I had to do a double take when I saw this headline:  “Hoosier Lottery And Ivy Tech Team Up To Promote Financial Literacy.”  Let me get this straight..A state lottery commission is promoting financial literacy.

While you are thinking about the irony of this…you should know that we have a lesson on this:  Playing the Lottery.  I won’t be expecting any calls from the Hoosier Lottery inquiring about this, however, since the objectives of the lesson are to show how low the odds are of winning the lottery and suggests more productive uses for that money.

Just another example of how the financial literacy movement gets hijacked by organizations looking for some cheap PR and building their brand recognition.  While they are at it, maybe they can partner with a local casino and offer a “field trip” with chips included.

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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