THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY

Hi! My name is Lori and I’m the founder of Wealth Building Academy for Teens, a four-module, self-paced course that helps prepare teens to make responsible financial decisions. I’m passionate about helping teens learn how to earn, save, budget, and spend so that they have a strong foundation for financial health.

Does that seem like an odd passion?

The reason that it’s so important to me may sound familiar. 

As a young adult, I fell prey to a dangerous gateway drug…CREDIT CARDS. 

One day, as a freshman in college, I was walking through campus and came across a table where people were giving away fun t-shirts. The only thing you had to do to get one was — you guessed it — sign up for a credit card. What would be the harm? Both the shirt and the card were free. No one had had any conversations about credit with me as I was growing up, and I hadn’t thought about it much myself.

The easy spending that the card provided led to a spending addiction that took me years to overcome — behaviorally, emotionally, and financially. Waving a piece of plastic and getting something in return made me feel like I could have whatever I wanted. Be whoever I wanted. The minimum credit payments were manageable, and I didn’t pay much attention to the interest that was accruing.

When I completed my degree, what should have been a bright future had a huge dark cloud of debt hanging over it.

It’s hard for me to tell this story. No one likes to think that they were so naive. But it wasn’t just a lack of experience that did me in. It was the fact that I had never had the opportunity to learn about good credit and money management and saving, all important components of financial health.

THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A HAPPY ENDING

Today I am living within my means and experiencing financial independence. I’m no longer living paycheck to paycheck struggling to get out of debt.

I have a Masters degree in teaching and over 10 years of classroom experience, and I’ve logged more than 800 teaching hours on Outschool with over a hundred 5-star reviews. It’s there I’ve honed my lessons on money management into a clear, concise, engaging curriculum.

There’s also something else that makes teaching these skills so important to me.

I’m not just a teacher, I’m a mom as well. 

The thought of my child starting off their adult life under debt or hitting retirement age without any savings is awful. I want them to have a debt-free life and be able to live comfortably, to own their own home if they wish, and have a secure retirement.

I’m guessing if you’re a parent, that you want that for your child too. But maybe you’re not sure how to go about it.

THERE’S A FINANCIAL LITERACY COURSE FOR THAT

Wealth Building Academy for Teens is a financial literacy course that consists of four self-paced modules that cover earning, budgeting, saving, and responsible spending habits. They can be purchased individually, or in a bundle for a 25% discount!

We have the tools that can teach teens financial responsibility and financial independence. Help them build that secure future by registering them today!

Not ready to register? Check out our FREE financial literacy worksheets for teens.