Financial literacy curriculum

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A financial literacy curriculum is a structured educational program designed to teach basic financial skills (known as financial literacy) necessary to make informed and effective financial decisions. [1] [2] A typical financial literacy curriculum covers various topics related to personal financial issues, including budgeting and financial planning, savings, investing, managing debt, understanding credit, insurance and retirement planning, and consumer protection topics. [3] [4] [5] [6] [2] Financial literacy curricula provide individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to manage personal finance matters and achieve their financial goals. [7] [2] Private, non-profit organizations, and government agencies around the world provide free financial curricula for different age groups.

Contents

Overview

Financial literacy has gained interest in today's complex and interconnected world. [8] Governments and international organizations draw much attention to financial literacy and financial education around the world. [9] [10] Individuals face a wide range of financial decisions throughout their lives, and a well-designed financial literacy curriculum can provide them with the foundation to make informed decisions that contribute to their financial well-being in the long term. [1] [9]

Key components

Implementation

Financial literacy curricula can be implemented in various settings, such as schools, colleges, community centers, and workplaces. Depending on the target audience, the financial literacy content can be customized to align with different age groups, financial circumstances, and specific needs. Recognizing the significance of financial literacy and financial education, many countries have developed national strategies for financial education and have integrated financial literacy subjects into their educational frameworks. [2] [6] Additionally, government agencies and international organizations have designed free standardized financial literacy curricula and implementation programs for diverse target groups. [3] [5] Among these, some financial literacy curricula are well-recognized and widely used by individuals, educators, and schools, as detailed below: [3] [2]

Challenges and future directions

Developing an effective financial literacy curriculum requires careful consideration of the topic contents, teaching methods, implementation programs, and continuous evaluation. [12] [13] The issues of financial literacy are evolving globally due to changes in technology, economic conditions, and other socioeconomic factors. [12] This necessitates ongoing curriculum development and adaptation to suit diverse target audiences. [13] Furthermore, in addition to a robust curriculum, collaboration among various stakeholders, including governments, international organizations, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and employers, is required to maximize the benefits of financial literacy curricula. [6]

Impact

A comprehensive financial literacy curriculum provides basic knowledge and skills in personal financial management, such as budgeting, saving, investing, managing credit, retirement planning, and consumer awareness, enabling individuals to make informed financial decisions. [7] [2] Free financial literacy curricula, widely offered by government agencies, international organizations, and nonprofit organizations, are contributing to the financial well-being of individuals worldwide. [2] [7] Financial literacy curricula are continually adjusted to adapt to new generations and evolving financial market conditions. [6] [14] [10]

Related Research Articles

Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, which is the study of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services; the discipline of financial economics bridges the two. Financial activities take place in financial systems at various scopes; thus, the field can be roughly divided into personal, corporate, and public finance.

Consumer education is the preparation of an individual to be capable of making informed decisions when it comes to purchasing products in a consumer culture. It generally covers various consumer goods and services, prices, what the consumer can expect, standard trade practices, etc. While consumer education can help consumers to make more informed decisions, some researchers have found that its effects can drop off over time, suggesting the need for continual education. New dimensions of consumer education are also beginning to emerge as people become more aware of the need for ethical consumerism and sustainable consumer behaviour in our increasingly globalized society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal finance</span> Budgeting and expenses

Personal finance is the financial management that an individual or a family unit performs to budget, save, and spend monetary resources over time, taking into account various financial risks and future life events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curriculum</span> Educational plan

In education, a curriculum is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experiences in terms of the educator's or school's instructional goals. A curriculum may incorporate the planned interaction of pupils with instructional content, materials, resources, and processes for evaluating the attainment of educational objectives. Curricula are split into several categories: the explicit, the implicit, the excluded, and the extracurricular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Securities Institute</span> Canadian organization

The Canadian Securities Institute is a Canadian organization that offers licensing courses, advanced certifications, continuing education and custom training for financial services professionals in Canada and internationally.

Founded in 1920, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is a professional organization for schoolteachers of mathematics in the United States. One of its goals is to improve the standards of mathematics in education. NCTM holds annual national and regional conferences for teachers and publishes five journals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health education</span> Education for awareness of and influence on the attitude of health

Health education is a profession of educating people about health. Areas within this profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional health, intellectual health, and spiritual health, as well as sexual and reproductive health education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Financial literacy</span> Able to make informed choices about money

Financial literacy is the possession of skills, knowledge, and behaviors that allow an individual to make informed decisions regarding money. Financial literacy, financial education and financial knowledge are used interchangeably. Financially unsophisticated individuals cannot plan financially because of their poor financial knowledge. Financially sophisticated individuals are good at financial calculations; for example they understand compound interest, which helps them to engage in low-credit borrowing. Most of the time, unsophisticated individuals pay high costs for their debt borrowing.

