TUCSON, Ariz. — April is financial literacy month and one group of University of Arizona students is working to educate Tucson high schoolers about how to be smart with their money.
"Its considered a near-peer model. So we're sending college students out who can relate to the high school students. So they can give really realistic examples and really connect with the high school students in ways that maybe an older educator might not be able to," said Victoria Ligon, with UA's Take Care America Institute.
World Financial Group is also dedicated to financial literacy. Robert Roman, with the Tucson office, said there is a lack of knowledge when it comes to retirement. He said social security, pensions, and personal savings are important for young adults to start to understand.
"And if we look at it, social security is in trouble. Pensions, most people don't even know what that is anymore. And so we really look, and the younger generation, specifically, they're down to their personal savings. So we really find that if we can educate people at a young age, that influence can really impact their whole life and potentially the next generation as well," said Roman.
And Take Charge Cats tries to do just that by reaching Tucsonans at a younger age.
"Most of our high school students really enjoy this program because they feel like they're just not getting this material within their traditional curriculum," said Ligon.
WFG also has free resources available for everyone. The goal of their nationwide financial literacy campaign is to reach all demographics.
"We want to just offer to the community because we feel that Tucson is one of these cities to where statistically has lower income. And a lot of families are pay check to pay check. If we can start with just something like that, we really feel like we can make a big difference to people," said Roman.
Tucson mayor Jonathan Rothschild proclaimed every April to be financial literacy month.
Contact the World Financial Group Tucson office by calling or texting (520) 603-1111, for information on workshops.
Take Charge Cats is always recruiting students from UA for a paid student worker job and new teachers to partner with in all school districts. To get in touch with the organization, go to www.takechargecats.org.
