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New "Virtual Adviser" Helps Canadians
with Money and Work Questions
TORONTO, Jan. 14 /CNW/ - A recently released poll showed that
most Canadians feel ill-equipped to make many of the economic and
financial decisions that they face in today's volatile economic
climate. The poll, commissioned by the Canadian Foundation for Economic
Education (CFEE) and undertaken by The Strategic Counsel, revealed
some troubling knowledge gaps among Canadians in basic areas of
economic knowledge such as credit card interest rates and filling
out tax returns. And more than half of the respondents (55%) do
not have confidence in their ability to decide among political parties'
economic policies.
In fact, the poll revealed that Canadians now view economic and
financial literacy and capability as so important that nine out
of 10 favour making financial and economic education compulsory
in the public school system.
"We know that Canadians are very anxious about the economy and the
impact that the current crisis could potentially have on their lives.
They are working to make the best decisions that they can for themselves
and their families," said Gary Rabbior, President of CFEE. "But,
to do that, they need help - unbiased, clearly written, and up-to-date
help - and that is why we have developed the "Virtual Adviser."
The Virtual Adviser is an on-line tool developed by CFEE with funds
provided by the Government of Canada, specifically, the Skills and
Employment Branch of Human Resources and Social Development Canada.
It can be accessed at www.virtualadviser.ca
or through CFEE's main web site -
www.cfee.org.
The Virtual Adviser provides answers to about 80 of the most common
questions that Canadians ask about money and about 60 of the most
common questions that Canadians ask about work. The answers provided
are objective and written in plain language. The web site also provides
links to many other helpful resources and on-line calculators. The
Virtual Adviser does not try to sell or promote any product or service.
Its sole purpose is to help improve the financial and economic capability
of Canadians - and to assist them with the challenges and decisions
that they face.
The Virtual Adviser has also been developed in a controlled "wiki"
style so that users can submit additional questions, answers, and
recommended links.
All submissions are reviewed, evaluated, and edited prior to posting
to ensure the high quality and accuracy of the information on the
site.
CFEE's President said, "We hope this new tool will provide many
Canadians with the help they have been looking for - answers to
their questions from a non-commercial, unbiased source."
CFEE is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated
to the promotion of financial and economic literacy among Canadians.
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