At what age did you start learning about finances or what to do with your money? A lot of Americans would say the answer is way too late.

Statistics show that Americans owe over $800 billion dollars in credit card debt and that one-third of Americans report that they are living paycheck to paycheck. This shows the importance of financial literacy and why it should be taught at an early age, both in school and at home. But currently, only 8 states require students to take personal finance classes. 

Just “getting by” financially is not a healthy lifestyle to live, especially when you end up spending more than you make without a budget. Therefore, offering more opportunities for kids to learn finances in school is crucial so the future generations can be successful and live comfortably as adults. 

Teaching kids at school is important, but parents should not hold back at home when it comes to money and their children. Recent studies from BYU show that children should be given more experiential learning opportunities, allowing them to manage their own money and learn how to make decisions. This way, when they grow into adults they will be more responsible, confident in their decision making and less likely to end up like one-third of Americans in 2022. 

I wish that I would have learned more about financial literacy way earlier in my life. It wasn’t even until college that I learned what an APR was or an interest rate or even how to create a budget, but I’m not alone. Recent surveys from visualcapitalist.com show that 88% of adults wish they were required to take a personal finance class earlier in life and support having more teaching of finance in school. 

It is stressful to be in a position when you are just “getting by” financially or are in deep debt due to poor decisions and straight up lack of knowledge when it comes to money. We don’t want the up and coming youth to struggle the way many are today, and the solution needs to begin at a young age.