SILVERTON, Ore. - Oregon nonprofit groups are sharing ideas this week to give everyone in the state opportunities to better themselves financially at the "Rebuilding Opportunity" conference here this week.



Carmina Lass, executive director of Innovative Changes, a Portland group which makes microloans to people whose only other option might be an expensive payday loan, says she sees all the unrest today about banks and fees in a positive light. She says it could make people smarter about money.



"People are really seeing the opportunity to take charge of their finances - working on better financial planning, better choices in terms of credit, but also learning how to evaluate financial institutions and the products that they offer, and find better products that meet their needs."



Rebekah Barger says money management skills start early. A program manager for NeighborWorks Umpqua, a group which teaches young people about financial fitness and saving for college, Barger says the "Gear Up" program is a real eye-opener for most teens.



"No matter how prepared they are, the kinds of things that they stumble over and have a hard time really absorbing, and almost are in denial of, are the realities of what it costs to live."



Personal finance isn't a required course in Oregon schools. Barger believes it should be, and that it should be taught starting in junior high or earlier.



In an emergency, according to the National Bureau of Financial Research, half all American households would be unable to come up with $2,000 within 30 days, and about one in five would have to pawn something to get it. Lass says that's a good reason to start budgeting and saving.



"Managing your money is stressful at any income level, and so the first step is just to start thinking about how to plan. Whatever there is, planning - just the act of planning out, for the next month, or next week, or even for the next day - is something that can help decrease the stress."



State policies that could help people get ahead are being discussed at the conference. For instance, Oregon caps the interest rate for payday loans at 36 percent, but allows lenders to charge fees of up to $30 for each $100 borrowed. That's higher than in any other state with a rate cap - and something consumer advocates want to change.