
The FT says it will create a charitable foundation in the first half of next year to oversee the campaign, coordinating with journalists to produce highly accessible, non-academic educational material in video, written and interactive formats on the basics of finance.
The foundation will work closely with partner charities and organisations to distribute materials, and with FT Schools, a programme which provides free FT.com access and curriculum support to secondary school students.
The financial literacy campaign succeeds the FT Seasonal Appeal, which ran for 15 years and raised more than £19.5m for charity partners, says the FT.
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