According to the credit card industry the average household has approximately $9,000 in debt, and the most recent numbers show finance charges and late fees costs the average household $1,700 per year; Seniors at Washington High School now have a better chance of improving those statistics. On Wednesday, March 8 the Missouri Collectors Association (MCA) presented students with a credit education seminar. Those in attendance learned how to make the most of their money and received education on the basics of managing finances. Students learned the importance of budgeting and credit, how to prevent and recover from identity theft, how credit works, and how to build credit.
The workshop is part of a national credit education initiative sponsored by ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals. MCA is an affiliate serving ACA International members in the state of Missouri. American Credit Service President Shirley Mason and Office Manager Tina Bullock, both MCA members, presented the seminar.
“Students hopefully will retain that their credit rating is their responsibility, and the students need to be informed consumers,” said Kelle McCallum, Director of Guidance for the School District of Washington, adding “The information [presented] is relevant because students are responsible for the financial obligations they make. Hopefully the information presented will help the students make wise choices in the future.” Young adults entering college and starting their own lives are often bombarded with credit card offers and have to make their own decisions about significant purchases such as cars and homes. McCallum was happy with the results of the seminar, and said the presenters were successful because they “involved the students and gave examples to capture their attention.”
The Missouri Collectors Association is a unit of ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, serving third-party collection agencies, attorneys, credit grantors and vendor affiliates throughout the state. Founded in 1939, ACA International has approximately 5,300 members in the United States, Canada, and 58 other countries worldwide. For more information on MCA visit www.acainternational.org/mo/.
