Crosby Finance

Financial literacy is among the most important things we must learn. So why is it that it is hardly ever taught in schools? Some courses touch lightly on the subject, but there is no subject that will show students how to create wealth and manage their money. Science, history, mathematics, and English are extremely important to a child’s education. But some might argue that, as noble as those subjects are, financial literacy should be valued even more.

My father, for example, is an electrical engineer. He majored in Science in college and took electrical engineering courses at one of the leading universities in our country. After graduating and passing the board exams, he looked for a job in his chosen profession. He found employment in machines sales for the wood industry.

While, due to his college education, he was familiar with many of the components in the machines, but there were several important parts of the machines he had never even heard about. Thus it is with financial education. School-to-work programs and career education are important, but they must include instruction that is applicable to what students will face in the real world.

There isn’t a single subject in school that teaches how to create wealth. A particularly inspired instructor might touch on the subject, but we need to give students exact directions in how to attain financial freedom. For example a popular real estate technique of flipping a house. Some flippers get carried away and remodel the entire house, other simply paint and landscape to increase value. The key is to know the numbers.

The advice our forefathers gave us is only a starting point. “Go to school. Study hard. Get good grades, and find a good job” does not apply to those who want to create and keep wealth. In this case, knowledge IS power. Seek knowledge in and out of the classroom. This applies doubly for financial education. The more updated you are, the better your chances of making more money.