At JA Finance Park, 100 Richardson High School students will receive a life situation scenario detailing their career, their salary, and their family situation. With the help of Junior Achievement volunteers, they will make 19 budgeting decisions such as buying a house, homeowner's insurance, and saving and investing for their future. As they go through this process, they will see the impact of educational and career decisions and the need for financial skills to have a comfortable future.
It is critical to provide strong financial education to high school students so they are able to manage college costs and adult financial situations as they grow. A recent study called the Financial Management Practices of College Students indicates that 33% of self-learned students do not save monthly, 80% do not have a budget, and 75% have one or more credit cards. Early financial education provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success.
When a high school student attends JA Finance Park, they see the variety of different career options they can have, the salaries correlated with those career and educational choices, and the attention to detail required to manage salaries from $19,000 to $62,000 annually. The budgeting choices they have are realistic, including health insurance, charitable giving, and even an Unlucky Chance that correlates to an unforeseen expense, so that they are prepared to face finances after high school.
With your support, 100 students will be one step closer to being successful and contributing members of society, inspired to make smart academic and economic choices through Junior Achievement programs. This means less young people will fall into poverty when they become adults.
