The FDIC in September unveiled an interactive computer-based version of the agency's award-winning Money Smart financial education curriculum. Money Smart CBI — short for computer-based instruction — is easy to use and is available free of charge in both English and Spanish on CD-ROM and on the FDIC's Web site.

Prompted by an animated guide, Money Smart CBI enables students to have a "virtual experience" entering a bank and interacting with employees, using an ATM, writing checks, balancing a checkbook, reading a credit report, and conducting other activities. Money Smart CBI contains the same 10 sections as the original curriculum, which was designed for classroom use and primarily for low- and moderate-income individuals. The new version allows people to study at their own pace and can be used to complement formal classes or serve as a refresher.

To order a free copy of Money Smart CBI on CD-ROM or to access the Web version, go to www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/mscbi/mscbi.html.

In addition, the FDIC and other federal departments and agencies have announced the first major initiatives of the government's new Financial Literacy and Education Commission.

One new product is a free financial education "toolkit" with information on deposit insurance, loans, Social Security benefits, and other financial topics. To get your toolkit, call the Commission's toll-free hotline at 888-MY MONEY (888-696-6639). A similar version of the toolkit also is available in Spanish. In addition, the Commission created a new Web site (www.mymoney.gov) for financial information from the federal government.