CPAs introduce students to the rewards of investing and saving on Accounting for Kids® Day

For More Information: Amy Johnson, Senior Manager, Public Relations E-mail: ajohnson@ohio-cpa.com 614.764.2727, ext. 341

(COLUMBUS, OH – November 5, 2008) – On Nov. 12, CPAs and volunteers across Ohio will head into the classroom to introduce elementary students to real world investing and savings principles during Accounting for Kids® Day.

During this fun event, members of The Ohio Society of CPAs will partner with volunteers from Ohio Auditor of State Mary Taylor’s office to teach thousands of Ohio elementary students basic money management concepts they can use throughout their lives—skills including investing, saving and managing financial risk.

Accounting for Kids Day, now in its 8th year, teaches children how to make smart financial decisions and become savvy consumers and future business leaders.

The centerpiece of the program is a high stakes investment game in which students buy, sell and track their own stock’s progress over a simulated 10-year period. As in real life, they will experience the ups and downs of the market, and learn how their dividends can change with the roll of the dice.

The current economic crisis makes this program especially timely. Because Americans currently have the lowest savings rate of any industrialized nation, and the average American carries a credit card balance of $8,562.00*, teaching kids to save and invest early is more important than ever.

Ohio Auditor of State Mary Taylor, CPA, participated in the program when she worked in public accounting in the Akron area, and as Auditor of State, has helped bring the program to hundreds of additional children by organizing a volunteer effort among her staff statewide.

More than 1400 volunteers will present Accounting for Kids Day in over 400 elementary schools on Nov. 12. 

“Accounting for Kids Day is a hands-on learning experience that teaches kids important investment basics,” said Eileen Sass, CPA, of Sass Accounting Services LLC in Copley. "The kids get really excited as they work on strategies to grow their investments, and they also learn concepts that can be used later in life."

Accounting for Kids® Day was founded in Cincinnati eight years ago by Crystal Faulkner, CPA, of Cooney Faulkner & Stevens , LLC. Each year, Faulkner and hundreds of volunteers present the program to more than 1,600 Cincinnati public school students. The Ohio Society of CPAs presents the program throughout the rest of the state. It is funded by The Ohio CPA Foundation.

Visit The Ohio Society’s online newsroom at www.ohioscpa.com for additional information or to find a participating school in your area.

The Ohio CPA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that funds programs to educate Ohioans on how to better manage their finances. It also supports initiatives that introduce students to career opportunities as CPAs.

The Ohio Society of CPAs, established in 1908, represents more than 24,000 CPAs in business, education, government and public accounting. The Ohio Society’s members not only meet statutory and regulatory requirements as CPAs, but also embrace the highest standards of professional and ethical performance. This is achieved through ongoing professional education, comprehensive quality review and compliance with a strict Code of Professional Conduct.

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*U.S. Department of Commerce and The Motley Fool Credit Center AICPA Media Center—Startling Facts About Financial Literacy.

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