Time to teach finance!

One of the things that I keep handy is a book report I wrote with Excerpts from See Poverty…Be the Difference: Discover the Missing Pieces for Helping People Move Out of Poverty by Donna M Beegle. I use it to remind myself and to explain to others how complex the poverty issue is.

The gap between those who are “making it” and those who aren’t is widening. It’s difficult to know what to do about it. This book advocates listening, mentoring, and using volunteer time to establish partnerships and support systems. Lobby to reduce barriers and make housing, food, transportation, education, and training resources more available. Be a stable person modeling middle-class vocabulary, topics, & norms. Believe in people and believe that there is a way out of poverty.

This week I came across Scott Trench’s article on BP, The (Totally Unfair) Secret Advantage of the 1% — and How to Level the Field.  His answer to the income inequality issue? Teach finance!

My kids, in public schools, went through Dave Ramsey. I can tell you that we had some of the most interesting dinner conversation during those weeks of instruction. In some cases explaining why we disagreed with the teaching, in some cases reinforcing it. The article inspired me to purchase some materials on e-bay and to find and take some financial literacy quizzes.

I have felt a strong nudging to teach financial literacy, even though I am not an outspoken person. I got certified to teach the material our local assistance programs use. My pastor has asked for teachers of the Dave Ramsey program. I’m working on writing my 2017 goals. I think I need to get more serious about teaching.