I had the privilege this month of traveling to New York and Washington DC to attend a few events, all of which were centered around the idea of restoring economic opportunity in America. At these events, I took copious notes (filling an entire Moleskine), asked a ton of questions, engaged in hundreds of energetic conversations, and tried to learn as much …
Read more »With holidays on the horizon, financial literacy is probably the last thing your mind. And hey, we don’t blame you! When all your friends and relatives can talk about is their Christmas vacation and the ten pound turkey sitting in the oven, it’s easy to get distracted. To help you stay in the holiday spirit …
Read more »One of the core concepts that we always emphasize in our quarterly training workshops is that Moneythink mentors are just that — mentors. They are not teachers, lectures, or instructors. Their goal is not to just teach urban high school students about the importance of budgeting, saving, and thinking long-term (not that those skills aren’t …
Read more »Within the past few years, we’ve seen an explosion in the proliferation of financial literacy programs across the nation. From the 13 financial badges that Girl Scouts recently began awarding to its members to the Capitol One/Junior Achivement Finance Park program, it seems like everyone is trying to get a piece of the proverbial financial …
Read more »It’s no secret. Study after study has shown that when it comes to financial literacy, there is significant room for improvement. The 2011 Consumer Financial Literacy Survey found that two in five adults carry a month-to-month credit card balance, and more than half the respondents surveyed reported that they do not have a budget and …
Read more »“Clearly the best way to protect consumers is to educate them.” -Thomas F. Cooley, Forbes.com Under the financial reform bill that Congress passed last year, the federal government has created the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA), under which all financial regulations have become consolidated and enforced. This is a potentially major victory for financial literacy! …
Read more »When it comes to financial literacy, we’re all about getting an early start. The sooner students learn about budgeting, saving, and long-term planning, the better equipped they’ll be to deal with the unavoidable challenges that accompany adulthood and all the jazz that comes with it. But what about those of us just getting into the …
Read more »A lot of financial education is about planning for the future, expanding perspective, and taking practical steps to stay aware and secure a safe future and prevent personal financial catastrophe. Long-term health care must be a part of that plan for the future.What do you do when you’re 65, have saved $500,000 or less in …
Read more »One of the greatest obstacles facing financial education non-profits today is eliciting genuine student engagement and interaction. To the students, it is boring to receive lessons on debt, loans, and entrepreneurship in lectures with just a marker and a whiteboard. How do we engage the students and help them learn dynamically? Students need some spark …
Read more »We know you’ve seen us write and talk a lot about what we’re doing in Chicago South Side to increase financial literacy in underprivileged high schools. But we want to take it a step further. We’re going to have our students, former and current alike, write on our blog! They’ll be documenting their experience with …
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