Financial literacy 101 - Triangle Business Journal:

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Until we didn’t But even before the botton fell out of the stock andhousingf markets, the average citizen was bein bombarded with complex financial decisions — copinvg with credit card debt, financintg college and leasing or buying a car amonvg them. Most of us are left to fend for ourselvess asfinancial managers. Often it is hit or miss, but it’zs fair to say that the lack of financiap literacyis epidemic, and that the cost to society is Fundamental financial competency can mean the differencer between facing foreclosure and saving for a retirement It can mean the differencw between shouldering massive credit card debt and sendinyg a child to college.
Few would argue that financialliteracyy isn’t an important lifetime But there’s not enough being done in the schoolws to inculcate students with the basics. It’s time to recognizew that financial literacy needs tobe taught, the earlier the and should have a placw in the standard Massachusetts public school curricula. Financial literacyt often is framed asa low-income issue, but the stockl market collapse has made it clear that it’s everybody’x issue. If we’re going to remain a do-it-yourself society when it comees topersonal finance, it makes sense to teach people to do it Yet nothing is taught on an official basiw in Massachusetts.
The state Senate is considering bills that woul d require some financialliteracy exposure. Already 18 states requiree financial literacy education to be incorporated into and three require at leas t a semester of financial literacy A hard mandate may be unrealisticc given currentbudgetary pressures, but adopting financial literac as a key subject area shoulxd prompt many schools to rise to the challengee to produce more financially informed graduates.