Whereas personal financial literacy is essential to ensuring that individuals are prepared to make informed decisions about budgeting, financial planning, wealth accumulation, higher education loans, 529 savings plans, managing credit cards, and managing other debt; Whereas many young people are ill-equipped to handle major financial decisions in an increasingly complex financial marketplace; Whereas personal financial management skills begin to develop during childhood; Whereas, according to the report of the Girl Scout Research Institute entitled Having it All: Girls and Financial Literacy , only 12 percent of girls feel very confident about making financial decisions; Whereas the move away from traditional pensions and toward defined contribution plans requires more financial education, so workers need to be equipped with the financial aptitude to not only save and accumulate assets, but also to turn those assets into lifetime income; Whereas the Council for Economic Education found that only 22 States require high schools to offer some type of personal finance course and only 17 States require that course for high school graduation; Whereas a longitudinal research study by the University of Arizona found that high school and college students who have been exposed to ongoing financial education show an increase in financial knowledge; Whereas the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection was created to educate consumers and help consumers make better-informed financial decisions by helping make the financial markets safer for consumers, increasing transparency to enable individuals to compare products and make informed decisions, and promoting policies that help consumers improve their financial knowledge and capability; Whereas the Bureau issued a report in 2016 that included a number of recommendations to improve financial literacy for students