• ‘Credit for Life’ teaches Wallingford students how to manage personal finances (myrecordjournal.com)

Managing money isn’t a skill many high school students learn before graduating. Recent studies indicate the majority of American teens do not know how to solve basic financial problems. “When you’re younger, you don’t really see money as a precious thing. You just go to your parents for money,” Sheehan High School sophomore Gavin Sparks said. The school district held an event Wednesday that gave high school sophomores a simulated experience with personal finances.

• Bismarck school plans to build financial education center (The Washington Times)

A Catholic school system in Bismarck is planning to build a financial education center for students, after receiving a $2 million donation. Officials at Light of Christ schools and the head of Choice Financial announced the construction of the new center Thursday, The Bismarck Tribune (http://bit.ly/2lV5xYJ ) reported. The center aims to improve financial literacy and foster business skills among the school’s students. “Personal finance or financial literacy teaches lessons on credit cards and loans. This is so useful for upcoming college students such as myself that will be on their own in the future,” Madison Baumgartner, a senior at St. Mary’s, said.

• Building Financial Literacy in High School So Kids Don’t Rack Up Huge College Loans (NJ SPOTLIGHT)

As costs of public and private colleges continue to climb, NJ student are sinking deeper into debt, but learning to be smarter about money can be a huge help. As the cost of tuition continues to rise, more and more students across the country are being forced to take out hefty loans to pay for their college educations. In New Jersey, the student-debt issue is a particular concern, with college students here carrying some of largest debt burdens in the country.

• JA volunteers will teach life skills Friday at Fletcher Elementary (Hendersonville Lightning)

Business volunteers from the community will take over all 21 classes at Fletcher Elementary on Friday morning for a “JA in a Day” event. These volunteers will be teaching five sessions of Junior Achievement curriculum to grades Kindergarten through 5th on the topics of Financial Literacy, Workforce Readiness, and Entrepreneurship. The lessons are interactive, games-based, and age appropriate and fun for both students and volunteers.

About the Author

Laura Matchett

After graduating with an education degree and spending 7 years in an elementary classroom, Laura made the switch to the non-profit world and loves interacting with students, educators and business professionals across the country. She is passionate about all students having access to high quality education and views personal finance education as one way to ‘level the playing field’. When Laura is not locating or creating high quality educational resources, you can find her mountain biking or searching for the best ramen in town!