Have you ever made a poor financial decision? Do you wish
that at some times in your life you had more guidance on the fundamentals of
financial literacy?
Well, I can say yes to both of those questions, but for the most
part, I’d say overall I’ve been rather lucky as far as my financial upbringing.
As a child, my parents gave me an allowance for completing
assigned chores. My brother and I were
taught to save up for items that we wanted, but we were also given the
occasional toy if we were out shopping with our parents.
When I was in high school, I worked several nights a week at
LaPorte Hospital in the kitchen, delivering trays to patients and scrubbing
pots and pans, along with patient trays.
Glamourous work? I’d say not… but it did teach me great work ethic,
teamwork and probably most importantly, how to manage money.
My parents were very generous and paid for my car insurance
and gas as long as the car was used to get to work and to school. My part of the bargain was that I agreed to save
at least 60% of each paycheck and I could spend 40% for going out with friends,
etc. It seemed very fair and by the time I was ready to start college, I had a
pretty good amount saved up. I was proud
of the money I had saved.
Not all kids have parents who teach their children about
saving money and budgeting for needs and wants. Not all parents were ever
taught how to succeed at this, themselves!
The month of April is Financial Literacy month and it really
got me thinking about what that means, especially since I accepted the position
as Program Manager at Junior Achievement.
My goal will always be to help students learn about financial literacy,
entrepreneurship and job readiness. I
feel as though we owe that to each student in the area.
As the JA Program Manager for St. Joseph and Marshall
Counties, I recruit volunteers to enter the classrooms in these counties and teach
curriculum that has been developed to help students learn how to save money,
how to determine the different between wants and needs, how to start a business
and how to know which career is something he or she might be interested, among
other things.
It’s been an eye opening experience for me and a very
rewarding one, as well. Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts and
please consider how you can impact someone else’s life as far as financial
literacy is concerned. A little bit of your time volunteering or a few dollars
donated for classes in this area can mean a lot to students who might not
otherwise be introduced to this type of learning.
If nothing else, think about your own financial well-being
and how you can make well informed decisions! Happy Financial Literacy month…
for a few more days J
Let's make sure that students today learn how to become financially savvy tomorrow!
