Thank you for your interest in financial empowerment and financial wellness in Oregon. This quarterly newsletter highlights efforts statewide that are putting more Oregonians on the path to security, solvency, and success. Does your organization have news? Please let us know.
Your Financial Health Is Oregon’s Priority
Elizabeth Steiner, MD, was sworn in as Oregon’s 30th State Treasurer on January 6, 2025. The historic ceremony marked the swearing-in of Oregon’s first female State Treasurer.
I’m honored to be Oregon’s financial leader, and I’m excited to help Oregonians on their path toward healthier, more rewarding lives.
Financial wellness is a social determinant of health. A financially secure Oregon is a healthy Oregon.
As a physician, a mom, and one of Oregon’s chief budget writers, I’ve seen firsthand how investing in preventive care, saving for education, and balancing a budget can make all the difference for hard-working families. Yet right now, too many Oregonians are just a late paycheck or an unexpected medical bill away from losing a roof over their heads, missing a car payment, or affording childcare.
We are in this together. I’m grateful to work alongside so many partners to help more Oregonians understand how to pursue financial wellbeing, and where to start, and how little changes can make a big difference. I’m also pleased that Treasury empowerment programs can aid Oregonians on their paths to a secure retirement, college or career training, or savings to help navigate a disability.
Thank you for your interest in improving financial health for everyone.
This cooperative newsletter helps to raise the visibility of the spectrum of Oregon financial wellness and consumer protection programs. If you have news, please share it with us, so we can share it statewide.
-Oregon State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner
About A Third Of Oregonians Can’t Afford To Save, New Survey Shows
Insights captured in Treasury’s 2025 Oregon Financial Wellness Scorecard indicated individuals and families across the state continue to experience difficult financial situations and are unable to save for the future. The new financial scorecard found that Oregonians are struggling to make ends meet, borrowing more than average, are using risky credit products more often, and roughly a third (35%) of households can’t afford to save at all. Those are some of the data points from the 2025 Oregon Financial Wellness Scorecard, which will be released at the Feb. 4 meeting of the Financial Empowerment Advisory Team.
A public-private partnership, the Team brings together citizen members, representatives of nonprofits and the financial sector, and technical advisors from Oregon government agencies where financial education is part of their goals. Meetings are open to the public.
The Oregon State Treasury annually assembles the Scorecard to help policymakers, and the public better understand how pocketbook and economic factors affect Oregonians’ quality of life, and to inform policy choices. Data in the 2025 edition is obtained from 20 national and state sources including a survey of 1,906 Oregonians by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center
New Self-Help Site Gives Oregonians Better Access To Consumer Protection Legal Resources
When it comes to consumer-connected issues in Oregon, it’s not always easy to find help and information.
That’s been particularly true when it comes to legal resources. But a new website created by a partnership led by the Oregon State Bar improves how Oregonians access civil legal resources and assistance, including resources connected to consumer justice.
Oregon Law Help addresses the growing number of Oregonians who are unable to access civil legal help, said Leland Baxter-Neal, Legal Content and Community Outreach Strategist at the Oregon State Bar.
Receiving adequate legal help impacts the outcome of a case, as well as public trust in the justice system. Yet studies have repeatedly found that the vast majority of low-income Americans do not get enough legal help for civil legal problems.
The free-to-use site features an intuitive interface, an interactive navigation tool that guides users to relevant information and services, step-by-step how-to's including how to fill out forms, understanding legal rights, and legal referrals.
Collaborators on the new site include the Oregon Judicial Department, Oregon Law Center, Legal Aid Services of Oregon and Oregon Consumer Justice.
To help more Oregonians, Financial Beginnings relaunches tutorial website
Want to learn more about growing wealth? Breaking down debt?
It’s now easier for Oregonians to connect with compelling online financial education, via a new slate of updated classes that launched this month by Oregon-based nonprofit Financial Beginnings.
Among the new topics: Demonstrating how to transform aspirations into actions using the “SMART” method of goal setting, said Jasper Brokaw, regional program manager.
Also, for a limited time, people who complete an education module can receive $50 toward opening an Oregon College Savings Plan account. Start learning here.
State of Oregon Happenings
Five Oregon Nonprofits Receive $25,000 Each To Promote Financial Education And Resources
The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation has announced the awardees for its 2025 Statewide Outreach Sponsorship Program.
The five organizations, which received $25,000 contracts, engage in financial empowerment work and support underserved communities. The program’s goal is to help community partners empower consumers to make sound decisions about insurance and other financial services, and raise awareness of free services and resources offered by the division.
NeighborImpact serves economically disadvantaged residents of Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Its mission is to support people and strengthen communities with the goal of helping people to become more independent and self-sufficient
Nixyáawii Community Financial Services serves the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Its mission is to improve the financial well-being of individuals and families in the Umatilla Indian Reservation community through loans and development services.
Financial Beginnings Oregon is a statewide nonprofit that provides accessible and unbiased financial education programming to youth and adults in schools and community-based organizations; its focus is on empowering people to take control of their financial futures.
FACT Oregon is a statewide nonprofit that empowers Oregon families experiencing disability in their pursuit of a whole life by expanding awareness, growing community, and equipping families.
DevNW provides practical, goal-oriented support to individuals, families, and communities in Lane, Linn, Benton, Lincoln, Marion, Polk, and Clackamas counties. DevNW offers a variety of services to help individuals on the road to financial well-being, including one-on-one financial counseling, educational tools, access to funds, affordable housing options, and more.
To Help Guide Districts, Personal Finance Curriculum Selection Criteria Being Developed
As Oregon moves closer to a new financial education requirement for public and public charter school students, the state is turning its focus to classroom materials and curriculum.
