Gena Wilimitis, Investor Education Coordinator, NM Securities Division

The fourth annual Lieutenant Governor’s Summit on Financial Education is a place where New Mexicans can get schooled for free on how to manage their personal finances. 

The one-day summit, a joint project of the New Mexico Coalition for Financial Education and the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department’s Securities Division, convenes at 8:30 a.m. April 19 at The Hotel Albuquerque, 800 Rio Grande Blvd. N.W.  The event ends at 3 p.m. 

The summit is a place for educators, business owners, community leaders, policy-makers and experts in economic and financial education to share their expertise with one another and with the public in workshops, educational events, classes and seminars. Breakfast and lunch are free to participants. 

“I’m pleased to be a part of this event and I encourage all New Mexicans to empower themselves with knowledge about how to manage their personal finances,” said Lt. Gov. Diane Denish. “Financial literacy is the key to financial stability for New Mexico’s hardworking families.” 

The summit’s topics aim to increase the financial literacy of all New Mexicans, including seniors, students, business owners and dislocated workers. Summit organizers see rising personal debt, short-term lending and personal bankruptcies as symptoms that too many people lack a basic understanding of financial markets, credit and investing. And that lack of knowledge, they stress, can leave consumers vulnerable to fraud, identity theft and unsound investments. 

Denish will speak on the current financial challenges facing residents of New Mexico. Attorney General Gary King and State Treasurer James Lewis also plan to speak. The keynote speaker is Rickie C. Keys, a senior fellow of health and social policy at the University of Denver and founder and executive director of The Renewal Fund, a nonprofit health and community improvement organization that focuses on health and income disparities. 

The summit is also a place for people who work in the financial services industry to share information and develop cooperative efforts. 

The New Mexico Coalition for Financial Education is a volunteer association made up of leaders in the state’s financial industry. Its members include government agencies, educational institutions and individuals who share a commitment to helping New Mexicans acquire the skills, confidence and knowledge to gain and maintain control of their personal finances — for their own benefit and for the overall economic prosperity of the state. 

Learn more about the New Mexico Coalition for Financial Education. 

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