New idea…providing you with three cartoons focused on one personal finance topic (credit cards in this post) and have students answer a few questions:

• What is happening in the cartoon?
• What is the motive of the cartoonist?
• What lessons can you glean from these cartoons to help your financial life?

I hope you and your students enjoy these first three (I provided one takeaway to get you started):

Cartoon 1:

Takeaway: The cards may be small enough to fit in your wallet but the potential for mayhem is high if you can’t control your spending.

Cartoon 2:

Takeaway: High interest rates on credit card debt can really hurt you if you carry a credit card balance.

Cartoon #3:

Takeaway: There are many lenders out there ready to capitalize on people drowning in debt.

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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