The 20 least financially savvy states

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The ideal client has at least some understanding of their finances — but how financially savvy they are can vary widely depending on where they live.

To find out where individuals have the least understanding of money matters, WalletHub recently rated the 50 states and Washington, D.C., on financial planning habits and financial knowledge and education. The findings were combined with the results of its WalletLiteracy test, and each state was ultimately assigned a total score out of 100.

"Too many Americans lack comprehensive financial literacy, which causes them to have lower credit scores, prevents them from getting credit with good interest rates and lowers the amount of wealth they build throughout their life, among other negative consequences," WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said in a release. "It's not surprising that the most financially literate states all require personal-finance education before students graduate from high school."

The states that fared the best include Minnesota, Nebraska and Virginia, which took the top three spots, with Minnesota earning the top score of 72.46, thanks in part to baking financial education into primary education, and to wage-earning adults rarely outspending what they bring in. 

Read more: The 20 most financially savvy states 

The following states' scores, however, signal more trouble for residents. Scroll through to find out which states are the 20 worst when it comes to financial literacy. 

Source:WalletHub

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Georgia ranked 20th with a total score of 61.74.
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Kansas ranked 19th with a total score of 61.27.
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New York ranked 18th with a total score of 60.87.
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New Mexico ranked 17th with a total score of 60.47.
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Montana ranked 16th with a total score of 60.25.
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Hawaii ranked 15th with a total score of 60.24.
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South Carolina ranked 14th with a total score of 60.18.
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Rhode Island ranked 13th with a total score of 60.12.
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Alabama ranked 12th with a total score of 60.10.
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Nevada ranked 11th with a total score of 58.39.
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Washington, D.C. ranked 10th with a total score of 58.14.
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California ranked 9th with a total score of 58.05.
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Louisiana ranked 8th with a total score of 57.72.
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Mississippi ranked 7th with a total score of 57.70.
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Tennessee ranked 6th with a total score of 57.63.
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Alaska ranked 5th with a total score of 57.43.
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Kentucky ranked 4th with a total score of 57.42.
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South Dakota ranked 3rd with a total score of 56.41.
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Oklahoma ranked 2nd with a total score of 54.29.
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Arkansas ranked 1st with a total score of 53.16.
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