2024

SPRINGFIELD — A team of students from Community High School in West Chicago is headed to the National Personal Finance Challenge in Cleveland on May 19-20 after winning a state competition sponsored by the University of Illinois Chicago’s Center for Economic Education and Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ Office. West Chicago students Arely Jacobo, Lucas Brown, Lauren Sikma and Dana Tomasevic emerged victorious in a contest that provided students with an opportunity to build, apply, and demonstrate their knowledge in areas like earning income, spending, saving, managing credit, investing, and…

SPRINGFIELD — As the end of the school year approaches for many Illinois students, State Treasurer Michael Frerichs reminds young photographers to submit photos for the 2024 Cream of the Crop Photo Contest by June 14. The contest is for students ages 8 to 18 and provides them with an opportunity to share their unique vision of agriculture in our state. Bright Start scholarships of $1,000, $500 and $250 will be awarded to students who place first, second or third in each of the three age categories. “My office sponsors…

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs is partnering with the Edwardsville Children’s Museum for a free admission day to encourage families to start saving early for college. “The best time to start saving for college is yesterday,” Frerichs said. “The second-best time to start saving is today.” The State Treasurer’s Office and the Edwardsville Children’s Museum are promoting Illinois 529 college savings plans. If a child knows they have a college savings plan, they are three times more likely to attend college. The free admission day will take place…

CHICAGO — In an effort to help Illinois residents reconnect with more of their missing money and to right a historical wrong against the Black community and other people of color, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs and Illinois Congressman Danny K. Davis today urged the U.S. Treasury to make it easier for states to facilitate the return of mature U.S. Savings Bonds. Davis (D-IL-07) and Frerichs said federal efforts to allow individual states to treat mature, unpaid U.S. Savings Bonds as missing money do not go far enough because proposed…

SPRINGFIELD — The State Treasurer’s Office made nearly $124.6 million in investment earnings from the state investment portfolio in March, Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced today. Another $91 million in gross investment earnings was earned for cities, villages, school districts, counties and other units of government that take part in the highly rated Illinois Funds local government investment pool operated by the State Treasurer’s Office. “This earned income, rather than tax dollars, can be used to fix roads, repair bridges, purchase school supplies and invest in our local communities,” Frerichs…