Steve Navra to run a Financial Education Course for Kids?

[Alan H]

Steve Navra has volunteered to run a "not-for-profit" Course, if there is enough interest, that would broadly be aimed at "giving your child a sound Financial Education.

Please indicate your interest.

Put me down for a couple of tickets.


:)

[DaleGG]

Hi Alan

I have only one child young enough to go, but, would happily promote this course, should it happen, to my clients as well.

Great idea and well done, Steve!

Dale

[Bear1964]

Would Adelaide miss out yet again ................LOL

Regards Bear

PS Hi Steve

[Aceyducey]

I thought all Steve's courses were not-for-profit :)

Cheers,

Aceyducey

[Sim]

Hi Alan, I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of adding another option "I don't have kids". Just makes it easier for those people who can't vote in the other options to keep track of the votes.

[asy]

I have voted 'yes' and I think it's a bloody good idea...

2xfront row seats required, ta uncle steve..

(unless I can bring the kids, then make it 4!)

asy :D

[NigelW]

What about for us big kids at heart...? :p

[Jas]

you'd need to set the age crierita. what a 7yr old and a 12 yr old can understand are different...

Let alone a 5 yr old.

Jas

[PT_Bear]

I don't have kids, but if I did, I'd want to get a brief on what would be presented before hand...

[Doons]

Fabulous idea.....
I was on a youth committee for the Montessori school in our area and tried to arrange some type of "financial education"...nothing out there for the grade 5 & 6 age group. These kids have to learn how to manage and grow their money...they all have phones, pc's and by the time they are 18, credit card debt and car loans.....seems to be minimal time spent on something that will shape their lifetime.... :rolleyes:

[Macca]

My kids are 32 and 30, can they come to?

Naturally kids of this age need a LOT of supervision so I wll be there to control the resulting chaos :D :D

just kidding, just kidding................. :p :p

Actually, I do feel that a course for kids is a good idea but I think that it will depend greatly on the kid. Some would like being treated as a grown up and sit there attentively, others would be fidgetting after 5 minutes.

The attention span of littlun's is a lot shorter than motivated adults.

[Alan H]

How Steve would want to conduct such a Course is obviously up to him, however the point seems to be getting made that a 5-6yo will be different to 6-8yo, will be different to 10-12yo, will be different to 14-16yo and on it goes.....the leg bones connected to tha kneebone etc. :D

Trying to run a specific Course for a 2-3 year age range may then start to really limit the numbers of people that would attend and make it not viable.

As an option, perhaps this Kids Course could be for adults? Let's call it a "Train the Trainer for a Kid's Financial Education".

Steve could go over options for 6yo through to 20yo.....he's got 2yo through to a 20yo so he's certainly been there done that.

Start off the Course with what he's found is good for the really young, others can throw in their experiences if they want, Steve could discuss good techniques for the 12yo and others could again throw in their experiences again etc etc.

Do you have kids now? Doesn't matter. The Course may still be useful to you one day. Are you a Grandparent that can't bring your Grandchild on the day but would like some ideas to apply. Great. If you're a parent with kids aged 2-12 this format would still work. Hey....you might be a brother or sister who would like some hints on ways you could help your siblings.

This format may resolve the problem of trying to target a Course at such a potentially wide age range of kids?

In summary, you as the adult learn some new ideas and apply them to your own individual circumstances if and when you're ready.

Just another idea.............


:)

[Reeg]

I think Alan's idea is close to the mark and that a course "training the trainers" would be a great.

My kids are both in the under 6 bracket so I would love to hear ideas on how I could provide them with a better education than the one I received

just my 2c

Cheers,

Richard

[Tibor]

Fantastic idea and one of my pet project, that is giving financial education to kids that is completely missing in our traditional education system, but will be one of the most important skill we will (or will not) possess once we left school.

Our governments still has not realised the importance of this subject, otherwise it would be thought with the same importance as math and English.

My only question is what is the minimum age to attend. I have a 9 years old who play Cashflow for Kids and Monopoly regularly.

[geoffw]

Fantastic idea and one of my pet project, that is giving financial education to kids that is completely missing in our traditional education systemNot COMPLETELY missing. My 14yo is doing her budgeting assignment at the moment (Find a job salary, find a flat to share with a friend, budget all expenses, see if there's any money left over). The next unit is investing.

So there is a little in the school system- but it should not be left to year 9 Commerce to learn such basic life skills.

