I met Nic recently in Madison, Wisconsin where he received the 2018 Governor's Financial Literacy Award from Governor Tony Evers. Nic has established a program at Milton High School (which he also attended) where EVERY student creates an Academic and Career Plan which they present as a senior project to their classmates and members of the community. What an amazing and important process for students to go through! 

In this podcast, you will learn more about why Nic is so passionate about financial education, how he implements this capstone project with his students and the impact of his work in the community. Enjoy! 

Details:

• 0:00~1:25 Introduction
• 1:25~6:15 Nic’s role at Milton High School and the community he teaches in
• 6:15~12:58 Early money lessons growing up in Milton
• 12:58~19:27 Creating an academic and career plan
• 19:27~19:58 A Word from NGPF
• 19:58~22:09 Bringing parents into the conversation
• 22:09~23:26 Student responses to Nic’s class
• 23:26~25:31 Linking salaries to major and trade school
• 25:31~30:19 Moving away from time-consuming spreadsheets
• 30:15~31:26 Resources Nic uses and produces
• 31:26~33:54 Changes between junior and senior year
• 33:54~35:35 Guiding students through the exploration process
• 35:35~38:57 The career portion and guest speakers
• 38:57~40:06 Goals for teaching this class
• 40:06~41:18 Helping and supporting others
• 41:18~ Conclusion

Resources:

• MoneyPath from Secure Futures
• ACP 2019 Presentation (works with SecureFutures tool)
• ACP Portfolio Presentation (Video)
• Example of 4-Year Public College ACP Post-Secondary Plan

Quotes:

• “Junior year is the best time to teach financial literacy. It’s the sweet spot. They’re not checked out as seniors and most of my kids have jobs, it’s amazing how many of them have jobs and how many drive. So it’s the perfect time to explore their finances.”

• “My goal is that the students understand the rules of money so that they grow their money for both security for them and their families and to help others. If that’s what they get out of this and they invest or they take care of their money or they come back to me for help with their money because they understand that I care about them and I want the best for them."

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.

More posts by Tim