Students need to learn to manage money better, and a financial literacy class would be a great addition to Williston’s course catalogue.
According to the Commercial Bank of California (CBC), “The need for financial literacy in education arises from the need to promote financial knowledge more broadly for the benefit of the public.”
The CBC also supports incorporating financial literacy into the daily lives of students.
“Students can learn the basics of personal finance by incorporating financial literacy into the school curriculum,” the CBC wrote on its website. “This knowledge is a foundation for making informed financial decisions and helps them avoid common financial mistakes that can have long-term consequences.”
Peter Holden, Williston’s Chief Financial Officer, believes it’s crucial that students learn how to manage money before they leave high school. He emphasizes that “knowledge is power, and having an appreciation, understanding, and insight to the tools to understand finances helps better prepare you for so many aspects of your future, whether it be personal issues such as large purchases, retirement strategies, etc, or professional items that you might be challenged with [in] your work.”
Holden believes that learning financial literacy early on can impact a student’s future when it comes to financial stability.
“I believe the better prepared that we are and the more tools that we have at our disposal to use, we then have the ability to accomplish so much more with that knowledge than without,” he said.
Archie Glazer, a junior from Newton, Mass., thinks he could benefit from a financial literacy course.
“I always liked buying things, my parents never gave me money, so I started finding a way to make money,” said Archie, who buys and sells stocks.
Archie states that when he first started trying to make his own money, “I tried reselling things I had, but that didn’t go so well, so I started looking for other methods.” Archie says he started with selling shoes before getting into stocks.
The way Archie was able to produce results within his own business was through trial and error.
“I’ve learned how to trade. I’ve learned how to create many different kinds of businesses,” he said. “I’ve learned how to build up connections with others through my business in a valuable way.”