Financial Literacy Course by Tristan

Financial Literacy Course by Tristan - June 2025 Scholarship Essay

It wasn’t until my later adult years that I began to recognize the importance and value of financial literacy. In hindsight, I wish that my high school, or even prior to, had offered some type of formal study on money management and ‘adult purchases.’ Fortunately, the education system has evolved tremendously since my time and now has more specialized offerings but I regret that none of it was available during my tenure.
The course(s) that I envision will have an outlined curriculum designed to educate youth on financial topics such as: credit card use, banking accounts, renting v. owning a home, monthly bill organizing,college costs, and potential investment opportunities. The reason why a course of this nature is essential is because our schools are composed of children coming from varying backgrounds. Some students come from homes replete with transparent financial literacy whereas others are barely exposed to the value of a dollar. In an effort to leverage the playing field, a required course should be integrated so that all children have a modicum of financial understanding prior to entering the real world.
The unfortunate reality is that we live in a world where much of adulthood learning comes through trial-and-error. Unlike adolescence,many decisions made as adults can have very lasting effects. Our children will be bombarded with offers, emails, phone calls, and advertisements all intending to solicit their patronage for a particular product or service. And without the proper background knowledge, many will fall into convincing traps that may jeopardize good and healthy financial standing. For this very reason, pre-secondary education should implement curricula that can forewarn our children of potential dangers to come.
Not only would financial literacy courses frontload warnings of potential pitfalls but learning about money will also set up our children for greater financial success. How many adults currently can honestly say, “I really wish I had started saving sooner?” or “I wish I had contributed more into my 401-k.” The two basic regrets can be circumvented if adolescents are equipped with the knowledge of how to do the above and the benefits. Overall, I do not foresee anything other than positive outcomes that could result from this form of education.