Wouldn't it be great if our public schools included some instruction on basic money management skills? How is it that our youth can get through high school and be so ill-equipped to deal with the realities of life in the real world? Many are unprepared for basic tasks like balancing a checkbook, filling out a financial statement, or making a budget.
Last year, in a report from the American Institutes for Research and The Pew Charitable Trusts, it was found that 20% of college grads are unable to do basic calculations. For example, they are unable to estimate whether their car has enough gasoline to get to the next gas station, calculate the total cost of ordering office supplies, compare credit card offers with different interest rates, compare ticket prices, or calculate the cost of a sandwich and a salad from a menu. (Or check the correct box on a pledge card?)
We would like to see our public schools preparing students with the basic money management skills that are essential to life in our society.
(To read our first post about financial literacy, click here . To read our second post on this topic, click here .)
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