Our Mission
Did you know that only 26% of American teenagers feel as if they have a good grasp of personal finance skills? In a country where education aims to prepare our youth to lead the future, this statistic is truly disheartening. We strongly believe that in order to create leaders, our education system must equip high schoolers with basic life skills that will confront us as adults.
Unfortunately, Connecticut contributes to this knowledge gap. So far, there are no signed bills or laws that outline standards for personal finance education in Connecticut high schools. Connecticut does not require a personal finance course for high school graduation, nor does it require students to take a course with personal finance embedded. Legislation doesn't even require Connecticut high schools to offer a personal finance course as an elective.
The lack of financial literacy poses many dire impacts on Connecticut. In fact, many in our community
Pay high-interest rates (10% - 20%), especially young borrowers and those who can least afford to pay them
Borrow inappropriately
Speculate instead of invest
Do not plan their taxes and pay more taxes than high earning individuals
Expanding personal finance education is the only way Connecticut can help fix these issues. By teaching students how to handle their money now, they will less likely make these costly financial mistakes in the future. The lack of legislation aiming to improve access to personal finance education is astounding, and I hope that you can help us change the status quo.
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Students for Personal Finance Education