The National Endowment for Financial Education® (NEFE®) offers the award-winning High School Financial Planning Program® (HSFPP), a free and flexible curriculum that has been proven to change students’ knowledge, actions and self-confidence about managing their money.
Money & Me is a hands-on experience that teaches teenagers the basics of money and how to make it work for them. The program covers budgeting, credit advantages and pitfalls, savings and checking accounts, how to save for a big purchase and investing for the future.
The brass|Student Program provides high schools with access to brass|Magazine, a personal finance publication written by young adults that delivers relevant content for classroom discussions and activities. The program also includes online resource centers for teachers and students, and the Credit Unions for College scholarship database.

LifeSmarts…the Ultimate Consumer Challenge is a game show style competition for teenagers designed to better prepare them as responsible consumers in today’s dynamic marketplace. Questions cover personal finance, consumer rights and responsibilities, health and safety, technology and the environment.

Biz Kid$ is a fun, 30-minute PBS television series for kids about making and managing money. It highlights young entrepreneurs who have turned hobbies into successful businesses, raised funds for good causes and much more.

The Kid’s Cash Kit & Caboodle includes practical, hands-on tools to teach children and their families the basics of money management using the concepts of saving, spending and sharing.

Who Are You? Identity Thieves Really Want to Know! is an educational program that utilizes marketing materials, train-the-trainer workshops and instructive sessions to help credit unions and community organizations inform their members about the dangers of identity theft.

Financial Literacy Statistics

Financial Education

LifeSmarts


Why Should You (and Your School or Organization) Participate in LifeSmarts?

Teenagers in the 21st century are constantly bombarded with information and marketing messages in ways that were virtually unknown even 10 years ago. In 2006, U.S. teenagers spent a record $179 billion of their own money (source: Teenage Research Unlimited, Inc.). How they make their spending choices and deal with the information they receive is of concern to all New Yorkers, in fact, to all LifeSmartsAmericans.

  • A survey from The Hartford Financial Services Group in 2007 found that 76% of college students wished they had more help preparing for their financial futures.
  • The Charles Schwab Teens & Money 2007 Survey found that 60% of American teens say that learning about money management is one of their top priorities.

By participating in LifeSmarts, you will learn to use your economic power as a consumer and become truly prepared for today’s fast-paced, dynamic marketplace. You will acquire skills to understand the impact of your spending, acquire knowledge to lead a healthier life, learn how to keep yourself and others safe, learn how to benefit from technology, and recognize how your decisions impact the environment. The ultimate goal for teens involved with LifeSmarts is that they take the knowledge they have gained and use it to create stronger families and communities.

Additionally, you will develop teamwork skills, self-esteem, verbal communication skills and leadership abilities that will benefit you in college and throughout your life.

If your school or organization is not currently participating in the LifeSmarts program, be sure to tell your teacher, your parent(s) or your youth group leader about the LifeSmarts program.

New York State LifeSmarts Competition for Students

Become the next NYS LifeSmarts champion without ever leaving home!

The 2009/2010 state LifeSmarts program will be conducted exclusively online!

  • This year, both the NYS Varsity (grades 9-12) and JV (grades 6-8) LifeSmarts programs will be completed online—only—there will not be a Varsity in-person championship.
  • Teams may join the program and compete anytime between September 14, 2009 and February 5, 2010. No travel required! 
  • You do not have to register on September 14 to compete—that’s why the competition is open for almost five months.  It’s up to you how much time the students spend online – months, weeks, or days, just make sure all qualifying tests are completed by February 5. 
  • The winner of the online Varsity championship will represent New York State at the National LifeSmarts Competition in Miami Beach, Florida, April 24-27, 2010.

Participation How-To’s

Personal finance, economics and financial education web sites:
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