Reading List for October 18-20
By Beth Tallman
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Oct 18, 2019
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Current Events, Financial Literacy, Cryptocurrencies, Student Loans, Financial Scams, Career, Budgeting, Taxes
Financial Wellness
Rather than focusing on life events, banks are now basing their products and marketing on everyday financial decisions, getting into the financial wellness business. (The Financial Brand)
Is your credit card debt making you sick? A detailed study by CarefulCents.com finds the answer if “yes.” (PRNewswire)
Economics/ Crypto-Currency
Here is an article from The Economist that discusses the demise of cash across the world’s economies. (For more detail...
QoD: Match the percentage with the correct item: 97%, 25%, 37%
Following up with another fun FAFSA fact...
Items:
Percent of families who know that FAFSA is available starting October 1st [25%]
Percent of families who plan to complete the FAFSA together WITH their college bound child [37%]
Percent of families who plan to complete the FAFSA [97%]
If you need an explainer, here's a two minute video explaining the FAFSA:
Questions:
Why do you think the FAFSA is so important? Does this survey information confirm how important it is?
Have you had...
Teacher Tips for Implementing Credit Clash OR What I learned at Credit Clash Virtual PDs
Since we launched Credit Clash earlier this month, we hosted several Virtual PDs with over 60 teachers. I wanted to share some highlights from those conversations:
Game Takeaways
Get your payments in order before opening additional lines of credit. Take into account that opening lines of credit "dings" your credit before it begins improving it. Be careful to have plenty of $ in your bank account in case of emergency [Emily Hardesty]
Additional lines of credit can build your credit score, but...
Throwback Tuesday QoD: What was the average amount of student debt for 2018 graduates?
This post updates a Question of the Day from 2017...
Answer: $29,200
Click below for interactive map
Questions:
Does the figure “$29,200” seem like high average amount of debt? Why or why not?
Given that the average new car loan is over $30,000, would you think of student debt differently from a car loan in terms of what you are receiving for the debt?
Explain how and why you are concerned about student debt. What can you do to minimize your debt when you graduate?...
QoD: Students who don't complete college are _______ times more likely to default on their student loans than those who graduate.
Answer: Students who don't complete college are THREE times more likely to default (not repay) on their student loans than those who graduate.
Questions:
Why do you think it's more difficult for people to repay their student loans if you don't finish college?
Do you think that people with college degrees earn more than someone who starts college but doesn't finish? Why?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can...
Reading List for August 16-18
By Beth Tallman
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Aug 16, 2019
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Current Events, Parent Conversations, Paying for College, Investing, Economics, Retirement, Student Loans, Financial Scams, Insurance
As your former students or maybe your own children are heading off to college for the first time, here is some sage advice for them.
Having taught at a college for several years, and living amongst the students for even longer, I cannot agree more with the tips offered by a college professor in this MarketWatch article, like show up for class, turn off the phone, and go to office hours! I like the cartoons too!
And here is one for the parents. Once your child turns 18, their...
Top Blog posts of 2018-19
As the calendar turns from June to July, I wanted to share with you a few of the top posts from the school year just ended. Think of this as a great list to generate some new ideas for your personal finance course or even some after-school activities for the upcoming school year:
#10: Let's debate a few personal finance topics
#9: Looking for writing prompts? Here are a few for your personal finance course!
#8: Question of the Day: What percent of people age 75 and older are...
Reading List June 28-30
By Beth Tallman
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Jun 28, 2019
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Cryptocurrencies, Student Loans, Investing, Financial Literacy, Advocacy
Crypto Currency
Bitcoin value is going wild….again. Michelle Singletary explains why the average person should resist the temptation to get into the game. (WAPO)
One week post-announcement, Libra coverage continues. The Economist takes two looks at it: the first article discusses the mechanics of a global digital currency, and the second discusses how it might impact the banking system.
US Regulators are looking to dig into this proposal. (CNN)
Coin Desk astutely discusses how momentous...
NGPF Podcast: Tim Talks to Award-Winning Educator Nic Manogue of Milton High School (WI)
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...
QoD: What college major has the highest earnings premium when comparing recent college grads to high school grads?
Answer: STEM majors (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
Questions:
Why do you think college graduates with STEM majors earn more than other majors?
Should you choose a college major based on information like this? What other factors might you consider in deciding what you want to study?
This data shows the annual earnings premium for a college grad in their early 20s relative to a high school grad at the same age. If a high school grad is earning about $25,000 in their early 20's,...
QoD: What's the biggest concern for current high schoolers applying to colleges?
By Tim Ranzetta
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Apr 01, 2019
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Question of the Day, Paying for College, Student Loans, Video Resource
Answer: Level of student debt
Question:
What's your biggest concern about applying for college or as you think about your post-high school plans?
Why do you think that student loan debt is such a concern for so many?
Do you know anyone who has a lot of student debt? How are they managing it?
Do you think it is worth it to take on debt for college? Why or why not?
Here's the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the...
Interactive Monday: What Does Debt Look Like In Your Community?
A great hook for students is being able to personalize data for an activity that helps them understand their community better and how it fits within a larger context. Here's an interactive from Urban Institute that shows county-level data for auto loans, student debt and medical debt (the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy). Here's the output for auto loan debt for San Benito, California:
Questions for students (and you can customize for your own county):
How does your county compare with other...
QoD: What percentage of students who started college in 2012 graduated within 6 years?
Hat tip to Beth Tallman for suggesting this question. Thanks!
Answer: 58% overall
Questions:
Which school type has the lowest graduation rates? Which school type has the highest graduation rates?
What might explain these large differences in graduation rates?
What has been the trend in graduation rates over the last 3-4 years for the public and private non-profit colleges?
What do you think are the leading reasons that students do not finish college?
What personal traits do you think it...
QoD: What is the discount rate on private college tuition projected to be in 2019?
As award letters start flooding student inboxes this month and next, we thought this was an important question for students to know the answer to.
Answer: 39%
Questions:
What criteria do colleges use to determine the amount of the discount that a student might receive?
Rather than list a discount percentage on your award letter, colleges provide financial aid and grants to reduce the cost of tuition. Why do you think they rarely use the word "discount" anywhere in their financial aid...
February is Financial Aid Awareness Month
In recognition of Financial Aid Awareness month, here is a collection of recent articles related to Financial Aid that may be relevant for your students, as well as links to tools and sites that might be helpful as well. Financial Aid Awareness month kicked off at NGPF with Tim’s interview podcast with Justin Draeger, CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Admissions (NASFAA) on February 8. You might also want to have your students check out the Students,...
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