Hope for young Americans: A savings revolution

You're busy establishing yourself in your career and your life. You want to buy a home, get married and have children. There's only one problem: you can't because all your money is paying off student loans and credit card debt.

According to a survey commissioned by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), 54 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 believe they can't afford to buy a home.

To help these young adults get on the track financial wellbeing, the AICPA, in partnership with the Ad Council, created Feed the Pig (www.feedthepig. org), designed to teach them how to take control of their finances and make saving money a part of their lifestyle.

"Our goal is to create a savings revolution," says Carl George, chair of the National CPA Financial Literacy Commission. "Even at their stage of life, it's very important that young people know how to prepare for retirement."

The symbol of the savings revolution is Benjamin Bankes - a humanized "piggy bank." His message is: there is hope and there are little things you can do that will add up to significant savings.

"We recognize young Americans face financial hardships," says Barry Melancon, president and CEO of AICPA. "But if they don't begin taking control of their finances now, they may not be able to retire at all."

Feedthepig.org offers calculators and resources to help teach the art of finance management.

Check out a related site, www.360financialliteracy.org, which helps Americans manage their finances through every stage of life.