There were a few subjects I found rather pointless in high school, yet they were still compulsory up until year 9.
While Woodwork and Algebra are definitely useful to some, I can swear to you that I’ve never once needed to quickly assemble a clock to get out of a bind.
This is why I find it purely baffling that not only is financial literacy not compulsory in high school, it’s not even offered.
Would 15-year-old me jump at the chance to learn how not be a floundering adult? Well, yes, actually, when you put it like that.
So then why, why, are subjects like taxes, investing, functioning as a human etc, not part of our schools’ curriculums?
This is just one of the questions asked on episode 3 of our new H R U ? podcast with Kids Helpline and yourtown (above), where host Marty Smiley picks the brain of 23-year-old Head of Marketing and recent homeowner, Maggie O’Neill.
Yep, you read that right – Maggie owns a home at 23. So, if you’re wanting some tips on how to save your money, where to invest or even whether owning a home is necessary any more, you best believe Maggie is your go-to guide.
Maggie also offers some interesting (no really, I genuinely mean interesting) insight into how she personally developed and grew her knowledge of the financial world, crediting everything from podcasts and Netflix documentaries to her current job.
The 23-year-old-I’m-already-jealous-of also warns people who are anxious about their money to be careful with Pay Later options, as they’re essentially “like a credit card”.
“If you’re going to use it, just absolutely be in control of that and don’t let it get out of hand,” Maggie advises.
Part of Maggie’s job is to put the financial mumbo jumbo into layman’s terms, so keep an ear out for some baseline explanations that may just help you feel more in the know.
To wrap up the podcast, Marty also speaks to Kids Helpline specialist, Josie, about the impact that finances can have on young adults’ anxiety levels.
“I suppose it’s not something that young people are always readily identifying as a core problem in their life, but when we start to unpack that a young person is experiencing a lot of stress, a lot of overwhelming feelings…finances are often a part of that puzzle that all fits together contributing to that stress,” Josie explains.
In all honesty, listening to the podcast did make me start to think about what I could do to ease my money-related worries, and that’s the first step, no?
We’ll be releasing a slew of these H R U ? poddy eps, dealing with a range of topics that hit close to home for young (and not-so-young) people, so hang tight for the next one – it might prove to be more helpful than you think.
