Building financial confidence in today’s young people
Young people have time on their side when it comes to planning and saving for the future. Financial education gives them the tools they need to seize the day.
Learning how to manage money, control debt, and invest wisely can make a big difference over a long period of time. That’s why financial education is so important.
Young Canadians who develop a foundation of solid financial skills have a better chance of achieving their financial goals in the future.
Partnering with CFEE (Canadian Foundation for Economic Education) for Money and Youth, IG Consultants know a lot about instilling financial confidence.
Working with their clients, they help build a plan and demonstrate the importance of how all financial decisions are connected to each other.
IG believes financial confidence should be something for all ages and that is why for over 20 years we have partnered with CFEE, a non-profit, non-partisan organization, that provides financial education to today’s youth.
CFEE’s Money and Youth program offers high school level students across Canada access to dedicated financial literacy education.
Through this initiative, they collaborate with departments of education, school boards, schools, educators, and teacher associations to develop and provide free, non-commercial programs and resources for teachers and students, including 500,000 copies of Money and Youth textbooks distributed to date, and a new and updated website with free access to the online edition of the textbook.
Our youth need financial education to prepare for their future financial decisions with confidence and competence.
The topics covered in Money and Youth provide families with an opportunity to have a more open dialogue about money and the importance of goal setting, budgeting, and planning.
Using the skills taught in the textbook, and through the online resources, kids can be encouraged to take part in family financial planning discussions for hands-on experience managing money.
For example, include kids in buying decisions that directly affect them such as data plans or music subscriptions.
And consider establishing small and affordable incentives such as matching their savings over a period of time.
Greater education about money and economics is a path that leads to greater prosperity for all Canadians and we’re proud to maintain our support of this worthwhile initiative.
Jeff Somers, BA, RRC, CFP, works at Investors Group in Charlottetown. This column is written and published by IG Wealth Management as a general source of information only. It is not intended as a solicitation to buy or sell specific investments or to provide tax, legal or investment advice.