Video: State Treasurer Fitch Speaks in Columbus

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Mississippi State Treasure Lynn Fitch came to the Golden Triangle this afternoon as the guest speaker for the GOP Women.

Lynn Fitch is only the 2nd woman to serve as State Treasurer in Mississippi. Elected in 2012, she has already saved Mississippians 33 million dollars through restructuring the state’s debt. Fitch has a new passion project: teaching financial literacy in Mississippi schools.

“This year we had over 28 thousand children graduate from high school. Less than 5,000 had any touch of personal finance or any type of business finance before they were released from high school,” says Fitch.

Fitch says she’d like to see students of all ages learn how to handle money but especially those in high school and college.

“Certainly on our college campuses because you get to college and people don’t understand. What are my student loans? What about my swiping on college campuses? My credit card balances? So I think we have some vast opportunities.

Treasurer Fitch believes children who are financially literate are better prepared for adulthood and the workforce .

“Everything we do involves dollars and money and if we prepare those young people on how to be empowered by money instead of being afraid by money, then they’ll just move forward,” says Fitch.

Fitch was previously deputy executive director of external affairs at the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

As State Treasurer, Lynn Fitch represents Mississippi in its dealings with financial rating agencies and investment and banking firms worldwide.