Federal Reserve Centennial

The Federal Reserve Act was signed in 1913, but the Federal Reserve banks first opened their doors in 1914.  So, the Fed has been celebrating its Centennial all year.  Although we hear about the Fed Chair all the time in relation to raising or lowering interest rates, the Fed also performs a number of other important functions to keep America's financial system running efficiently.  You can learn a lot about the Fed's current activities as well as its history on its Centennial website: 

http://www.federalreserveeducation.org/centennial/

The site even provides lesson plans about both the Centennial and the basics of personal finance.  Spending some time learning about the Fed might be a wise investment.