Vol. 17, No. 17	Jan. 22, 1998

New series will help students manage money

With the help of the University's Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship (CEEE), high schools throughout Delaware will be able to offer their students a course on how to handle their money.

CEEE, working with the Consumer Credit Council Service of Delaware and Maryland and with the Delaware Council on Economic Education, has agreed to distribute and evaluate Money Matters: Keeping Your Financial Freedom. The videotape and series of lesson plans are designed to make the art of money management palatable to young people.

One thing the video emphasizes is the importance of not abusing credit. "At some point in your life, credit becomes a necessity," James B. O'Neill, CEEE director, said. This video helps young people understand what their financial potential can be if they don't exceed their financial limitations, he said.

The center, which offers a master of economic education degree program to teachers from all over the country, will work with many of its Delaware graduates who will teach the course and later help in its evaluation.

The video was funded and produced by the Consumer Credit Councils. Russell J. Bohlman, CEO of CCCS/Maryland, said the agency funded the project because, "We wanted to get the word out to parents and teens alike that when it comes to financial independence, it really pays to plan and save."

The video opens with a narrator explaining that young people spent $336 billion in 1995 on everything from french fries to CDs. It then follows the financial lives of three high school students who are managing money the right way.

Through the video teens' experiences, young people taking the course get to micro-examine the best way to save for a major purchase and how to be sure they make the right purchase, handle credit cards without running up debt and plan for their financial futures.

-Barbara Garrison