Financial Literacy

1555 Words4 Pages

The average college student is graduating with student loan debt or facing financial struggles during and after college. Some blame the skyrocketing increase in college costs, but part of the problem is more fundamental. Most students in the U.S are severely deficient in even the most basic financial literacy. This deficiency hinders them from understanding what they are getting themselves into when they take out loans and what their options are when they have to pay them back, further compounding their financial burden even after they leave school. According to Greenfield, financial literacy is the “ability to access, read, write, communicate about and critically appraise the financial texts that mediate college attendance” college finance …show more content…

Referring to a three-year study of students receiving IDA’s, Kezar (2010) finds a strong link between financial education and positive student financial and educational outcomes. Some of her suggestions on how colleges might offer financial education include: forming a group on campus to promote financial literacy, offering courses that teach financial skills, leveraging career centers, and setting up programs through financial aid offices. In this vein, Syracuse University has created the Money Awareness Program (MAP), an effort to assist its most deeply indebted students by offering grant money in exchange for them meeting a financial literacy requirement (Supiano 2009). Group sessions, individual counselling, and online resources are available for this purpose. The effectiveness of the MAP has yet to be evaluated, but the university is interested in continuing the program if the results are positive. Echoing the calls for multi-channel financial literacy approaches mentioned above, Goetz et al. (2011) surveyed 509 undergraduates, evaluating how students viewed three financial education methods (on-campus financial counseling, online resources, and in-person workshops). Based on this survey, Goetz et al. recommend using a combination of all three channels to engage students of varying …show more content…

Poon and Olen (2015) promote alternate, populist forms of financial literacy that are not endorsed by financial institutions and the many purveyors of financial advice. The authors warn against advice that “blur(s) the line between financial literacy, which is rarely effective, and advertising, which can be quite persuasive.” (Poon and Olen 2015:

