Financial Literacy Comes To The Real World

In this society, some of the most important things in your life have to deal with money. In Chad Foster’s book, Financial Literacy for Teens, he taught his readers how to save, spend, invest and give away your money. Reading this book has taught me to start saving when I’m young, know the differences of what I need to buy rather than what I want, to make money while I sleep and giving away some of your money will not only help yourself, but help many others as well.

Americas debt has doubled over the past several years, and most Americans do not know how to manage their finances. One of the only solutions that come to mind when thinking of how to make the economy better is financial literacy courses. [Thesis] Students should be required to take financial literacy class before graduating high school because [Reason 1] people need to learn how to logically make financial decisions, [Reason 2] and also to prepare people to make important economic decisions in an ever changing economy.

The idea of adding a financial literacy course into schools curriculums and requiring students to take it before graduating is a current decision being considered by numerous school districts. Supporters of this idea say that it would have a positive effect while the people who oppose this idea state that financial courses don’t work.

It is no secret that the financial system in The United States of America is incredibly complex and difficult to fully understand. As more and more people go into debt each year, it becomes clear that every American needs some help when it comes to financial literacy. However, the implementation of a financial literacy course is not a good solution. A course in financial literacy would end up being a waste of time and money because the class would cost the school board a large sum of money that it already does not have, and the students would not actually acquire much benefit from the class. Schools are getting less funding from the government every year and most school budget are pushed to their max.

Those born with a silver spoon in their mouth are destined to be wealthy. Not only because they come from old money, but because those who come from old money teach their kids about money. Although economics and finances have recently been added to the curriculum of American schools, there is only so much that can be learned from a book. This kind of knowledge is gained mainly through life-experiences and there are many people who believe it is the parent’s job to make sure their children are prepared to deal with finances in the future. Many people who are not of old money are financially illiterate; they have little to no education about finances. They may know how to make money, however, they probably have no idea how to keep their money. Therefore, they have no idea how to teach their children how to keep money. For this reason, a large portion of the population is focused on get-rich-quick schemes hoping to “make it big” or “strike it rich”.

Many believe that financial literacy classes are helpful and a good tool for you in the future. Finance is a waste of time and the classes do not help you in any case. The material taught in these classes are not used in everyday life and the methods used in the class are not helpful in any way.

It’s no secret that a majority Americans struggle with all things finances. The jargon alone is enough to leave many confused, and with the complexities of modern economy becoming an ever increasing tangled mess, Americans are looking to do something about it. One popular suggestion is financial literacy classes for high school students. While the idea sounds promising, the reality of these classes is rather farfetched. People praise the thought of implementing financial literacy into our school system in order to help kids in their future. This praise is filled with good intentions, but the sad fact is that this is not in a student's best interest.

Financial literacy should, without a doubt, be a requirement to graduate in every high school. Every year, thousands of high school students graduate and are forced into the real world with no knowledge of financial literacy. How could they be expected to succeed? High schools prepare students to find the perimeter of a garden, write in MLA format, and always keep their shirts tucked in, but fail to prepare students for loans,car notes, or taxes.

Opponents of teaching financial literacy may argue that it has a negligible impact on society, but that is not the truth. Knowing about financial literacy before college is ‘too important to ignore’(Frost,3). It’s crucial for making suitable financial decisions for the future and all of the students are going to use it in real life. In real life, students need to apply this knowledge

Personal Finance has always been an emotional topic in the United States. Today, many Americans are generating unlimited wealth and living exceptional lives, while others are struggling to make ends meet. Evidently, people’s actions and beliefs are the deciding factors in their achievement of wealth. So, this huge gap in wealth between rich and poor people has a special connection with the philosophy and attitude of each individual toward personal finance.

Despite the natural, physical growth of mankind, the expected mental development from adolescence to adulthood requires much more nutrition than a well-balanced diet. Unfortunately, it is apparent that some children are not provided with proper parental guidance during the most crucial years of adult development, and due to this tragedy, the neglected youth relies solely on the state’s public educational system to further develop necessary qualities of a successful adult. Throughout grade school, children are only required to learn the core subjects of English, History, Math, Science, and as well as health related classes such as Physical Education, and although each of these subjects are necessary for basic education, there are far more important

This statement is rather shocking but proves why high school students should be taught financial literacy. Financial literacy is the ability of learning how to manage money. Financial literacy should be taught because, more people have been going bankrupt at a younger age, they have more debt options, and lastly are unable to manage money because they have never been taught. This is not just a problem for an individual, but potentially a huge problem in this country’s future.

As of today only one state has received an A+ grade from the CCCFL for their financial literacy courses taught in high school, while many states offer no personal finance courses at all. High school students are subject to many dangerous ploys that are obscure and meant to lure them into costly decisions as soon as they turn eighteen. This may be through credit card offers, student loans, elaborate scams, or simply deceitful advertising. These traps may stay with the student for the rest of their life, such as identity theft or high interest debt that will take decades to pay off. Statistics reveal that 75% of credit card carrying college students were unaware of late payment charges, additionally the late payments are typically the minimum

Financial Literacy is the focal point of the Everfi program. This program covers everything from responsible money choices to savings and interests. And prepares us for what responsibilities we will have after we are out of our parents financial wings. Overall Everfi is a helpful tool for young students who do not know much concerning finances and money.

Having understood the simple meaning of financial literacy, now its time to get an understanding of financial literacy and its impact on financial inclusion.