Teaching Financial Literacy to Young People

Add comment March 25th, 2008

Becoming “financially literate” is kind of like learning a second language: it’s something that anyone can accomplish, but it’s best learned at a young age.  And, the earlier you are exposed to financial literacy, the more you stand to gain from it.

 Teaching financial literacy to area youth will be one of the main themes of the “Preparing Our Future” blog.  Aimed at parents and educators, my blog entries will highlight techniques and opportunities to teach young people about money management skills, entrepreneurship, and work readiness.  As Larry Messing mentioned in his first post, young people need to be prepared and inspired to take charge of their future, and financial lessons are key.

 Two of the bloggers, Larry and myself, come from the Rock River Valley chapter of Junior Achievement.  Many of our readers may remember the Junior Achievement “Company Program” from their highschool days.  Today, JA is a worldwide organization that brings financial literacy programs to children in grades K-12.  Locally, each year over 250 JA volunteers reach 5,000 students in over 30 schools in the Rock River Valley.

I look forward to discussing the economic education of our local youth with you, and would like to thank Business Rockford for making it possible.  We will be working hard to keep this blog updated and relevant, and I hope that it serves as a useful resource.