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.
Question of the Day: What percent of investors at Vanguard (a large investment firm) have NOT made any trades in the face of recent market declines?
Answer: More than 90%
Questions:
Do you think it's hard to do nothing with your investments when the stock market has dropped over 20% in a month? Why or why not?
Your friend says "I know the market is going down in the next few weeks so I'm going to sell now and get back in when the prices go down?" Do you think it's easy to time the market and know when to sell and then buy back in?
What are strategies that you can use to calm your nerves when the market goes down like it has over the past...
NEW! Virtual Version of the Bean Game (and Extension Activity too)
The Bean Game stands out as a definite teacher and student favorite. It has a simple set-up, it's student-centered and applies core budgeting principles such as wants vs. needs and adjusting for financial hardships. Knowing that many of you are now teaching remotely, we developed a virtual map where students make their choices on the map with capital letter Os ("O") instead of beans. This game takes on even more relevance in light of the financial adjustments that many families are making...
Chart of the Week: What is this chart measuring?
Chart of the week now in presentation form with a chart, some questions and references. Enjoy!...
Question of the Day: What's the maximum unemployment benefit in your state?
Answer: See slides below for map with maximum benefits.
Questions:
How does your state compare with neighboring states in terms of the maximum benefit offered?
Unemployment benefits are typically calculated as about ½ of a workers’ salary but no greater than the statewide maximum benefit. Why do you think this benefit is typically below what a work typically makes?
The recent stimulus bill will pay unemployed workers an extra $600/week beyond the state unemployment benefit...
Question of the Day: What percent of Gen Z consumers are stockpiling cash in light of coronavirus?
Hat tip to Beth Tallman for this question idea! Thank you for all of the informative articles in your weekend reading list too!
Answer: 39%
Motivated by three factors:
The possibility of banks shutting down
The convenience of having cash during emergencies
The desire to ensure access to funds
Questions:
How are accountholders protected if banks fail?
Are there any other reasons you can think of that might explain this behavior?
What are the risks of holding lots of cash at...
Grab some popcorn...20 Movies and Documentaries about Money That (You and) Your Students Will Enjoy
Thanks to Brian Page for curating this list that he describes as "NOT Movies or documentaries about economics or financial industry scandals that have very little pragmatic value for high school students." He's included a brief description of the video, the financial topics that are covered and the duration. He also created a form so that you can vote on your top 5. Vote by April 15th and he will tally the results and share on FinLIt Fanatics.
Here's a sampling of movies he included:...
NGPF Podcast: NGPF Fellows Brian Page and Amanda Volz share tips on teaching remotely
Thanks to Brian Page and Amanda Volz for taping this podcast earlier this week. With the shift to online learning, I wanted these master teachers to share their early experiences with students in an online environment (Brian) and their favorite tech tools (Amanda) to ease that transition. Enjoy!
Details:
0:00~1:29 Introduction
1:29~2:48 Status at school
2:48~6:58 Brian’s tips to prepare for remote learning
6:58~10:19 Amanda’s must-have tech tools
10:19~11:59 Quizziz...
Question of the Day: The stock market recently dropped 33% from its peak. What percentage increase would get it back to its original level?
Answer: 50%
It's the math of investment returns. Let me explain:
Your investment was worth $100. After a 33% drop, your investment is worth $67. In order to get back to $100, it has to rise $33 in value which would be a 50% increase from its current level of $67.
No additional questions.
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the numbers (Zachs):
Big Losses Hard to RecoupThe math of percentages shows that as losses get...
Question of the Day: What percent of 13-17 year olds have a debit card?
Answer: 40%
Questions:
Do you have a debit card?
If so, when did you get it and what purchases do you use it for?
If not, when do you plan to get one?
Does it surprise you that twice as many 13-17 year olds have a debit card compared to a credit card?
Which account is a debit card typically attached to?
What’s the difference between a debit card and a credit card?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the numbers...
The Path Forward: NGPF Committed to Supporting Teachers In the Transition to Teaching Remotely
Imagine waking up one morning and learning that the job you have held for 1, 5, 10, 20 or 40 years was fundamentally changing. Oh and you would need to adapt your practices after just two days of training in these new methods. Also, at the same time you would need to take necessary precautions to protect you and your family's health from a pandemic. Yet, that is where we all stand today.
A monumental challenge for sure but what the NGPF team has seen over the past few weeks has been...
Question of the Day [Updated]: What is the maximum number of cells in a Google spreadsheet?
Answer: 5 million (up from 400,000 when this question was answered 4 years ago)
Questions:
Why do you think companies consider spreadsheet skills so important for their employees?
What has been your experience with spreadsheets? What problems have you been able to solve using them?
What are the advantages of using spreadsheets for calculations?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the numbers (Gsuite): ...
Question of the Day: What is the deadline for filing your 2019 tax return?
Answer: July 15, 2020
Questions:
Just like school work, why is it important to know the deadline to file your tax return?
What would be your advice for the 73% of tax filers who receive a tax refund? File as soon as possible or wait until July 15th?
What would be your advice for the 27% of tax filers who owe the government additional taxes? File as soon as possible or wait until July 15th?
What is the typical tax deadline?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the...
NGPF Documentary: The Most Important Class You Never Had [Updates]
We've added three bonus videos from Ohio, Utah and Wisconsin which you can find on our documentary webpage that feature these teachers and their students:
Brian Page: Reading High School (OH)
Joel Chrisler of Sauk Prairie High School (WI)
Karsten Walker and Cole Kelley of Alpine School District (UT)
Key videos:
36 minute documentary "Most Important Class You Never Had"
90 second student trailer that you can use to promote your program. Student voice is so important!
Short trailer to...
NGPF Podcast from the Archives: Charlie Ellis on the indexing revolution
The markets are in bear territory and panic has hit Wall Street and Main Street. I thought it was time to bring back this podcast from Charlie Ellis who is a voice of reason with a great historical understanding of the markets. Enjoy!
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Released on June 1, 2018
Harvard Business School professor, founder of influential investment consultant Greenwich Associates, chair of Yale University investment committee (top performing endowment led by David Swenson), director at...
Best of NGPF: Top 10 Non-Tech Activities for the Personal Finance Classroom
We have heard from many teachers over the past week about the need for no-tech personal finance activities given the reality that not all students will have access to technology in their homes. Jessica wracked her brain this afternoon to develop this top 10 list of NGPF resources that don't require technology. This list ranges the gamut in topics covered as well as in types of activities.
CARTOONS: Why is it So Hard to Save Money?: Choose a cartoon and analyze how it portrays the...
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