The Important Need of Financial Education in Schools

Despite the importance of finance, accounting, and consumer intelligence, these topics are typically neglected in high schools. Unfortunately, personal finance is often learned by trial and error. The problem with this method of learning is that it only takes one costly financial mishap to set you back for years. This is why I created a basic personal finance book for total beginners. With these concepts you can use the other books in the Smart Money series to further build your knowledge of personal finance topics.

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.

Most developed countries regard and guard their education systems since this platform is perceived to have the ability to hold a country together. This is especially so in the USA, where they aim at achieving 60% higher education attainment by 2025 (Cheny and Geoff 10). Such a milestone will not only affect the economy, but also the social aspect in life positively. However, rising costs of education always act as a major barrier for many students whose parents are low-income earners, thus making it unaffordable. This has resulted in a huge credit debt that not only threatens to cripple the financial sector, but also affects the borrowers’ credibility for a long time. As much as education affects the economy in a positive way, college loans may not be the ultimate solution for students to invest in their future. This is because supplementary aspects in the financial sector will be undesirably affected, a move that can render education inoperable since scarcer jobs will be created; consequently, graduates will not have an opening to apply their expertise and knowledge, and contribute to the economy.

They must understand budgeting, taxes and banking while avoiding traps like payday loans that prey on the poor and uninformed. Despite this, only five states require students to take a stand-alone semester financial literacy course, so school districts simply don’t offer one. Campaigning for FBLA national office, I was surprised how few students, all enrolled in high school business courses, had access to a financial literacy instruction. I experienced the results of this shortcoming firsthand after my parent’s divorce. Lacking a personal finance education, my mother initially struggled with basic budgeting and understanding mortgages and taxes. By expanding financial literacy education in high schools, we can lay the foundation to challenge wealth

Financial decisions are something everyone faces like buying a car to figuring out how to pay for students loans or debts. We are not taught about these types of financial decisions and how to go about them from a young age. In the news article Working Financial Literacy in With the Three R’s by Tara Siegel Bernard, she talks about how more states are beginning to require a personal finance instructions class. In the article Finance Course Prompts Debate by Gina Davis, she suggests incorporating financial elements into already required classes.

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.

In the past years America began to suffer in economic field and in areas such as inflation. There are many reasons behind this misfortune, one of which is the financial illiteracy of the nation as a whole. A mandatory for graduation, financial literacy class in high school can be a solution to the problem of economical instability in the country. This course will prepare the young adults for the future that lies ahead, by teaching the responsibilities such as money management, consumer rights, credit, debit, and savings (source #3). In addition, the gained skill will both be helpful now, in solving problems with the credit card debt, and in the future, when determining the amount of taxes and bills one has to pay. Recently, several states

An education expert recently told me that low-income families who won 't borrow for college "just don 't understand" the concept of investing now for returns in the future. "We need financial literacy, so they can see that the debt is temporary. Over the long run, they 'll be far better off with that college degree," he said.

In the article “Financial education leaving Americans behind” the author, Greg burns, references a study at conducted at Harvard business school where they found that, “…[financial literacy] programs in widespread us during the past two decades were no use at all. ”(Document B, p.g.2). Financial literacy is not something that you can teach for a year and expect all student to fully grasp. High school is simply too early to teach it. Very few high school students are thinking about future economic responsibilities and any advice that is given to them through a course will not be retained.

Being able to manage your money is an important skill to have as an adult, but the current education system does not make financial management a required class to take. While some people think that parents are the ones responsible, this should not be

Even with these changes some may still doubt why these classes are important, but here are a few statistics about the financial literacy of today’s adults. According to Caitlin Blake of Concordia University, “Only 39% of adults make budgets and track their spending.” and “32% of adults do not save a portion of their annual income.” (Blake) These statistics show that a growing number of adults either don’t use, or haven’t acquired the skills needed to be financially wise. Even with these numbers still being a minority at the moment, a possible outcome in the future could be a majority of adults struggling to manage personal finances. Though many schools still do offer courses to teach these types of skills, many do not require them past middle school. With these classes still being electives, they are still highly susceptible to being eliminated from schools course offerings and, students opting not to take them. Now off the topic of financial literally or; therefore, the lack of, we now move on the topic of

Many different studies have shown that having a mandatory financial literacy class would not be helpful for students because they think that they know everything when they do not and when tested they don't score any better than those that do take the course. The mandatory financial literacy class is not good enough right not for a changing world. Therefore, students should not be forced into a class that might hurt them in the long run.

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.

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.