Ask Brandon: What should be taught in high school that isn't?

Meet Brandon Toft

Have you met Brandon Toft? He’s our life insurance and financial services agent in our brand new Audubon office (located at 325 Broadway – stop by and pay him a visit if you can) and he’s been a great addition to our team. We wanted to make sure you get to know a little bit about him, so we asked him a few “getting to know you” questions.

Our first one was,

“What is the one thing that should be taught in high school that isn’t?”

Here’s what Brandon said:

“Financial literacy and responsibility.  It’s a bit of what drove me into the insurance and financial services field.  While I expect parents to have a helping hand in this, some kids don’t have parents that have it figured out yet.  There are many young adults that don’t know how to balance a check book, or the consequences of misusing a credit card and that’s going to lead to big trouble down the road.”

We agree. Too many young people leave high school or college with no idea how money works in the real world. They miss out on opportunities to invest (hello, compound interest), they rack up credit card debt, and they struggle to distinguish “needs” from “wants” in their household budget. Fortunately, even if you aren’t comfortable teaching your child money management skills, and there’s nothing available at your child’s school, the internet is packed with resources, books, and curriculum. To get started, check out this blog post from Dave Ramsey, or do an internet search on “teaching teens about money” for more resources. Ready to sit down with your teen and help her create a budget? Try EveryDollar, a free online budgeting tool.