Financial Literacy 101, the Class They Should Have Taught

By: Damian Papworth

In high school, there's always one wiseacre who loves to get on the teacher's case, making jokes about how useless the material will be in practical life. "Will I ever use this skill?" he asks, smirking all the way. It didn't matter which class or which subject, the question always seemed to pop up at the wrong moment, causing the frustration of any teacher.

What a great exercise it would be, to find out what exactly turned out to be useful from each class, and in which cases those troublemakers were right. In other words, what have I actually used to get ahead in life and which class did it come from? However, that exploration will be left for another time. There is one subject which would obviously be useful for anyone in any career or vocation, one that should be taught in every school, but for some reason never is. The subject is Financial Literacy, something we could all put to excellent use.

This subject "Financial Literacy" should teach you about the implications of making a bunch of decisions about your finances. From the simple things, to more complex things. The ultimate purpose of this subject should be to ensure that you are armed with enough financial knowledge, that you won't make the idiotic, financially ruining decisions so many people make every day. I'd see the curriculum running something like this.

Week 1. Avoiding scams. The teacher would deliver a tutorial on avoiding scams that prey on the young and naive.

Week 2. How much can you borrow? This lesson would teach you to calculate how much money you can borrow for personal or business purposes, on a variety of mediums. This would include credit cards, personal loans, business loans and mortgages. It would mainly concentrate on cash flow issues, but also touch on the tax effectiveness of some of the different loans.

Week 3. How can you evaluate assets? Students would get an idea of how to size up their assets. Appreciating assets would be contrasted with depreciating assets. Consumables would be contrasted with earning assets. Students would see how purchasing different assets affects net worth over one's life span.

Week 4. Investment strategies. Any investment you take has a number of consequences and risk potential. Students will be given the tools necessary to tell what a risky investment look like. Also, when the signs point to a winning gamble, they should be ready to pull the trigger. Although it takes a good amount of courage and a little recklessness, great investments can turn a life around.

Week 5. How should you leverage investments? Working with investment portfolios, students would be instructed on the process of leveraging. Tax concerns would be part of the lesson, as there are significant tax breaks available when taking out a loan for an investment.

Final module. Coming to the end of Financial Literacy class, students would try and see the big picture. Laying out the biggest mistakes made by the young would be an excellent closing statement. Along with any cautionary tales, there would be a way to approach finances proactively. For the young, the advice given would be to work with what you have, and line up ways to increase your earnings without taking on high risks.

Article Source: http://yourfinance.co.za

About The Author
Damian Papworth acknowledges that you do not need mutual fund investments. Having learned some easy strategies, you are capable of being your own investment manager.