Practical Applications for 

Enhancing Financial Literacy

Tim Ranzetta
Financial Education in US High Schools

The Student Perspective

The Financial Education Movement

Curriculum and PD Resources

Investing Approach

Considerations for SEC

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How do students benefit from financial education? 
Financial Education Movement
Momentum is growing 

each year as more states 

guarantee a standalone 

Personal Finance course 

for all high schoolers.

2019

STATES

6

2020

STATES

8

2021

STATES

11

2022

STATES

17

2023

STATES

23

Progress Toward Mission 2030
WA

OR

CA

AK

HI

MT

WY

CO

NM

ID

NV

UT

AZ

MN

IA

MO

AR

LA

ND

SD

NE

KS

OK

MI

IN

WV

NC

AL

WI

IL

KY

TN

MS

MA

PA

MD

DC

NY

OH

VA

SC

GA

ME

NH

RI

VT

CT

NJ

DE

TX FL

Implementation States

Fully Implemented States

Progress toward Mission 2030
Momentum

MOMENTUM NEED DEMAND

STATESPECIFIC 

SOLUTION
Need

NEED

34% of Gen Z Is Learning Personal Finance 

From TikTok and YouTube

32% of Teens Can’t Tell Difference 

Between Debit and Credit Cards

50% of Americans Think that Mutual 

Funds Offer a Guaranteed Return

Source: Go Banking Rates Gen Z Survey, Debit and Credit Card survey from ChooseFI, Mutual Fund data 

from Economist column
Need

NEED

BUY NOW PAY LATER TRADING APPS CRYPTOCURRENCY
Demand

DEMAND

88%

Support for semester long 

or full year course

78-85%

Range in popularity for support 

when polled in 7 states

Bipartisan

Source: 88% from NEFE 2022 Survey; 78-85% from 7 polls conducted by Public Policy Polling for NGPF Mission 

2030 Fund in 2022; Florida and Michigan Governors both signed bills guaranteeing personal finance courses 

for high schoolers. 
State-Specific Solution

STATESPECIFIC 

SOLUTION

State-specific 

solution

LOCAL CONTROL DISTRICT FLEXIBILITY

LITTLE OR NO COST BIPARTISAN
Curriculum and PD Resources 
Quick Intro to NGPF

Courses for HS & MS

Semester Course

Lesson Plans, Activities, 

& Projects

Arcade (TOP HIT!)

Curriculum Teacher PD

3-5 live events/wk

40+ On-Demands

12 content area 

Certifications

NGPF Academy 

Free, and always will be.

Mission 2030

Educators as 

advocates

It’s all about access 

& quality

Advocacy
By 2030, all U.S. high schoolers will be 

guaranteed to take at least one semester-long 

Personal Finance course before graduation.
Approach to Investing
Our approach to investing
Key questions in Investing Unit

● Why invest? 

● What’s the stock market? 

● What’s a stock/bond? 

● How can I manage risk? 

● What’s a mutual fund?

■ Heavy emphasis on index funds

● How do I start investing? 

● Why should I think about investing for retirement now? 

● How should I evaluate online investing tools and apps?
Arcade Game: Stax
SEC’s Role
Looking for investment strategies on social media... 

16M views 10M views 6M views

Options Trading for Beginners 

(The ULTIMATE In-Depth Guide)

The Beginners Guide to Day Trading 

Strategy 📚🍏 (Working in 2023!)

Forex Trading For Beginners 

(Full Course)

6,200 views

The HoweyTrade Investment 

Program Explained

Meanwhile...
Distributing Your Content More Broadly

VIDEOS

● Investomania (meme 

stocks, margin, crypto, 

easy money)

● Howeytrade Investment 

Program

● Crypto Assets

● Warnings about Frauds 

and Scams

● Short explainer videos

CALCULATORS

● Compound interest 

calculator

PARTNERSHIPS

Partner with organizations 

in the K-12 financial 

education space to distribute 

this content more broadly 

● 3.5 million students 

graduate every year 

from U.S. high schools
How the SEC can support the movement

Bully pulpit

“Nobody is going to shape your future more than you do,” said 

Chair Gensler. “You’re in the driver’s seat, and that begins with 

financial literacy.” [April 2023 Virtual Event]

Updated Research 

Update to the 2012 Study Regarding Financial Literacy Among 

Investors 

Regulation

● Kudos for actions taken against crypto endorsers

● Remain vigilant in the social media space 

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