VOA慢速英语2011--Websites Show Young People How to Save

Education Report - Websites Show Young People How to Save

教育报道 - 理财网站帮助年轻人存钱

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。

Young people are perhaps better-known for spending money than saving it. But some new banking 1 websites are seeking to change that. These websites offer young people the information and tools they need to watch over their money. The websites also let the users share their financial experiences with other young people.

年轻人可能更为大家熟知的是花钱而不是存钱。但一些新的银行网站正试图改变这种状况。这些网站为年轻人提供理财的信息和工具，同时还允许用户与其他年轻人分享自己的理财经验。

Nineteen-year-old Alix Scott has been working at a store this summer. She is saving money to pay for college next year.

这个夏天，19岁的阿历克斯·斯科特（Alix Scott）一直在商店打工。她在存明年的大学学费。

ALIX SCOTT: “I have to save for all my college money because my parents, they can’t afford to co-sign on loans. So, I have to rely on my own savings 2.”

斯科特：“我必须存够大学所有学费，因为我的父母不能负担联名贷款。所以我必须依靠自己的积蓄。”

But instead of putting her money in a local bank, Miz Scott began using SmartyPig, a web-based banking service.

但斯科特没有把钱存在当地银行，而是开始使用SmartyPig这种基于网络的银行服务。

ALIX SCOTT: “When I do that, I overcome the impulses to just spend the money.”

斯科特：“这样做能克服我花钱的冲动。”

Michael Ferrari developed SmartyPig with a friend in two thousand seven.

2007年，迈克尔·费拉里（Michael Ferrari）和一位朋友开发了SmartyPig。

MICHAEL FERRARI: “SmartyPig is really all about helping 3 people save for very specific financial goals. So that could be a wedding, a vacation, an I-phone.”

费拉里：“SmartyPig就是帮助人们为特定财务目标存钱，这个目标可能是一场婚礼，一次度假或一个手机。

Mister Ferrari says SmartyPig opened after he started a college savings account for his new baby. He says that experience helped him realize the power of saving for a specific goal. Helping other savers pay attention to their goals is the idea behind his on-line company.

费拉里先生表示，在为自己新出生的孩子开设大学储蓄账户后，他开办了SmartyPig。他说，那次经历帮助他认识到为特定目标存钱的威力。他开设这家网络公司背后的想法是帮助其他储户关注自己的目标。

MICHAEL FERRARI: “For example, I’m saving up for a vacation. I want to save five thousand dollars. I want to meet this goal in three years. SmartyPig will actually calculate how much money you need to allocate 4 every month. You don’t have to move from your existing bank, we’ll actually go in and withdraw those funds on the day you specify 5 every month and we’ll put them into your SmartyPig account, where they’ll actually accrue 6 interest, as well.”

费拉里：“例如我正在为度假存钱，我想要在3年内存够5千美元。SmartyPig将计算出你每月需要存多少钱。你不需要从当前使用的银行转账，我们每月将在你指定的当天扣走这笔资金并存入你的SmartyPig账户，这个账户里的资金也计息。”

Mister Ferrari says his website also enables outsiders to add money to the accounts of its users.

费拉里先生表示，该网站还允许其他人向用户账户存入资金。

MICHAEL FERRARI: “Perhaps maybe a holiday is coming up or your birthday is coming up, and rather than getting a gift, your friends, your family can actually contribute to any of your SmartyPig goals.”

费拉里：“也许假期或你的生日即将到来，你的家人或朋友不是送你礼物，而是向你的SmartyPig账户存钱。”

Twenty-two-year-old Khang Nguyen is studying civil engineering in college. He likes being able to share his saving goals with his online community.

22岁的Khang Nguyen正在大学就读土木工程。他喜欢通过网上社区分享他的存钱目标。

KHANG NGUYEN: “I think it’s actually a good thing that they are able to see it. Like, a bunch of my friends after they found out, you know, about what I do, they always come ask me for financial advice.”

KHANG NGUYEN：“我认为别人能看到我的存钱目标是件好事。例如一些朋友发现我在做什么后，他们经常向我询问理财建议。”

A growing number of young people have shown an interest in online banking sites like SmartyPig. They say they like the ease of operation and services the sites offer. These personal finance websites offer tools that help users follow their spending, set up a budget, and combine their investments. And they all involve social media, which interests young adults who are already at ease about sharing their personal information online.

越来越多的年轻人对SmartyPig一类的网上银行网站表现出兴趣。他们说，他们喜欢网站提供的便捷操作和服务。这些个人理财网站提供工具帮助用户跟踪支出，制定预算并综合他们的投资。这些网站都包含社交媒体，这吸引了很多乐于分享自己个人信息的年轻人。

Janet Stauble is with the personal finance website bankrate dot com.

Janet Stauble是个人理财网站bankrate.com职员。

JANET STAUBLE: “There’s all kinds of individuals who have their own blogs who are talking about money, creating videos, making info-graphics. You just kind of see personal finance information in places that you wouldn’t expect.”

Janet Stauble：“很多人都有自己的博客，讨论钱，制作视频或图表。你会在一些意想不到的地方看到个人理财信息。”

Miz Stauble says people share things on the Internet that they might not say to their friends.

Stauble女士表示，人们在互联网上会分享一些他们可能不愿和朋友说的事情。

JANET STAUBLE: “It’s not likely that, you know, you might go to a friend and say, ‘Hey, I paid off one thousand dollars on my credit card today,’ but people write up blog posts about it and they explain how they did it, and how much closer they are to their financial goal, whatever it is.”

Stauble：“你不太可能会对朋友说，‘嘿，今天我还了1000美元信用卡。’但人们会在博客上写这件事，并解释如何做到的，以及他们距离自己的理财目标有多近等等。”

Miz Stauble believes that as technology continues to develop, more people will use the electronic banking sites.

Steve Weisman talks about financial issues at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He says the more creative the websites are in providing services, the more successful they will be in competing against traditional banks or even cooperating with them.

STEVE WEISMAN: “For instance, SmartyPig, they are not actually a bank, but they are partnered with a bank. And what you’re gonna see is big banks and little banks that are legitimate 7 financial institutions, but not necessarily the most savvy 8 when it comes to computers or the Internet, they will partner up with other companies that may be doing some of the web material and other assistance, while the actual banking would be done through a bank with which it is connected.”

That cooperation, he says, will change the way Americans save in the future.

And that’s the VOA Special English Education Report. I’m Christopher Cruise.