Facts About Youth Financial Knowledge & Capability

Teaching financial capability is important because youth are increasingly facing higher levels of debt:

• The average loan student debt for students graduated from college in 2022 was $37,5746.¹
• The average college student has approximately $3,100 in credit card debt.²
• For up-to-date information on the federal student loan portfolio including Direct Loans, Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL), and Perkins Loans with outstanding balances review the Federal Student Loan Portfolio.

Unfortunately, many youth have not received either formal or informal guidance on financial matters. Individuals in low-income households can lack access to financial services. Absent suitable consumer protection and school-based K-12 financial education, youth in low-income households as adults can fall victim to scams, high-interest rate loans, and debt. Educating low-income individuals in financial management can be an effective way to improve their knowledge in five areas:

• predatory lending practices,
• public and work-related benefits,
• banking practices,
• savings and investing strategies,
• and credit use and interest rates.³

Young people often learn about money informally through socialization, such as observing and listening to their caregivers, influential adults, and peers. Youth are not consistently introduced to instruction on money matters—for example, through a classroom curriculum or other education on saving, spending, allowances, and the importance of focusing on short-term goals (i.e., purchasing an item, saving money, paying off a debt) to be able to get to long-term financial goals (i.e., saving for college, buying a house).⁴

Understanding what youth do not know about financial topics is important. It is also beneficial to identify the specific concerns that youth have when it comes to money.

A survey of a diverse group of youth and adults regarding what they wanted to learn about finance, found that concerns among youth varied depending on their background.⁵ The survey also found a disconnect between what adults thought youth should learn and what youth ranked first, for example:

• Pregnant or parenting teens and teens in the juvenile justice system or on probation were most concerned about learning how to save money for a home; whereas migrant teens and teens in school were most interested in learning how to save money for college.
• Almost 70 percent of adults in the survey felt that teens should learn about how to complete and file a tax return form, but only 39 percent of the teens were interested in learning about this topic.
  • However, more than half of the teens in the juvenile justice system or on probation and almost half of the migrant teens showed an interest in learning how to complete and file a tax return.
• Although a majority of teens wanted to learn about money, more than half wanted to learn in an easy way. This could include strategies that are convenient, that use technology, and are not time consuming for youth.

Resources

Money as You Grow
Parents and caregivers can use the tips, conversation starters, and activities to help their children gain the “building blocks” that lead to strong money skills, habits, and attitudes in adulthood. Features the Money as You Grow Bookshelf, for parents of children ages 4 to 10.

Meet the Money Monsters!
The Money Monsters are a group of creatures who are new to our universe who need to learn about many important things like school, friendship, and financial literacy. Parents and caregivers can use the free publications and reading guides to help their children gain the “building blocks” that lead to strong money skills, habits, and attitudes in adulthood.

Your Financial Path to College Graduation
Have a college financial aid offer? Use this tool to help you:

• Understand your financial aid offer
• Plan to cover the remaining costs
• Estimate how much you’ll owe and if you can afford that debt
• Compare offers from different schools
• Decide what to do next

Map Your Money Journey Survey
CFPB has developed youth financial capability self-assessment tools to help young people understand their own financial capability including their areas of strength and areas for growth. They can use this information to reflect on what they may to do improve their financial capability.

Teaching Young People About Money: Tips for Parents and Caregivers
The FDIC provides tips and tools that parents can use to teach their children facts about earning, spending, and saving money at any age.

What's in Your Piggy Bank? Motivating Young First-Time Workers to Save
This recorded webinar highlights the First-Time Workers program, a pilot project from Young America Saves, which promotes saving at work for young adults, ages 16–24, as one effort to increase overall workplace saving.

Hit the Road — A Financial Adventure
Hit the Road takes users on an interactive, virtual road trip across the country, but the journey is not easy. They must save and spend money wisely to complete challenges along the way.

References