Some time back a friend was attending the parent/teachers conference. He and his wife were told their child had a problem reading comprehension. The next day, he called me. He could not wrap his mind around why reading comprehension was so important.  His child read out loud quite well. The child even put emotion in what he was reading.

I proceeded to explain that it was not the reading, but the translation of what those words. In fact deep reading comprehension is understanding what the author is trying to say. Without good comprehension the world could take advantage of his child at he grew up.

While reading through SavingAdvice.com, I came across an article about the importance of literacy. The article goes on to say that, “Nearly half of America’s adults are poor readers, or ‘functionally illiterate.’ They can’t carry out simple tasks like balancing check books, reading drug labels or writing essays for a job.”

What does this mean to you and me?

If you have good reading comprehension, a good portion of you time will be taken up explaining written contracts, terms of service or other printed material. For those who have poor reading comprehension, I am not going to count all the money and time that was lost because of not understanding simple directions.

Electric bills, rental agreements, and users manuals le prepaid cell phone or rent an apartment? Basic reading skills are needed.

Today, I want to make you aware of two websites that will help your own reading comprehension and those around you. First is the Literacy Connection. The second is for those who live in western Idaho. It is The Idaho Financial Literacy Coalition. Don’t just passively check them out. Get involved in some reading or financial literacy group in your local community.

Related posts:

1. Read Those Agreements
2. Coupons – Save Money on a Treat
3. Get Wisdom – Save Money
4. Waste of Money
5. Doing Taxes

Tags: Literacy Connection, math, Reading, SavingAdvice.com, The Idaho Financial Literacy Coalition