The Value of Teaching About Money　(1/2)

Personal finance is an increasingly complex world. There are more ways to invest money, more ways to save it -- and more ways to lose it. Yet many people are more strangers to this world than they might like to admit.

In the United States, there are growing calls to do more to help young people learn skills in financial literacy. Some efforts begin in high school. But more and more information is available on the Internet, not only for young people but also for adults. The goal is to teach about budgeting, saving, investing and using money.

The United States Financial Literacy and Education Commission was established in 2003. This government group supervises financial education efforts through 19 federal agencies.

Information on financial literacy and education can be found at its Web site. The address is MyMoney.gov. It includes links to agencies that deal with banking, buying a home, investing and other areas. The National Council on Economic Education has found that seventeen states now require high school students to take a class in economics. This number has grown from thirteen in 1998.