A 16-year-old Greencastle student is working to close the financial literacy gap among his peers and beyond. Students Teaching Finance was started by Isaac Hertenstein in response to a shortage of financial education in his school and throughout Indiana, which is one of only 13 states in the US that does not require a personal finance curriculum. Hertenstein rose to national prominence after winning one of the five grand prizes in Prudential Financial’s (NYSE: PRU) Emerging Visionaries programme in New Jersey.
The program is targeted at students in kindergarten through eighth grade. In addition to in-class teaching, the nonprofit has launched a website to deliver its curriculum.
“What I’m trying to do is teach young students foundational financial topics that essentially can plant seeds in them and begin the learning process when it comes to finance,” said Hertenstein. “So, that comes across from anything like careers to investing as basic as needs versus wants.”
At the Emerging Visionaries program, which was held at Prudential’s headquarters in New Jersey, Hertenstein took home a total of $ 15,000 for his idea. He said the event was a great opportunity to not only meet other like-minded students but also many executives from Prudential.
“What we’re trying to do is almost change society at a small level and then scale it hopefully into other states, which we’ve already begun doing through other high schoolers teaching this curriculum to their younger peers.”
Hertenstein says while he does not envision Students Teaching Finance as a major money-making endeavor, he does have plans for future growth.
News Summary:
- Teen-founded group hopes to ‘plant seeds’ of financial education
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