Do they teach enough personal finance skills in school?

1. 67

   ilikegamesposted 9 years ago

   Do they teach enough personal finance skills in school?
   
   It seems like despite a world that revolves around money (and how well you can manage it) there is no change in the amount of personal finance education given in schools. Topics like interest, managing your day to day finishes, budgets, investing. Do these things need more focus in the school syllabus?

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2. 78

   Kara Skinnerposted 9 years ago

   Definitely. I graduated high school without knowing much about taxes buying a house or buying a car. I can sort of budget my income and I know about investments but that is from a lot of Internet research and less from school. Since a lot of kids go into college straight out of high school and immediately go into debt financial skills should be essential for school.

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3. 85

   tsmogposted 9 years ago

   I really don't know today what they teach. I learned to budget when I took a home economics class that was co-ed (I am of the male gender). I never considered things like budgeting, meal planning, and how to balance a checkbook until I took that class. I was not taken with surprise when I moved out. Plus, I gained real understanding of what my parents had to do financially.

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4. 60

   fpherj48posted 9 years ago

   Sarah....I'm not even fully aware of what's being taught (or not taught) in classrooms today.  I haven't had teens in school in over a decade.
   However, your question brings up one of my serious concerns about what SHOULD be taught.  "Financial Skills" is definitely one I would encourage all schools to add to their curriculum!   This has always been my opinion of a "no-brainer."
   One of the most vital lessons we can provide our young adults is in having a good solid grasp on one's finances.  It's common sense to provide our kids with the ABC's of "money." 
   After all, $$$$ is what they are going out into the world to seek & create for themselves.   Doesn't it seem an egregious oversight not to teach them what to DO with that money??
   Thank you for asking this question.  I hope it succeeds in stirring up thought & action!.

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5. 95

   mactaversposted 9 years ago

   Judging from the number of companies that are debt counselling services and legal firms that handle bankruptcy, many people are unable to handle their finances, or to practice financial planning for the future.

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6. 95

   Jeannieinabottleposted 9 years ago

   Schools do not focus enough on finances.  I know kids graduating from high school or college now that have no idea how to balance a checkbook or how to write a check.  Sure, not many people use checks anymore, but you still need to know how to write one.  And you certainly can't rely on your bank to balance your account.  You've got to know how to do that yourself or it is easy for someone to cheat you.
   
   I personally wished I'd learned about stocks, interest rates, etc.  I have no idea what I am doing!  I really did not need all those algebra classes... I need to know how to save for retirement!

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7. 78

   Faceless39posted 9 years ago

   I learned absolutely NOTHING in public government school, and so no, I learned absolutely NOTHING of any worth to life whatsoever in school. I have used nothing from my lifetime of public school education. Anything I learned, I learned on my own. Public school is a joke, and to count on it teaching anything of worth is a mistake. If you want your kids to know anything at all, teach them yourself.. or one day they will teach themselves. You can't right a wrong system.. period

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8. 90

   sangreposted 9 years ago

   I think this needs to be addressed in schools more and the younger you are when your start learning about handling money, the better it is for you in the long run.  Most young people have some type of part time job these days.
   
   You're never told to plan for the future. Buying a house or choosing a savings plan or very important things and if you even had a little bit of a clue about them, it would be very useful.

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9. 82

   tamarawilhiteposted 8 years ago

   Not enough, and it is disappointing to see the middle school finance class materials often donated by credit card companies. Dave Ramsey's financial literacy classes for 6th-12th grade are much better.

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10. 59

    dudumoduposted 5 years ago

    I see that I am a latecomer to this thread. All the same, I feel like joining in especially as I bring a view from a different clime. The unmistakable answer is NO. What is really worrisome for me is that, like education or enlightenment generally, you  begin to realise what you had been missing ONLY when you get some ; talk of the old saying - the more you know, the more you know how much you do not know, So, you find financially illiterate people living in complacency even as they perpetually struggle financially. Some conveniently blame others while some accept it as normal to struggle financially. In Africa, some even have recourse to using religion as opium to salve this pain,There is a dire need for financial education to penetrate our schools because, as one of the earlier contributors said, the earlier you grasp this in your life, the better.

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11. 60

    FatFreddysCatposted 5 years ago

    This pretty much sums up my experience with being taught "finance skills" as a kid in the '70s.
    

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12. 47

    erorantesposted 5 years ago

    In college,  the learning is the basic unless you pursue a financial career. It is a learning like any other class. Financial knowledge, it is gain by taking extra classes and life learning.

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