Increasing Savings and Financial Literacy

To transform our economy by 2025, the government cannot be the only entity to invest in our country’s future. As a people, we must save and invest more to create wealth. The next PLP government will foster a culture of saving, and develop a mind-set where every Bermudian strives to spend the dividends of our wealth and not our wages. To promote saving and investment, we will develop domestic capital markets to create on-island investment vehicles for Bermudians to invest in Bermuda. We must provide the banks with competition and allow local entrepreneurs alternative access to capital thus boosting local small businesses. With the discussion about the further relaxation of 60/40 rules, we believe it is prudent to increase the availability and efficiency of domestic capital markets to promote increased domestic investment and put Bermudian capital to work. In order to promote the benefits of saving and investing, we must make a concerted effort to increase financial literacy. The government can help by launching a financial literacy campaign including public service announcements and forums on saving and investing. If we are able to increase the rates of saving and investment in Bermuda over the next decade, it will enhance our long term economic growth.