Show 77 - Why Every Student Needs a Personal Finance Class with Yanely Espinal
In this episode, I talk with Yanely Espinal about advocacy efforts to bring financial literacy to schools and how you can help.
3/19/20251 min read
I have long believed that we are wasting our time teaching personal financial literacy to individuals (not that it doesn’t make a difference in their lives mind you!). Because if you want to make a real change you must educate the teachers. Teachers then educate their students and now real change has occurred. Yanely is helping to spearhead the charge of bringing financial literacy to schools with her work at NGPF. Assuming your passionate about this as well, let’s talk about how you can help, what it looks like, and why it matters!
Show Notes
Map of States with Requirements
Recommended Books (Amazon Affiliate Links)
Mind Your Money by Yanely Espinal
Key Ideas
When thinking about adding a personal finance graduation requirement it is important to note that it will not be effective unless it is a required stand alone, minimum semester long class. That’s what we’ve advocating for.
If you’re unsure how to advocate at the state level, start with your school. Once your school has figured it out move to the district and then your district can be a “lighthouse” district to help move your state in the right direction.
Unrelated to advocacy, Yanely, a former teacher, pleads with teachers to use automation to make your life easier so you can focus on what really matters.
Bonus Tip
Here is a bonus tip I didn't get to in the episode.
If you want to make a financial literacy class work it can’t be boring. Curricula that focuses entirely on information and work shorts will not cut it. Money is a real life thing. You must simulate real life in discussion, debate, simulation, game, etc. when teaching it or it will fail!