Why Join Smart Money?
Every teenager should be financially literate. At some point in high school, we’ll all get our 1st job. Do you know how and where to spend that money? This club will teach you the basics of saving, budgeting, investing, and debt management. It’ll allow you to make informed decisions around money so you never end up feeling insecure about your finances and build wealth early.
What Do We Discuss at the Meetings?
At each meeting, we break down real-world money topics in a simple, teen-friendly way. Key components include:
- Budgeting: Creating a plan for spending and saving.
- Saving Strategies: Learn how to save effectively, understand the power of compounding interest, the time value of money, Roth IRAs, and more.
- Investing: Different forms of investing based on your risk tolerance, basics of stock investing with stock picks for any paycheck, insights into cryptocurrency, and simple real estate investing.
- Debt Management & Borrowing: Managing credit and loans responsibly to avoid high-interest traps, including debit cards, credit cards, credit scores, and building healthy credit habits.
Meeting Goals
We meet about 12–14 times during the school year. Everyone is involved in multiple clubs and after-school activities, so we keep Smart Money fun and flexible—not another chore. You might meet at a friend’s house or a community pool, pick a topic, and dissect it together while you hang out and learn.
How the Meetings Are Structured
Each meeting starts with a short info session on topics like budgeting, loans, and ways to save, followed by real-life role plays. For example: you have a summer job as an assistant swim coach—how are you going to spend your paycheck? You saved 50% of your paycheck—where can you invest it? We walk through beginner-friendly investment opportunities and everyday money choices so you can practice before you’re doing it in real life.