Steve, first of all you are to be commended for wanting to bring financial literacy to young people. As someone who worked 40 years in the financial world it is the first thing I wanted to do when I retired and have now been doing it for 15 years to high schools, colleges, social service organizations and even prisons'. The first thing I focus on is budgeting, how you have to live within your means and that savings, both for emergencies and retirement, is a bill you owe yourself every month. I also agree with Mr. Wheeler below about teaching them about interest rates, compounding and how money grows. They need to understand that their biggest asset right now is time. I would also focus on retirement plans especially Roth IRA/401k. These are no brainers for long term, tax free growth. Lastly I highly recommend a compound interest calculator at EconLink. It graphically shows how money grows and the kids can plug in numbers and play with different scenarios. Also, go to You Tube and search for "Credit Cards Explained with a Glass of Water". This usually blows their minds. Best of luck to you in this worthwhile endeavor.
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Steve, first of all you are to be commended for wanting to bring financial literacy to young people. As someone who worked 40 years in the financial world it is the first thing I wanted to do when I retired and have now been doing it for 15 years to high schools, colleges, social service organizations and even prisons'. The first thing I focus on is budgeting, how you have to live within your means and that savings, both for emergencies and retirement, is a bill you owe yourself every month. I also agree with Mr. Wheeler below about teaching them about interest rates, compounding and how money grows. They need to understand that their biggest asset right now is time. I would also focus on retirement plans especially Roth IRA/401k. These are no brainers for long term, tax free growth. Lastly I highly recommend a compound interest calculator at EconLink. It graphically shows how money grows and the kids can plug in numbers and play with different scenarios. Also, go to You Tube and search for "Credit Cards Explained with a Glass of Water". This usually blows their minds. Best of luck to you in this worthwhile endeavor.
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Link to comment from August 2, 2025