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Kids & Money
The Good News . . .
 Generation Y-70 million of young Americans born between 1980 and 1996-influence a third of all purchasing decisions and directly spends as much as $275 billion a year.
Young people aged 12 to 19 individually spend an astonishing $116 a week on discretionary purchases.
Some 12 percent of adolescents 12 to 17 now own stocks, versus 7 percent two years ago -- that's more than 3 million youths nationwide.
The Bad News . . .
Teenagers have few skills to manage their money and 53% received little or no financial advice from their parents.
The average college student who takes out student loans graduates with a debt burden of $20,000.
Sixty-four percent of college students have credit cards in their own names and 20% have four or more cards.
Twenty-eight percent of college students with a credit card roll over debt each month.
A survey of individuals who filed for bankruptcy in 1997 found that 8.7% of all filings were among young adults ages 18-25.
With young Americans controlling more money, yet still lacking the tools to manage it effectively, we feel strongly that
financial education needs to be implemented in our schools. Learning how to mange money, stay out of debt, and save for
retirement are essential life skills. America is a nation of consumers and our national household debt has reached a
staggering $6.7 trillion. It is time to take financial education seriously and here's what YOU can do:
Teach Your Kids About Money
Don't wait another second-use these Internet resources to start educating your kids (and yourself) about financial
planning.
Get Educated!
We're not the only ones concerned about this problem. Read about non-profit organizations like JumpStart Coalition who
are devoted to financial literacy as well as what the press has to say about our national financial literacy crisis.
Be sure to check out these other Kids & Money resources:
Moon Jar
Kids' Money
Youngbiz Teens
MoneyInstructor.com
Flying Minds
Family Education
CNN's Kids and Money
Sources: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; Teen Research Unlimited, Merrill Lynch
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Hello David,
I wanted to join the troops in truly thanking you for how much you have helped shape my financial future (and at my suggestion, the financial future of my sister, my friend and my fiance turned husband). In 2006, I bought "Smart Women Finish Rich" on a whim at a book store. I had read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and was thirsty for even more information.
I was mesmerized by the book. At the age of 36, I felt financially awakened and empowered. I read it, then I read it again with pen in ha ... 
In Start Late, Finish Rich, David Bach takes the "Finish Rich" wisdom that has already helped millions of people and tailors it specifically to all of us who forgot to save, procrastinated, or got sidetracked by life's unexpected challenges.
