Teen Smart

According to a study by FINRA Investor Education Foundation, there is a trend of declining financial literacy. On average, young Americans couldn’t answer a majority of financial literacy questions correctly. People ages 18- to 34-years-old had the sharpest drop in their ability to answer four of five financial literacy questions correctly over the years, declining from 30% to 17% in 2019.

Teens are full-fledged consumers, but many are lacking the basic financial literacy to assist them to make sound decisions. A 2020 Council for Economic Education survey showed that 70 percent of high schoolers in the U.S. had the option to take a personal finance course in 2019, but only 17 percent of students were required to take one. As teens become adults, they are at greater risk of falling prey to questionable offers, negative/costly buying experiences, and poor spending and credit practices.  

TeenSmart Workshop Goal: To generate/heighten high school students’ awareness that basic consumer knowledge and skills are critically important to their future well-being.

The Class: The 40 – 80 minute workshop offers tools to help students make better buying decisions, recognize scams, and be responsible with their finances.  This interactive presentation engages students using everyday marketplace challenges they face.