The Pros And Cons Of College Grants
1175 Words | 3 Pages
In recent years, there has been a tremendous increase in student enrollment in higher education after high school effecting the need for financial aid for all students. Education has become a growing part in America where more students want to better their lives with a college education. However, the cost of college tuition has increased and more students find themselves struggling to pay off the enormous tuition rates. In a recent study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, student debt has reached $1 trillion in federal loan debt. Student loan debt has crippled the economy and students are struggling to pay off federal loans. In order to help students with the high tuition rates of college the government and universities offer
Read More
A Lifetime Of Student Debt Not Likely Summary
629 Words | 2 Pages
Carneval, director of Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce agrees that going into debt until you’ll be earning more money is the way to pay for your education. “The only thing worse than borrowing is not borrowing and not going to college at all,” stated Patrick M. Callahan, president of the National Center for the Public Policy and Higher Education. Lauren J. Asher, President of the Project on Student Debt group, states that the financial risk has increased. Ms. Asher points out that more students graduate with at least $40k in student-loan debt, “People lose control of their finances, and sometimes they make choices you wish they hadn’t made.” Darla M. Horn, an organizer of the student-loan-debt art show in Long Island City, NY realized she hadn’t been aware of how much money she had borrowed while in college. Referring to herself as financially illiterate, she found herself “just signing the documents and faxing them
Read More
Complete Guide To Money By Dave Ramsey
752 Words | 2 Pages
One of my classmates posted in the discussion that they heard about the Financial Peace University and were interested in finding out what it was all about, therefore I would suggest that my classmates get hold of this book, read it, create a financial plan, stick to it, become debt free and have the “Peace that comes from the walk with the King of Peace, Christ Jesus” (Dave Ramsey).
Read More
Financial Literacy In With The Three R's Analysis
716 Words | 2 Pages
Taking a financial literacy class would help students learn how to stay out of debt. According to the article, “Finance Course Prompts Debate” by Gina Davis, the class would “cover concepts such as money management, consumer rights, and responsibilities,
Read More
Horace Mann's Issues And Issues In Education Today
1731 Words | 4 Pages
As college students now, we know how important it is to know about how to avoid debts because many of us are or will rely on student loans to get through our higher education. Champlain College’s Center for Financial Literacy used national data to grade each state in the United States on how much effort is put into providing financial literacy for their high school students. Based on the information gathered in 2015 only 5 states obtained a letter A grade on their financial literary education; these states are Utah, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, and Virginia. These states require their students to take between half a year to a whole year of a either general financial literacy or personal finance. It is unclear how the student achievement is measured after taking these courses, but the resources to learn about what to expect are provided and are required to be able to graduate from high school, which cannot be said about all other 45 states in our country. 11 of the states were given a letter F grade, including our beloved California. These states do not offer finance classes alone or embedded into other courses. Although the achievement of students who take these courses is not exactly measured after graduating it is still significant information for them to carry with them into their adulthood. Many high school graduates will enroll in a community college or a 4-year university and will be targeted by credit card companies because they lack the knowledge on how important credit is and how to avoid debts. This is not only a worry shared by the graduating students but by the parents as well. MasterCard gave a survey to its cardholder members and 64 percent of these adults said they were worried that their
Read More
Student Loan Debt
1739 Words | 4 Pages
It is a norm and expectation in society today for students to pursue higher education after graduating from high school. College tuition is on the rise, and a lot of students have difficulty paying for their tuitions. To pay for their tuitions, most students have to take out loans and at the end of four years, those students end up in debt. Student loan debts are at an all time high with so many people graduating from college, and having difficulties finding jobs in their career fields, so they have difficulties paying off their student loans and, they also don’t have a full understanding of the term of the loans and their options if they are unable to repay.
Read More
Why Do Students Need Fatigue To Assist In Future Success?
580 Words | 2 Pages
Debt is on the rise for individuals wishing to pursue educational endeavors. Although many students juggle multiple jobs and take advantage of scholarships and grants, funds are still insufficient. This is not uncommon in American, even the lowest tuition is seen as a burden to most. This crippling debt will always linger, and will constantly return when tuition is due again; thousands of
Read More
College Debt Is Crushing a Generation of Students
1401 Words | 3 Pages
Over the past decade, it has become evident to the students of the United States that in order to attain a well paying job they must seek a higher education. The higher education, usually a college or university, is practically required in order to succeed. To be able to attend these schools and receive a degree in a specific field it means money, and often a lot of it. For students, the need for a degree is strong, but the cost of going to college may stand in the way of a successful future. Each year the expense of college rises, resulting in the need for students to take out loans. Many students expect to immediately get a job after graduation, however, in more recent years the chances for college graduates to get a well paying job isn’t nearly as high as it used to be. Because students can no longer depend on getting a job fresh out of college, it has become harder to repay the loans. Without a steady income, these individuals have gone into debt and frequently default loans. If nothing is done to stop colleges and universities from increasing the cost of attending their school, the amount of time it takes for students to pay off their loans will become longer and longer. The extreme expenses to attend a college or university may leave a student in financial distress: which may ultimately lead to hardship in creating a living for them and affect the country’s economy.
Read More
The Problem Of College Debt
978 Words | 2 Pages
To start, one considerable solution to help with student debt is working and saving. At this point in life, saving money is an easy strategy due to limited responsibilities and bills. Since many students are not yet independent in terms of living expenses, they are “reall...
Read More
Education Debt: The Problem and Solutions
1138 Words | 3 Pages
With the ever-increasing tuition and ever-tighten federal student aid, the number of students relying on student loan to fund a college education hits a historical peak. According to a survey conducted by an independent and nonprofit organization, two-thirds of college seniors graduated with loans in 2010, and each of them carried an average of $25,250 in debt. (Reed et. al., par. 2). My research question will focus on the profound effect of education debt on American college graduates’ lives, and my thesis statement will concentrate on the view that the education policymakers should improve financial aid programs and minimize the risks and adverse consequences of student loan borrowing.
Read More
University Tuition Costs are Too High
1245 Words | 3 Pages
The cost of tuition for higher education is quickly rising. Over half of college freshmen show some concern with how to pay for college. This is the highest this number has been since 1971 (Marill and O’Leary 64-66, 93). The amount of college graduate debt has been rapidly increasing also. With limited jobs available because of the high unemployment rate, college graduates find themselves staying in debt even longer. Although grants and financial aid are available to students, students still struggle to pay for their college tuition. Higher education costs are prohibitively expensive because the state’s revenue is low, the unemployment rate is high, and graduates cannot pay off their student loans.
Read More
The Importance of Financial Literacy
631 Words | 2 Pages
Making improvements on our financial literacy results in a wave of impacts on our economy and the financial health in our society because of responisble behiavior with our finances. These modifications to our behavior are neccesary because it let's us address primary cultural problems, for example over-credits on your purchases, mortgages possibly resulting in debt, dealing with expectations on inflation and also planning on your retirement.
Read More
Benefits Of The Gilded Age
790 Words | 2 Pages
As a result, more and more students are turning to student loans and graduating already in debt. According to Avery and Turner (2012), the total student loan debt in June 2010 increased over $800 billion, surpassing the total credit card debt for the first time. Given the need for highly educated employees in today’s economy, the ideal funding should primarily go to education funds. More and more junior college students are finding themselves taking out loans, without considering the debt their accumulating before even transferring out into a four-year university (McKinney & Burridge,
Read More
Financial Literacy In Public Schools
1375 Words | 3 Pages
A portion of the students were placed in the class and a portion of students were not given any formal classroom financial literacy training. All students participated in the Junior Achievement Finance Park simulation in which they were placed in real-life situations and had to make financial decisions. Their decisions affected their personal income and lifestyle within the simulation. The educated group “showed profoundly greater understanding of the financial issues they faced. Their completion rates were higher, they saved more, and they spent less on immediate gratification items such as clothing. These items were consistent with the lessons offered in the curriculum they received” (Carlin & Robinson, 2012). Also, the classroom students were more likely to use available resources, known as decision supports, to help them better understand their potential decisions. An example of a decision support includes additional information provided by a business to further explain their product or its features (i.e. explaining premium options on a health insurance plan). The study believes that “timely decision support and financial literacy training are complements, not substitutes” (Carlin & Robinson,
Read More
Financial Literacy Argumentative Essay
717 Words | 2 Pages
Some schools have little money and few teachers and Matthew Yale said, “[T]he Department of Education’s next step is to work with districts and teachers and help them find the money they need” (Bernard 6). It will take parents to start this movement (Bernard 7) because parents have to be willing to give up more money so that their children know what to do with their money. Financial literacy courses can potentially make students overconfident about their skills and make them do even worse (Burns 8). Harvard Business School performed a study where it was concluded that financial literacy courses “weren’t effective in changing people’s financial decisions” (Burns 10). Thaler stated “A new paper by three business school professors … uses a technique called meta-analysis looking at results from 168 scientific studies of effects to teach people to be financially astute, or at least less clueless. The authors’ conclusions are clear: over all, financial education is laudable, but not particularly helpful” (13). The shows that financial literacy courses are good but they are not helping the youth as of now, so the right combination has not been found to teach the youth how to control their
Read More

Open Document

Wait a second!

Financial Literacy

The Pros And Cons Of College Grants

A Lifetime Of Student Debt Not Likely Summary

Complete Guide To Money By Dave Ramsey