This year marks the 8th Financial Literacy Month in Canada, which begs the question: has our financial literacy improved in eight years? Total household debt is at record highs while personal savings rates are at record lows. I'd say that's evidence that the program is not meeting its core objectives. On today's show we ask the question: "Can the government even teach Canadians to take better control of their finances and if not, what does it really take to become financially literate?"

The cost of not developing some understanding of what impacts your finances is high. Credit is much more accessible than ever before. Corporate pension plans and job security are a thing of the past. An explosion of financial advisors and the introduction of technology and new products are making the world of personal finance more complex. Unfortunately, an annual government awareness program and a few tweets here and there is not going to stem this tide.

It's up to you to take charge.

To be considered truly 'financially literate,' there are three areas in which you should be highly proficient:

Technical knowledge
Self-knowledge
"Other Guy" knowledge

What are these three prongs of financial literacy? Ted Michalos and Doug Hoyes explain on today's podcast.

218 – A Three-Pronged Approach to Financial Literacy