“Why didn’t they teach me that in school?!”
If I had a nickel for every time I uttered that phrase, I would’ve be a millionaire by my mid-twenties.
Instead, I was quite the opposite.
I was an indebted, jobless, penniless college grad up to my eyeballs in student loans and staring at my first paycheck like it had just come to life and bitten me.
Suddenly, I was expected to manage all my money myself. But the thing was no one had taught me how.
- No one had taught me about taxes and take-home pay.
- No one had taught me how to avoid over-borrowing to pay for college.
- No one had taught me how to save up even just a little while I was in school.
- No one had taught me how to be a good job candidate.
- No one had taught me how to manage my loans after graduation.
No one had taught me anything about my finances.
WHY We Need More Financial Education In School
I learned a lot of useful (and useless) information about history and English and statistics and Spanish. But I didn’t learn much about the real world. There was no “Money 101” while I was in school. So instead, I had to learn the hard way – with a diploma in hand and without a clue where to start.
The good news? It doesn’t have to be that way for students anymore.
It doesn’t have to be surprise when you see your student loan balance for the first time. It doesn’t have to be a shock when you look at your credit card statement and wonder how you racked up so much debt. And it doesn’t have to be a struggle when you have to figure out your paycheck and how to handle all your bills.
Because there is a program for that now. It’s available for colleges and universities to offer to their students. And it’s free for high schools and nonprofits. And it’s a program I believe in, because I’ve spent the past year helping to design it.
It’s called Financial Avenue. And it’s the answer to all of those big, hairy money questions that every student deserves to know.
What Is Financial Avenue?
Financial Avenue is Inceptia’s online financial education program that mentors students on the basics of personal finance that everyone needs to survive – and thrive – in the real world (while still making it relatable and even entertaining). Based on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Literacy and Education Commission’s financial education core competencies, this program dishes out relevant financial education information to students in a format that inspires action. This isn’t in-one-ear-and-out-the-other education. This is interactive, relevant and actionable.
In Financial Avenue, students identify their personal money philosophy, gain knowledge of key personal finance concepts from budgeting to investing, and come away from each course with a customized action plan to translate what they’ve learned into what they can do about it. And there’s a specific focus on helping student borrowers with the nuts and bolts of FAFSA, the financial aid process and student loan management and repayment.
Check out the video below to see what Financial Avenue is all about:
WHAT MAKES FINANCIAL AVENUE SPECIAL?
But this course isn’t just for the wide-eyed 18-year-old away from home for the first time. It’s for…
- High school students to help them understand money before they get to college
- Both 2-year and 4-year college students, who might be a full time student or managing a job on the side
- Adult learners who might already have years of experience managing money in the real world and need some help improving what they already know
The course content is customized based on user experience: perfect for both the learners who’ve been in the financial real-world for a while and the newbies who need all the information they can get.
So whether a student is in debt or debt-free, ready to buy a home or just figuring out how to rent an apartment, filling out the FAFSA for the first time or getting ready to graduate, Financial Avenue adapts to the financial situation for each user and presents custom content based on each individual.
But what do I think is most special about it? It’s free to high schools and non-profits. Students get to reap the rewards of receiving some much-needed financial education – now and for years to come – without spending a dime.
WANT TO BRING FINANCIAL AVENUE TO YOUR HIGH SCHOOL OR NONPROFIT?
Financial Avenue is completely free to:
- Non-profits, including local or national community groups
- High schools
- Faith-based organizations
- Home school groups and organizations
All you have to do is ask.
If you want to bring Financial Avenue to your school or group, email [email protected] or call 888-529-2028 x6306.
Here’s to a new generation of truly educated students and no more money surprises after graduation.
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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by Inceptia, the creators of Financial Avenue. But like I said in the blog post, I helped design the courses! I can say I truly love all the content because I helped write it 🙂
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