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GO TO STEP 1 NOW >Interactive: Does a state's cost of living impact the minimum wage set by that state?
While the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 hasn’t changed since July 2009, many states have gone ahead and independently made changes to their minimum wage levels. This interactive from Flowing Data shows the progression of these changes from 2008-2019.
When it comes to the minimum wage, states fall into four different classifications:
States with higher minimum wage than Federal
States with same minimum wage as Federal
States with lower minimum wage than Federal (Federal...
Mission 2030 Guest Post: Kristen Casto Made a Critical Decision to Change Previous Graduation Requirements
The following post is one in a series of inspiring stories from NGPF's Gold Standard Challenge Grant Program which incentivizes high schools and districts to commit to ALL students taking personal finance courses before graduation. Learn more, and apply for your $2,500 to $30,000 Gold Standard Challenge Grant before the August 31, 2022 deadline here.
About Today's Guest Author
Kristen Casto is an educator at Orchard Park High School in Orchard Park, New York. Their school is...
Question of the Day: What is #1 reason that people give for paying their credit card bill late?
Answer: They forgot!
Questions:
Why do you think that so many people forget to pay their credit card bill?
What do you think are some of the consequences of not paying your bill on time?
What are steps that you can take so you are not one of those "forgetful" people who don't pay their bills on time?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the numbers (WalletHub):
"In a nationally...
ONE Month Left to Enter the Payback Challenge
NGPF is awarding $75,000 in scholarships directly to high school students and your students deserve a chance to win!
The deadline to enter is just one month away. DEADLINE: November 19, 2021 at midnight local time.
Details for how to enter are included below and are also outlined in the short promotional video:
TO ENTER:
STEP 1: Teacher Completes Registration Form
Once you've filled out the 2021 PAYBACK Challenge Registration Form, you will receive the 2021 Submission...
Podcasts in the Classroom - Current Events Edition: Facebook’s Woes
This series is designed to bring together a variety of shorter, readily available podcasts to introduce a topic from recent headlines and inspire discussion.
Events surrounding Facebook and its other platforms (Instagram and WhatsApp) made lots of headlines over the past week to ten days. First, a Whistleblower appeared on “60 Minutes” and then went in front of Congress. And then there was that six-hour outage on all of its platforms.
Here are some...
Question of the Day: Can you name ONE of the ways that consumers, under age 25, establish credit?
Answer:
Here's a look at credit-building tools, and how to use them to earn a good credit score.
1. Get a secured card
2. Get a secured loan
3. Use a co-signer
4. Become an authorized user
5. Get credit for the bills you pay
6. Practice good credit habits
Questions:
Why do you think that credit cards tend to be the entry point for establishing credit for so many consumers?
Almost no one in any age group establishes their credit for the first time by taking out a...
Math Monday: Desmos and Linear Inequalities
How can you use Desmos to build student engagement? Today we’re exploring the different Desmos activities from the Financial Algebra lesson FA-4.2 Graphing Linear Inequalities.
The Lesson
In this lesson from the Budgeting & Systems of Equations unit, students learn to graph linear inequalities and model different income constraints with inequalities. Throughout the lesson, there are three different opportunities to use Desmos; however, you don’t need to use all three! The...
Question of the Day: Which group is seeing the fastest growth in being scammed online: Gen Z OR those over 60 years of age?
Answer: Gen Z
Questions:
Why do you think that young people are seeing faster growth in online scams?
Have you seen any examples of online scams? How could you tell they were scams?
What advice would you give to your peers to avoid being scammed online?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the numbers (CNBC):
Here are some common scams that target teens or young adults and how to avoid them, per Social...
Collaborate with Educators At NGPF Professional Development This Week (October 18-21)
We have a full slate of LIVE professional development opportunities this week for teachers!
Here's what teachers are saying about our Virtual PDs:
"Honestly, these sessions have all been amazing! I have used so much due to the PDs!"!
"Each time I join the sessions, I come away with new knowledge, insights, and ideas on how to use this information with my students."
"I was so nervous at the start of this school year, but with the training and resources provided by NGPF I was able to be more...
NGPF Podcast: Kevin Carter on two decades of investment product innovation
This week on the NGPF Podcast, you will hear the fascinating entrepreneurial journey of Kevin Carter. Many innovative investment product ideas originated in companies that Kevin founded. You will learn why it took two decades for fractional shares to become widely available for retail investors. You will discover how the direct indexing approach used by companies like Wealthfront and Betterment originated in a company that Kevin had founded a decade earlier. Finally, you will hear about...
EconExtra: First "Shrinkflation"--now "Shadow Inflation"
Inflation is weighing on everyone. September numbers came in higher than expected for the Consumer Price Index at 0.4% for the month and 5.4% year-over-year. (CNBC) While many economists feel the current pressure we are feeling is transitory (not permanent) but largely a product of the pandemic-related bottlenecks in the supply and delivery chain which they feel will resolve at some point, it is very real to consumers who are paying more for just about everything. And just this week it was...
Reading List for October 15-17
Economics
There has been a lot of economics news this week about inflation, the unusual labor market, and the Nobel Prize.
NPRs Planet Money explains who the Nobel Prize winners in Economics are, and what their contribution means to the field. Go empiricists!
We have talked about “shrinkflation”—same price but smaller package. Now we also have “shadow-inflation”—same price but less service. (NYTimes or Seattle Times)
Consumer prices as measured by the...
FinCap Friday: Coins for Kids
Did you know that our understanding of what money is and how money works begins at a very, very young age? That's right! Humans have also been shown to be set in their financial habits by the time they're 7 years old! Data also shows that it pays to teach kids the value of a dollar. Perhaps this is why the U.S. Secretary of Education is advocating for early financial literacy education in elementary schools? Find out more about this in the FinCap Friday episode below:
If you're short on time,...
Celebrating Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month: Highlighting Jennifer Toledo
NGPF is celebrating Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15) by highlighting Latinx/Hispanic leaders and educators via dedicated posts, Speaker Series’, and student activities on the NGPF blog.
This week, we’re highlighting Jennifer Toledo, content creator and founder of Talk Finances to Me, which aims to help the next generation take control of their financial journey. “My parents taught me to save, but they didn't teach me everything else,” Jennifer...
Interactive: Student Loan Default Rates
College is an investment in yourself. Students should approach their college decision with a healthy amount of skepticism. Admissions and college marketing material present colleges in their best possible light, it’s up to students to play the role of a devil’s advocate to avoid getting too wrapped up in the emotion of the process. Looking at a college's student loan default rate provides a window into the number of students struggling to repay the debt they incurred at the college....
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