It is up to the state’s school districts to decide the specific lessons for their students, as long as those materials align with standards developed by the Oregon Department of Education. The selection criteria is anticipated to be posted on the SB 3 website by late-March.
Oregon students starting with the graduating class of 2027 will be required to earn personal finance and career pathways credits, as a result of Senate Bill 3 (2023). (Districts can obtain a one-year implementation delay based on staffing needs.)
In the meantime, the Department is assembling submitted classroom materials in an online repository known as the Oregon Open Learning Hub. The following groups include standards-aligned lessons that educators can use and adapt for free.
The resources are free and available to be used by educators. However, they do not yet come with an any seal of approval insofar as quality, as the state is still completing its criteria for Higher Education and Career Path Skills and Personal Financial Education instructional materials.
For additional information, visit the Department of Education
Nominations Due By March 1 For Financial Empowerment Awards
Across the state, unsung heroes are helping Oregonians to be better equipped to make financial choices and lead more secure lives.
The Oregon Financial Empowerment Awards recognize standout educators and community champions for their efforts to help more people be prepared to navigate our complex financial system. Nominations are accepted until March 1.
The Financial Empowerment Educator of the Year receives $1,500 and another $500 to their school. In addition, students at the school – chosen at random – share $500 in scholarships from the Oregon College Savings Plan.
The Financial Empowerment Community Champion organization receives $2,000, plus can “Pay It Forward” and designate another financial empowerment-focused organization or effort to receive $500.
Oregon Financial Empowerment Roundup
Build assets: Eligible Oregonians ages 12 and older in low-net-worth households can save for education, business startups, transportation, adaptive technology for people with a disability, and housing costs—and have their savings multiplied by as much as five times—through Individual Development Accounts. Learn more from the Oregon IDA Network.
New consumer-focused comic book from the nonprofit Oregon Consumer Justice offers tips and insights for confidently dealing with debt collection. The books are available in English and Spanish.
Did you know that you can receive a tax credit worth as much as $180 per year (and $360 for those filing jointly), for saving for higher education or disability-connected costs? Learn more from the Oregon College Savings Plan and Oregon ABLE Savings Plan.
Department of Revenue volunteers will help taxpayers use Direct File Oregon to e-file their taxes for free at 17 libraries across the state. In addition, taxpayers can sign up for a free new “Oregon Tax Tips” newsletter with news and information about tax credits.
AARP Oregon is staffing Tax Aide sites across the state, through April 15. See the interactive map to find a nearby location.
Other Oregon nonprofits are seeking volunteer tax preparers. Learn more from CASH Oregon, which is part of Portland-based Metroplitan Family Services, and Oregon’s Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO).
Registration is now open for spring sessions of the Stock Market Game, made available in Oregon by the Oregon Council on Economics Education.
Most Oregonians are curious about Oregon’s Consumer Privacy Act, which became effective in July 2024, according to the Department of Justice.
The Higher Education Coordinating Commission urges prospective 2025-26 students to file the Oregon Scholarship Application before March 3 for state aid and grants. Other aid programs for prospective higher education students include the Oregon Tribal Student Grant.
Oregon Division of Financial Regulation advocates recovered nearly $1.6 million for Oregonians in the third quarter of 2024, via compliance and consumer protection efforts.
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau now makes it easier for Spanish speakers to access money management information and tools to know their rights, avoid pitfalls, and get help.
What are the signs of elder financial exploitation? The Oregon Bankers Association partnered with the Oregon Department of Justice and Oregon Department of Human Services to make available a training manual and toolkit.
| Date |
Event |
Jan. 29 |
Webinar: WorkSource Oregon Partner Spotlight: Division of Financial Regulation and Bank On Oregon, 3 p.m., Zoom |
Jan. 30 |
Community Class: Reducing the Financial impact of a Disaster, 2 p.m., Division of Financial Regulation, WorkSource Clackamas, 506 High St., Oregon City |
Feb. 4 |
Public Meeting: Financial Empowerment Advisory Team, 2 p.m., Oregon State Treasury, Virtual |
Feb. 4 |
Class: Homebuying with Confidence', 6 p.m., On Point Community Credit Union, 5120 River Road N, Keizer |
Feb. 5 |
Webinar: Love and Money, 5:30 p.m., DevNW |
Feb. 12 |
Webinar: Three things to get your financial house in order, 11 a.m., OnPoint Community Credit Union |
Feb. 12 |
Webinar: Tax credits, 5:30 p.m., Dev NW |
Feb. 20 |
Class: Investing basics and strategies for building wealth, 2 p.m., Oregon Division of Financial Regulation |
March 1 |
Nomination deadline: Oregon Financial Empowerment Awards |
March 3 |
Application deadline: Oregon Scholarship Application |
March 10 |
Webinar: Extreme Couponing, 5:30 p.m., Dev NW |
March 11 |
Webinar: Straight Talk about Women and Investing, 6 p.m., Unitus Credit Union |
March 19 |
Webinar: Making the Most of Your Tax Refund, 2 p.m., GreenPath Financial Wellness |
March 29 |
Webinar: Fundaciones de Comprar Vivienda (Spanish), 9 a.m., Dev NW |
April 1 |
Financial Capability Month begins |
April 1 |
Financial Empowerment Advisory Team, 2 p.m., Oregon State Treasury, Virtual meeting |
May 7 |
Aging Well Expo, Beaverton, AARP Oregon (registration opens in April) |
May 31 |
Application deadline: Oregon Student Child Care Grant |