Here are three cartoons focused on investing and a few questions for your students to ponder:

• 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?

In this case, the experts are right! Check out this NGPF Activity on Compound Interest. Create an activity to see what happens when parents invest in college saving or 529 plans when their children are born. 

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No, the experts really don’t know the direction of the stock price tomorrow, next week and certainly not for the next year. The more you listen to the “so-called” experts, the more confused you will become. Want to dampen your student’s belief that they can “beat the market?” Let them play this simulation and see how it impacts their thinking.

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To many young people, the stock market is a scary place…and yet, in a low interest rate environment, it represents the best opportunity to wealth creation.

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The person sitting across from you in a suit and tie selling you a financial product may have incentives that are not aligned with yours. Always be sure to ask about the fees and whether they receive a commission for selling you the product.  Check out this NGPF Blog post “Why incentives matter in the world of financial services!”

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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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