It is clear to everyone that good financial management affects not only our lives and the lives of our loved ones, family and friends. Bringing financially responsible decisions is a skill that can really change our future. If economists exclude, most people did not have the opportunity to finances during his / her regular education. Citizens usually consult with family members and closest friends, or relying on past experience, whether good or bad. It also shows a survey conducted by Erste Bank among its clients. Even 90 percent of respondents never had training in the field of personal finance management, 60% of them are talking to the family and friends for advice, and only six percent to the bank. That’s why Erste Bank has launched a comprehensive, free program financial education that is available to all citizens. The first in a series of numerous activities within the program #ErsteZnali online platform for financial education, which is now available at the address ErsteZnali.rs.
At the Museum of Science and Technology, a panel discussion on the importance of financial literacy, which included Nina von Gail, curator at Erste Financial Park (FLiP) in Vienna, Milan Inić Yasserstein, representative of the younger generation, YouTuber and online entrepreneur, and Vladimir Jovanovic, expert for social banking and support for start-ups in Erste Bank. Slavko Carić, Chairman of the Erste Bank Executive Board, presented the program and led the panel on the importance of financial education for society as a whole.
“For several years Erste Bank has been working to improve the financial literacy of its clients and beyond community – through the ‘Step by Step’ program, through your network, communication and sponsorship projects, participation in working groups and expert volunteering. We realized that the time that is coming up with new challenges and that it is necessary for all previous activities in the field of financial. To approach education in a strategic way by sharing our knowledge with all our citizens. We care about how people learn how to be financially responsible, but also to make that knowledge implementation in practice, “emphasized Carić.
Savings and management of personal finances are the first areas that have been thoroughly processed on the platform ErsteZnali.rs, while in the coming period in the focus will be borrowing, electronic banking, security, cards and other important topics.
From the point of view of the importance of financial literacy for young people, as well as those young people who base their business on the Internet, spoke Milan Inić, better known as Yasserstein. “We did not have formal education the opportunity to gain practical knowledge from personal finance management, which made it harder to enter the world of adults and taking responsibility for decisions we make independently. When we became entrepreneurs, even as high school students, we had to find ourselves, explore and collect informations. Today there are many colleagues dealing with similar things, so it’s a bit easier to share experiences, but the systemic approach to education is lacking, and this is why I like this initiative, “Inić said.
Vladimir Jovanović has many years of experience in the education of entrepreneurs and beginners in business. In Erste Bank he is part of the team that manages the “Step by Step” program, which provides mentoring and financial support to startups, social enterprises and civil society organizations. “Market trends and our experience show that entrepreneurs are in fact the most lacking in financial management knowledge, and this is precisely the case
crucial for the sustainability of their business. Depending on the good management of finance, how much business will it take? To be successful, and unfortunately, it often happens that this is a crucial factor in failure, regardless of
what potential business does. #ErsteZnali program is a step further in financial education, and a lot of colleagues
showed great interest in getting involved and to contribute to the development of this through his experience and knowledge quality program, “added Jovanovic.
“Financial literacy is becoming more and more important for society as a whole and for the well-being of citizens. It is very important that people understand the link between the economy and their personal budget. Bearing in mind that financial products they are becoming more and more complex, we provide education with responsible decisions, which they bring forward to success in the management of finance, “concluded Nina von Gail, curator at Erste Financial Park (FLiP) in Vienna.
Everyone interested in improving their knowledge in the field of finance can visit ErsteZnali.rs, fun an educational platform for serious financial issues