Ok, I admit that I have a bit of a fascination with this concept of “all we need to know about personal finance should fit on an index card.” Why? It’s the notion that the simplest solution is often the best solution, especially when it comes to personal finance. For example, when thinking about investing, aren’t a few well-diversified index funds going to serve you better than trying to choose among 7,000 mutual funds or a similar number of publicly-traded stocks?

So, here is a insightful 8 minute video that aired on PBS NewsHour that provides details on the financial concepts from the book “The Index Card.” Editor’s note: I had Helaine Olen on the NGPF podcast earlier this year.  This video would be a great lead-in to a capstone activity where you ask students to summarize what they learned in YOUR personal finance course and put it on an index card:

Here are the earlier posts describing this activity idea:

• Activity Idea: Personal Finance Ideas That Fit On an Index Card

• Activity Idea: How To Manage Money (and Fit It On An Index Card)

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.