Teaching Financial Literacy
Here is a list of organizations that help parents and teachers educate kids about money. Plus: Two board games that make money fun.
--Regarding your column about the eighth-graders in Virginia who were learning to make real-life financial decisions as part of their school curriculum: Where can schools outside the Virginia area get resources and/or curriculum similar to this?
--Do you know of any national organizations that are involved in teaching financial literacy to children? I'd love to volunteer.
I'm always impressed by the number of parents and teachers who are committed to helping kids become financially literate, and I'm happy to steer you in any number of directions.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
For starters, in 2007 the mobile Finance Park classroom that I recently wrote about will be making stops in the Washington, D.C., area, northern Virginia, Richmond and Dallas areas where Capital One, one of the Finance Park sponsors, has offices.
Junior Achievement, which developed the Finance Park curriculum, also offers the program in seven permanent locations in the U.S.: Ft. Wayne, Ind.; Indianapolis; Louisville; Moline, Ill.; St. Louis; Seattle, and Wilmington, Del. JA plans to open more than a dozen other locations over the next couple of years (for more information, go to www.ja.org).
JA is one of many organizations that develop curriculum for students of all ages. To cite just a few: the National Endowment for Financial Education (www.nefe.org); the National Council on Economic Education (www.ncee.net), and the National Academy Foundation (www.naf.org).
The JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy maintains a comprehensive clearinghouse of curriculum materials at its Web site, www.jumpstart.org.
Making money fun
Which board game would be the best to teach my 10- and 12-year-old kids about money? Would you recommend Monopoly?
I sure would. Monopoly is still a classic-even though, as one 10-year-old observed, "you only do one thing, which is buy and sell property."
But my top pick would be The Game of Life. It's a hit with children of all ages because "it covers everything," in the words of an 11-year-old. "Everything" includes careers, college loans, mortgages, car insurance, dividends and taxes -- a money-management course in a box, and fun, too.
Creative people are always coming up with ideas for new financial games, which I'm happy to write about from time to time.
-
Stocks Chop as the Unemployment Rate Jumps: Stock Market TodayNovember job growth was stronger than expected, but sharp losses in October and a rising unemployment rate are worrying market participants.
-
Should You Renew Your CD?With rate cuts impacting earnings, we examine if now is a wise time to renew CDs.
-
7 Ways to Plan Now to Save on Medicare IRMAA Surcharges LaterUnderstand the critical two-year lookback period and why aggressive planning before you enroll in Medicare is the most effective way to minimize IRMAA.
-
Smart Strategies for Paying Your Child an AllowanceBy giving your kids money to spend and save, you’ll help them sharpen their financial skills at an early age.
-
How to Motivate Kids to Savepersonal finance It's not easy teaching your child to save. Here are some ways readers have incentivized their kids to keep track of their finances.
-
Lessons for Kids From the Crisissavings One of the greatest opportunities presented by the pandemic is to give children an appreciation for the workings of the economy.
-
Why Financial Education Workscollege Money skills learned young will pay off in the long run.
-
The Tooth Fairy Is Leaving Less Under Pillows These Dayssavings The average amount that the Tooth Fairy gives kids is down 10% from last year.
-
The Value Test: 300 Colleges That Pass
College Rankings All the schools on our list, from 1 to 300, are best values.
-
6 Ways to Get Your Kids to Do Chores Without Paying Themspending Kids shouldn't be paid for doing routine tasks, but for doing extra jobs that parents define as above and beyond.
-
Save $1 for College, Cut $2 in Debt
college Paying for college doesn't mean you have to take out thousands in student loans.
