Boarding Schools for Girls

Can your high school student balance a checkbook? Does she understand how much of her car loan payment is going for interest -- or know how to calculate annual percentage rate charges on her credit card?

More and more high schools are teaching courses in personal finance, and many experts believe these may be the most important skills a young person can learn.

"It is one of the most important things we can be teaching students because it will affect them for the rest of their lives," said Sheila Miller, who teaches high school students about banking and personal finance.

Daniel Hebert, president of New Hampshire JumpStart Coalition, noted that new laws will soon make it illegal to issue credit cards to young people under 21 years old without proof of adequate income or an adult cosigner. He said while the new laws will help, teenagers still need to learn personal finance as a skill for adulthood.

Labels: finance

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Conference Promotes Financial Awareness, Entrepreneurship Among Girls

About 100 teen girls from schools in and around New York City are learning about finance and entrepreneurship this week at a conference sponsored by Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. An Oct. 12 press release provided the following details about the "Girls Going Places Entrepreneurship Conference":

During the event, New York women business leaders will mentor girls ages 12 through 18 about entrepreneurship, using the conference as a platform for inspiring and encouraging teen girls to pursue their own entrepreneurial endeavors -- from starting non-profits or authoring books to launching new products or managing a business. ...

During the interactive conference, local business women will guide the girls through various activities such as "Hot Company," an entrepreneurial board game that introduces girls to the advantages and challenges of owning one's own business.

They will also team up for an exercise called "Product-in-a-Box," in which they will have the opportunity to design a product and present a marketing plan. The mentors will share their experiences as successful women in business.

Speakers scheduled to attend the conference include Michelle Paige Paterson (wife of NY Gov. David Paterson), Jennifer Raab (President of Hunter College of CUNY), and Howard Elias (Chairman & CEO of Wealth Advisory Group).

According to the Guardian Life website, within the next 12 months "Girls Going Places" conferences are scheduled for West Palm, Jacksonville, and Ft. Myers, Fla.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Union NY.

Labels: finance, conference, business

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Want to encourage your daugther to embrace the concepts of philanthropy and service to others? Do, don't tell.

A new survey from Harris Interactive Service Bureau found that teenagers were more likely to be philanthropic if their parents were, too. Though 90 percent of parents surveyed said they want their children to be charitable, only 29 percent regularly talked to their kids about the importance of giving.

"Teens who regularly donated their time or money said their parents were their primary influence, the report said. These teens were more likely to hold paying jobs and have responsibilities for helping neighbors.” Source: Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune]

The report also included suggestions for parents who want to encourage their teens to be more charitable and engage in community service. Suggestions included: talking to your child about your own volunteer work, explaining how your kids can make a difference in other people’s lives, and helping your child set and reach giving-related goals.

 

Labels: finance, service project, philanthropy

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments