Financial Literacy

College and Student Resources

Financial Literacy Resources for Youth

Junior Achievement- uses hands-on experiences to help young people understand the economics of life. They have several regional offices in North Carolina.

North Carolina Council on Economic Education (NCCEE)- works to see that all of our students develop economic understanding and abilities to solve problems in their lives as consumers, savers, investors, employees, employers, citizens, and participants in a global economy. NCCEE provides many programs and trainings for students and teachers including the National Economics Challenge and Stock Market Simulation.

National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE)- a non-profit foundation dedicated to helping all Americans acquire the information and skills necessary to take control of their personal finances. The North Carolina Credit Union League is encouraging the use of NEFE's High School Financial Planning Program by offering training sessions for credit union employees who can take this program back to their communities.

 

College Students and Financial Literacy

According to state and national studies*:

  • 84% of students said they needed education to increase financial literacy.
  • 92% of students who have credit cards used their cards to pay for some type of college expense.
  • Many college students use credit cards to live beyond their means, and more than 3/4 incurred finance charges by carrying a balance.
  • 64% of students graduate with student loan debt, and of these students, 39% graduate with unmanageable debt.
  • 40% of students wished they had credit education programs as first-year students.

 

State Treasurer Janet Cowell's Student Debt Tour Report

Recently, North Carolina State Treasurer Janet Cowell met with students and university leaders from various universities and community colleges across the state. Based on conversations and state and national studies on student debt, Treasurer Cowell presented observations and recommendations to help North Carolina's students manage debt in her Student Debt Report.

Read the full report here