• NGPF Fellow Courtney Poquette weighs in on the recent Vermont Jump$tart conference held in Killington (Rutland Herald): "Exposure to these topics and standards throughout the education system will help prepare students for the financial decisions they will make throughout the rest of their lives,” said Courtney Poquette, a business teacher at Winooski High School."
• NFL rookie Joejuan Williams credits his personal finance teacher for helping him understand how to invest (Boston New.com): "Taught by one of the assistant football coaches, Greg Carson, the personal finance class at Father Ryan introduced Williams to the basics of investing and retirement planning. He learned about hedge funds, 401(k) plans, certificates of deposit, and Roth IRAs. He learned how to budget and how to file a tax refund. He learned, most importantly, how to make smart choices."
• Student panel at Glendale High School (CA) highlights the demand for more real-life course work (LA Times): "We need to make sure that students feel that it’s relevant, that it’s worthwhile for them to be in class in the spring semester of their senior year,” said board member Nayiri Nahabetian, who suggested that implementing “financial literacy and college and career workshops” would benefit students."
• Changemaker Dan LaSalle featured in this story in the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Personal finance classes in high school? Lots of adults like the idea, and students love learning with real money.

  A Philly high school teacher is introducing teenagers to the world of stocks, bonds, the dangers of credit cards, and the thrill of investing over the long-term to become a millionaire – at Olney Charter High School in the Olney section of the city."

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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