[Tibor]

Thanks Geoffw for clarifying it for me. That is very little, but definitely more than nothing. Just out of interest is your child attends public or private schools?

To me financial education is more than to be thought how to budget and how to be a saver.

That is NOT an investor.

I am not sure what they will be teaching in investments, I just hope a bit more than put your money into the bank and invest in managed funds and superannuation guarantee (super) as part of your future investment strategy. That is not financial education to hand over your money to someone else to look after it for you. It might suit lots of people, but it is still not financial education.

Again I'd like to mention the latest RK book, Who Took My Money? It explains it much better than I can.

[geoffw]

Tibor,

My daughter goes to the local government school (she would have been in a private school except for the tax effective thing- now that I'm back on my feet, there's not an opportunity for her to get back into the private school until year 11.

I'll be interested to see what the investment module covers myself. I did suggest to her that I could offer the class a few tips (after all, the chances are the teacher would not be teaching if they had been successfuk in investing)- but, apaprt from Dads not being cool, she says that most of her friends don't really have any ambition or aims (maybe one of the reasons I'd like her to be in private school).

When I was at that level at (government) school, I don't remember seeing that apathy- most of my class were interested and motivated. But that could be due to at least two factors-

1. There's much more pressure for people to stay on at school, even to go onto tertiary education- when that may not suit them
2. Streaming. We were streamed according to ability- so I guess those of us in the highest class became more competitive at the expense of the stdents in the lower classes.

[Tibor]

Thanks Geoffw,

My 9 years old is also in government school. They are a little too young to have the ambitions, but point is taken from your experience.

Only problem is by the time the same young people start to realise that the money issue is cool to talk about and it is a very important part of their life, they have lost lots of years, made lots of bad decisions and can suffer the consequences. There will be a minority who even without institutionalised education will be educated, but for the majority will lead their life just like their parents did.

I am a realist and do not expect that the entire generation will get financially educated, I just hope there will be more than the current 5% (or rather less) of the population will be able achieve their dreams and fulfilment in life, not being a slave from school to retirement (if latter still be affordable). Financial freedom while does not guarantee happiness, it could greatly improve people's lives. Having a job as the source of ALL income and doing financial planning by filling out the lotto and other gambling avenues, saving in retirement account and in bank accounts might just not be th ebest option and also very risky.

[geoffw]

I've just seen 14yo's budget assignment.

Her budget was quitre balanced.

Of course, she chose a job from the newpaper for the public service at $100K pa- it did not indicate qualifications (except that cryptic "Executive level 1).

So her budget is quite balanced, and I don't really think she has learnt anything.

I've asked her to try again ona salary of $30K pa- quite generous for a school leaver- but one which might give a better indication of real life.

[Teresa]

I'd be interested for my Year 9 daughter.

I advised her not to take commerce on the basis of
1. totally boring
2. half of what they learn is common sense and the other half they will learn as they need it.
3. I don't believe it motivates nor is it relevant to their stage of life.
4. A practical subject offers more in the way of acheivement and gives them a chance to try different things, before they hit senior years.

My advise may change for my 11 year old as she isn't as cluey with numbers or to the world around her (stuck in dreamland)

[Aceyducey]

hmmm - I found commerce very vaulable at school :)

It taught a lot of the underlying structural stuff on supply & demand, money supply, role of interest rates & fiscal tools.

It provided the basis for most of my further understanding of the area.

And it was very motivational at the time - particularly when we went out creating micro businesses to learn hands on.

Of course that was 20 years ago.....

Cheers,

Aceyducey

[Bear1964]

My son who is currently in 2nd year high school, in year 5 at primary school, he did mock Internet share trading as a class activity. They were given a certain amount of money to start off with and in groups over a 6 month period they had to trade in mock shares from the internet and see how much money the had at the end of the 6 month period.

Regards Bear

[geoffw]

Out of interest- how much money did they have at the end of six months? Did it give him anything of value?

[Bear1964]

To be honest i cant remember exactly how much. However my sons group did come top of the class and make the most money , some lost it all. It did teach him trading skills, and show him that money can be made with money if done carefully.

Regards Bear

[Teresa]

Acey ducey,
Seems I may have been a bit hasty with my advise, and maybe it is one of those subjects that depend highly on the teacher to add a bit of interest.

Teresa

[Jas]

bit like all subjects really...

Jas

[geoffw]

bit like all subjects really...Not only the subjects- also what you're subjected to.