Exciting news from your City Treasurer

 

City Treasurer's Benchmark Report March 31, 2015 View this email in your browser A N O T E F R O M K U R T Welcome! Our first-ever community newsletter is designed with two things in mind: to keep you informed and to hold me accountable. I made a commitment to transform this office and it starts here, by sharing up-to-date news from City Hall and highlighting the important work happening in each of Chicago's 77 communities. As your banker, investor and advocate, I look forward to a continued partnership as we work together to strengthen Our Chicago. 9 0 D A Y S I N O F F I C E On Chicago's 178th Birthday, Treasurer Summers released an Impact Report on the progress he’s made during his first 90 days since taking the oath of office on Dec. 1, 2014. Read about the Treasurer's visits to 77 communities in 77 days and his concrete work on financial education, new tools to hold our office accountable and ways to relieve our pension burden. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE IMPACT REPORT J O I N A T H I N K T A N K Stay connected! From the Treasurer's 77 visits, he has developed Think Tanks with small businesses owners, advocacy groups and community leaders who keep in touch to discuss the current challenges they face and potential opportunities for future economic growth. Would you like to join the Think Tank in your community? Join the Treasurer for monthly conference calls, quarterly meetings, and daily interactions with office staff. Click here to sign up! Take a minute to watch Kurt talking with Paul Lisnek on CLTV's Politics Tonight about launching the 90 Day Impact Report! M O D E L C I T Y On March 12, the Treasurer was joined by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and Chair of President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans John Rogers to announce Chicago's first ever citywide Financial Education Initiative! Secretary Duncan also lauded Chicago as a “model city” for our coordinated and comprehensive approach. Led by the Treasurer's Office, the Chicago Financial Education Initiative brings together several city agencies together for the first time to develop and enact a plan to make financial education accessible to all youth, parents, and community members in Chicago. Read more from the Chicago Tribune! K U R T I N D. C . On March 3, the Treasurer went to the White House to present Chicago's first of-its-kind citywide plan for making financial education resources more accessible to all residents. Read more! S M A L L B U S I N E S S On March 25, Treasurer Summers joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel to announce new partnerships that will help small business owners in neighborhoods throughout Chicago access needed capital. Following a successful pilot, the Small Business Opportunity Center Program (formerly Capital Access Centers), which helps small business owners prepare for loans, will expand from three to eight centers across Chicago and $5 million in funding is available for Chicago small businesses. “After meeting with small business owners in each of Chicago's 77 communities, I know first-hand that their top priority is gaining greater access to capital,” said City Treasurer Kurt Summers. “This expansion will meet those needs while stimulating economic growth in our neighborhoods. I am committed to working with Mayor Emanuel to help in this process and ensure our small businesses are connected to the capital they need to flourish.” Read more here! F I N A N C I A L C A P A B I L I T Y President Obama has proclaimed April 2015 as National Financial Capability Month! Catch Treasurer Summers on ABC7 Chicago TOMORROW - Wednesday, April 1, at 5:45am to discuss how Chicago is tackling financial education. Follow @kurtasummers on Twitter and like the Treasurer's Office on Facebook for smart money tips throughout the month! H E A D L I N E S : P E N S I O N S Pensions & Investments: Chicago treasurer sees power in numbers Chicago Tribune: City Treasurer Kurt Summers thinks he's got $50 million in pension savings DNAInfo: Treasurer Says Investment Firms Overcharging Local Pensions by $50 Million Crain's: Local pension plans could save up to $50 million a year under new proposal C O M M U N I T Y N E W S Join the Treasurer's Office on April 25 at the Black Star Project 2015 College Fair at the Chicago Lake Shore Hotel! Hundreds of students will be in attendance for workshops and panels about financial education, surviving freshman year, and writing your personal statement. Click here for more info! # I C Y M I In case you missed it, the Treasurer recently surprised King HS Senior Makiah Lyons, winner of the 2015 Black History Month Essay Contest, with a visit to her school and a check for $2,500! See the full story here. S A V E T H E D A T E 5/9/15 - 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. The City's Small Business Center invites small business owners and entrepreneurs to its FREE on the road business expo with more than 40 exhibitors. Arturo Velasquez Center, 2800 S. Western. Find out more! C O L D F O R A C A U S E The 15th annual Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Chicago brought out Vince Vaughn, Lady Gaga and Treasurer Summers! Special Olympics Chicago reported breaking all of their fundraising goals, raising $1.2 million with more than 4,500 participants! Pictured: Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez and Treasurer Summers dipping out of the frigid lake. T W E E T T W E E T J O B O P P O R T U N I T I E S The Office of the Chicago City Treasurer is currently seeking dynamic individuals to join the team! Please click on the links below for current opportunities. Chief Investment Officer Internships Click here to stay up-to-date on open positions! Have an event or news to share with our audience? Want to find out more about the Treasurer's Office or how to get involved? Click here to email us! We will be sending out a new Benchmark Report every two weeks. Facebook Twitter Website