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is an agency of the Government of Canada that enforces consumer protection legislation, regulations and industry commitments by federally regulated financial entities. It also provides programs and information to help consumers understand their rights and responsibilities when dealing with financial institutions and promotes financial literacy.

Economics education or economic education is a field within economics that focuses on two main themes:

Scientific literacy or science literacy encompasses written, numerical, and digital literacy as they pertain to understanding science, its methodology, observations, and theories. Scientific literacy is chiefly concerned with an understanding of the scientific method, units and methods of measurement, empiricism and understanding of statistics in particular correlations and qualitative versus quantitative observations and aggregate statistics, as well as a basic understanding of core scientific fields, such as physics, chemistry, biology, ecology, geology and computation.

AWARE is a national nonprofit organization that was formed in 2005 to enhance consumer understanding of the vehicle financing process.

Financial Literacy Month is recognized annually in Canada in November, and National Financial Literacy Month was recognized in the United States in April 2004, in an effort to highlight the importance of financial literacy and teach citizens how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council for Economic Education</span> National Council on Economic Education

The Council for Economic Education is an organization in the United States that focuses on the economic and financial education of students from kindergarten through high school.

Vince Shorb, is an American educator and campaigner for financial literacy. He founded and is the CEO of the National Financial Educators Council in Huntington Beach, California, United States. A national organization that provides financial literacy resources and is an advocate for financial literacy.

Moneysmart is a project of the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) that comprises a website, publications and education programs. It provides information, online tools and access to print publications. to help people make financial decisions, presented as "simple guidance you can trust".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation</span> California state department

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation regulates a variety of financial services, businesses, products, and professionals. The department operates under the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

Global citizenship education (GCED) is a form of civic learning that involves students' active participation in projects that address global issues of a social, political, economic, or environmental nature. The two main elements of GCE are 'global consciousness'; the moral or ethical aspect of global issues, and 'global competencies', or skills meant to enable learners to participate in changing and developing the world. The promotion of GCE was a response by governments and NGOs to the emergence of supranational institution, regional economic blocs, and the development of information and communications technologies. These have all resulted in the emergence of a more globally oriented and collaborative approach to education. GCE addresses themes such as peace and human rights, intercultural understanding, citizenship education, respect for diversity and tolerance, and inclusiveness.

Financial social work is an interactive and introspective, multidisciplinary approach that helps individuals explore and address their unconscious feelings, thoughts and attitudes about money. This self-examination process enables people to improve their relationship with their money and thus establish healthier money habits that lead to improved financial circumstances.

Financial Quotient (FQ), sometimes also referred as financial intelligence (FI), financial intelligence quotient (FiQ) or financial IQ, is the ability to obtain and manage one's wealth by understanding how money works. Like emotional quotient (EQ), FQ derived its name from IQ.

References

  1. 1 2 Lusardi, Annamaria; Mitchell, Olivia S. (2014). "The Economic Importance of Financial Literacy: Theory and Evidence". Journal of Economic Literature. 52 (1): 5–44. doi:10.1257/jel.52.1.5. PMC   5450829 . PMID   28579637.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Council for Economic Education and JumpStart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy (2021). "National Standards for Personal Financial Education" (PDF).
  3. 1 2 3 4 National Financial Educators Council (2023). "Education Resources: Presentations, Curriculum, & Online Learning".
  4. 1 2 The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) (2023). "CashCourse Achievements".
  5. 1 2 3 Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (2023). "Money Smart for Young People" (PDF). www.fdic.gov.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 OECD/INFE (2015). "National Strategies for Financial Education: OECD/INFE Policy Handbook" (PDF).
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2015). "Financial well-being: The goal of financial education" (PDF).
  8. 1 2 Koenig, Lori A. (2007). "Financial literacy curriculum: The effect on offender money management skills". Journal of Correctional Education. 58 (1): 43–56. ISSN   0740-2708. JSTOR   23282614.
  9. 1 2 Financial Literacy and Education Commission (2016). "Promoting financial success in the United States: National Strategies for financial literacy - 2016 Update" (PDF).
  10. 1 2 3 Xu, Lisa; Zia, Bilal (2016). "Financial Literacy Around the World: An Overview of the Evidence with Practical Suggestions for the Way Forward". World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No.6107. SSRN   2094887.
  11. 1 2 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2023). "Educational tools you can use". www.consumerfinance.gov.
  12. 1 2 3 "OECD/INFE High-level Principles on National Strategies for Financial Education" (PDF). 2012.
  13. 1 2 Kossev, Kiril (2023). "Evaluation of national strategies for financial literacy" (PDF).
  14. Koskelainen, Tiina; Kalmi, Panu; Scornavacca, Eusebio; Vartiainen, Tero (2023). "Financial literacy in the digital age—A research agenda". Journal of Consumer Affairs. 57 (1): 507–528. doi: 10.1111/joca.12510 . S2CID   256450483.