The St. Louis Office of Financial Empowerment (“OFE”) is a public-private partnership that helps citizens make better financial decisions.

Founded in 2014 by St. Louis City Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones, OFE has an office in St. Louis City Hall Room 220 to provide financial education and credit counseling free of charge. OFE works with banks and non-profits to provide financial management classes on various topics, including How to Purchase a Home; Entrepreneurship; Investing; and Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness.

The OFE also includes the College Kids Program, which provides all Kindergarten students in St. Louis Public and Charter schools with a savings account for post-secondary education. Research shows that children with savings for higher education are 3x more likely to attend, and 4x more likely to graduate than children without accounts. College Kids has helped over 23,000 St. Louis public and charter school students start educational savings accounts, with about $1.8 million saved to help more city children get a higher education.