Advisers can — and must — help improve financial literacy in America

Summary: The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, yet many of its citizens are woefully ignorant about the nuts and bolts of such financial vehicles as loans and retirement savings plans. In fact, a Standard & Poor's survey ranked the U.S. No. 14 globally in terms of its citizens' financial literacy and rated just 57% of U.S. adults financially literate.