More research

I think it's pretty interesting how each day another new thought or concept pops into my head. Sometimes the idea is completely new to me, sometimes the concept is the convergence of random thoughts into something that resembles coherency. One day at a time, one step at a time. It's a good thing I started writing these things down.

My thoughts for today:

What are the graduation requirements (if any) in each of the fifty states in the area of financial literacy, economics, or anything resembling the like? I have looked at Texas and Oklahoma so far. I must say, the Oklahoma State Department of Education appears to be taking this quite seriously. They have created a "passport", containing several key concepts, that will be required for graduation no later than the graduating class of 2014. Concepts include checkbook balancing, identity theft, understanding loans and predatory lending, and several other real world topics.

My other primary thought today involves my need for a partner. Or partners. Someone with complimentary skills. That could be in the areas of financial planning, education, ministry, media, or who knows what else. I know I'm not smart enough to do all of this alone. What does the partnership look like? Again, I have no idea right now. When the time is right, it will happen.

One day, one step at a time.

Financial Literacy needs

So. I have been drawn towards compiling and / or creating educational media in the area of financial literacy for those between the ages of, say, 16-25. This appears to me to be a topic that has not had just a whole lot of attention. Quick google and amazon.com searches do not provide an over abundance of information targeted to this demographic.

So what then am I going to do about it? I'm not exactly sure. I am gathering information to determine what already exists. Some of that may be out of date by now. Some of it could be outstanding material. This blog is an outgrowth of my need to pursue this avenue until it runs its course. How long will that be? I have no clue.

The bottom line is that we do not need a generation that is financially illiterate. Students today possess powerful tools that provide instant results - direct uploads of videos to YouTube, posting pictures on Facebook or MySpace, iPhones and Blackberry devices to maintain constant contact with whatever they desire. Further, I believe that today's students are quite intelligent, and are very adept at multi-tasking. Therefore, a strong foundation of financial literacy is required for their future economic stability. By extension, the combination of those powerful tools and even a basic grasp of most financial concepts will make them intelligent creators and consumers of goods and services during their adult lives.

I encourage comments, stories, school programs and curriculum that work and those that do not, success and failure stories, essentially anything related to this topic.