Since 2004, April has been designated as National Financial Literacy Month, an initiative designed to promote financial education and help individuals develop strong money management skills. On April 16, the Massachusetts Bankers Association is hosting a free webinar for MBA Members to update you on our collective efforts to advocate for financial education throughout Massachusetts public schools.
MassBankers and our member banks have invested many resources and funds to financially educate Massachusetts consumers. With several financial literacy bills in both the House and the Senate and the Governor's K-12 Graduation Council due to report recommendations this June, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is at a pivotal crossroads when it comes to providing financial education to its K-12 students.
In this webinar, Rockland Trust’s Financial Education Development & Strategy Officer, Julie Beckham, and Institution for Savings' Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Mary Anne Clancy, will provide an on how Massachusetts students are accessing their financial education and explain the significance of a stand-alone semester course in personal finance for all Massachusetts students. For a national and research-based perspective, John Pelletier, Director of the Center for Financial Literacy at Champlain College will add to the conversation and will be available for questions on how we can champion equitable financial education for all.
Thanks, in no small part, to our many MBA member banks and your dedicated employees, the push for financial literacy education in our public schools has gained significant momentum on Beacon Hill throughout the 2025-2026 Legislative Session. Several financial literacy education bills were filed at the start of the Session, including an MBA-sponsored bill filed by State Representative John Lawn.
In March 2026, the Senate members on the Joint Committee on Financial Services voted to advance financial literacy legislation to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. Click here to read more about the legislation.
The legislation would:
We will keep you posted on any developments as we learn more.
In December 2025, Governor Maura Healey announced a new framework for high school graduation requirements that, among other priorities, calls for developing financial literacy skills. The framework comes as part of the recommendations released by the K-12 Statewide Graduation Council that Governor Healey formed earlier this year. MBA President & CEO Kathleen Murphy and Brad Papalardo, MBA Executive Vice President, Chief of Government Affairs & General Counsel, were invited by the Governor to attend the event, with Kathleen taking the stage alongside the Governor, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, Secretary of Education Tutwiler, and other business leaders for the unveiling of this important educational announcement.
This announcement follows the recent efforts of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where legislation requiring every school district, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, to provide personal financial literacy instruction for middle and high school students passed unanimously.
In October 2025, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed H.4670, An Act Relative to Personal Financial Literacy Education, which would require every school district, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, to provide personal financial literacy instruction for middle and high school students throughout the Commonwealth. That vote by the MA House comes after the House Committee on Education advanced the Association's financial literacy bill to the House Committee on Ways and Means with a favorable report. This is a significant step forward to achieving a decades-long push for financial literacy education in our public schools.
We are grateful to the many legislators and staff on the Hill who continue to prioritize this legislation, including House Speaker Ron Mariano, Senate President Karen Spilka, Representative Aaron Michlewitz (House Chair, Joint Committee on Ways and Means), Senator Michael Rodrigues (Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Ways and Means), Representative Ken Gordon (House Chair, Joint Committee on Education), and Senator Jason Lewis (Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Education) for their leadership on this issue.
Special thanks to the sponsors of the financial literacy education bills this session, including Representative John Lawn, Senator Paul Feeney, Senator Patrick O'Connor, Representative Ryan Hamilton, and Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian for their consistent advocacy and stewardship of these bills throughout several legislative sessions.
And a heartfelt thank you to the many Association members who have been at the forefront of advocating for financial literacy education in our public schools. While we still have work to do to see this passed into law, your advocacy has helped us tremendously to get where we are.
Since 2024, the Massachusetts Bankers Association's Charitable Foundation Trustees voted to award roughly $300,000 to 71 nonprofit organizations with missions to advance access to financial literacy education to students across Massachusetts. This initiative aligns with the Foundation's mission to support financial literacy efforts and complement existing efforts of our member banks and our continued advocacy on Beacon Hill. By granting these awards, the Mass Bankers Charitable Foundation demonstrates the banking community's unwavering commitment to strengthening financial literacy across the Commonwealth and reflects our collective effort, and that of our members, to foster a financially empowered future.
For more information on the Charitable Foundation, click here.