It must be financial state survey week. Yesterday, I blogged about Ameriprise's retirement survey showing Minnesotans are tops for retirement confidence. Then today, FINRA released the state-by-state results of its Financial Capability study. The findings? Minnesota ranks #2 out of 50 in terms of financial knowledge.

It sounds good at first. But think of it this way: Who wants to be the best player on a losing team? If you look at the surveys conducted by Jump$tart and others over the years, most Americans get failing grades when quizzed about how our economy works and the basics of interest rates, savings and credit.

The state faired on par or slightly above average when it comes to using credit cards responsibly, planning for retirement and using banks instead of pricey non-bank products. But we lag when it comes to comparison shopping, which can save thousands in interest when you're talking credit cards, auto loans and mortgages.

Stop by www.usfinancialcapability.org. The data is presented in an easy-to-read manner and allows you to compare the state of Minnesota to other states around the country, to the region, and to the nation.

While there, test your own financial smarts with the study's brief 5 question financial capability quiz. Five out of five for me, baby (and thank goodness considering what I do for a living)!

I'll leave off with the question I asked yesterday. Why do Minnesotans tend to rate highly on these financial studies? What is it about our state that makes us comparatively smarter about financial matters?