Financial Literacy

The knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions about money — including understanding income, expenses, saving, debt, interest, credit, taxes, insurance, and benefits programs. For accessibility, financial literacy intersects with numeracy, reading accessibility, and cognitive accessibility, and is a persistent barrier for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autistic adults, and people living with dementia. Digital accessibility of banking apps, budgeting tools, and government benefits portals directly affects whether financial literacy can translate into financial autonomy.