Oregon State Treasury http://www.Oregon.gov/Treasury

Financially Fit Oregon: April

Oregon State Treasury sent this bulletin at 04/23/2026 01:00 PM PDT

April 2026

From Treasurer Steiner

April is Financial Literacy Month. It’s a perfect time to consider steps toward better financial fitness – no matter what your personal situation may be.

Just starting out? Open an emergency savings account and learn what factors can impact your credit score.

Saving for education? Open an Embark account to grow your investments while earning Oregon tax credits.

Do you have kids? Start the money conversation early. Talking to your children about saving, spending, and financial goals sets them up for life.

These are just a few examples. For more ideas, check out the financial checkup in the new Oregon Financial Wellness Scorecard.

Of course, financial fitness is a year-round goal. But April is a great time to take steps in the right direction and to celebrate when you do. Small steps lead to big changes.

- Elizabeth Steiner, MD, Oregon State Treasurer

Salem teacher, Portland nonprofit named financial empowerment champions

Marcia Latta receiving award from Treasurer Steiner

The 2026 Financial Empowerment Awards recognized a standout Salem educator and Portland organization who are helping Oregonians build healthier financial habits. Treasurer Steiner and the Oregon Financial Empowerment Advisory Team applauded the winners as part of Financial Literacy Month.

Educator of the Year: Marcia Latta (pictured above), a veteran business and career technical education teacher at Salem’s McKay High School who created an “Invest in Girls” student club. She was nominated by national nonprofit NextGen Personal Finance.

Community Champion: Urban League of Portland and financial empowerment analyst Rachell Hall (pictured left), who leads community education efforts and launched a collaboration with several Portland-area credit unions. She was nominated by Unitus Community Credit Union.

Nominations will open for the 2027 awards in November.

Meet the Honorees

Impostors led Oregon’s top consumer complaints of 2025

The Oregon Department of Justice saw a record number of complaints in 2025, with the most generated by identity-faking fraudsters, according to Attorney General Dan Rayfield.

Impostor scams
Auto-related scams
Telecommunications complaints

The agency received 10,179 formal complaints and another 10,747 hotline calls.

See the Top 10 List

Oregon banks are teaching kids to save

Teams from Citizens Bank, Bank of Eastern Oregon and First Federal will step into classrooms on April 23 for “Teach Children to Save Day.” “Oregon’s banks are deeply invested in the financial well-being of our communities and helping young people learn to save is an important first step,” said Scott Bruun, President and CEO, Oregon Bankers Association.

Financial Education Programs

Fixing your credit report: know what protections you have

Credit reports influence whether you can borrow money -- and even may impact getting a job or insurance. Regularly check to ensure they’re accurate (free credit reports weekly). Any errors? The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires them to be corrected.

Dispute Errors on Your Report

A smarter way to save for your first home

Oregon’s First-Time Home Buyer Savings Accounts can help you save for a down payment or other homebuying costs, for you or for somebody else, and also qualify for tax deductions worth as much as $50,000 per taxpayer over time.

First-time Home Buyer Savings Accounts

Follow us year-round for financially fit tips and news from our partners!

Oregon Financial Empowerment Roundup

Apply: Two Oregon teachers will win scholarships to attend the Jump$tart Coalition for Financial Literacy’s National Educators Conference, in Denver on Nov. 6-8.
Don’t leave money on the table if you have a child younger than 10. Sign up and claim your child’s free, federal 530A account, also known as Trump Accounts.
Find resources and help resolve complaints against student loan servicers via Oregon’s Student Loan Ombuds. 
VIDEO: Portland State University is expanding its financial education center to better serve students and the community.
Individual Development Accounts offer financial learning and asset building for Oregonians with low to moderate incomes.
Financial wellness nonprofit DevNW has released its DevNW 2025 annual report, focused on affordable housing.
The Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Conference is May 19-21 in Portland and will include teacher strategies from the Oregon Council on Economic Education.
Out-of-state lenders must adhere to Oregon’s 36% interest rate cap under legislation passed by the 2026 Legislature, says Oregon Consumer Justice.
The Council for Economic Education released its 2026 Survey of the States highlighting the national trend toward K–12 personal finance requirements.
How portfolio savvy are you? Try this investing quiz from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.