I have a confession to make – and please don’t judge me – but when I was in high school, I can promise you I did not know the first thing about credit scores, mortgages or IRA accounts (or the fact that if I didn’t pay off my credit card on time I would get a bad credit score because once again, what is a credit score?)
Almost six years out of high school, I can save face and tell you that I have a rudimentary understanding of the financial world (but, after all, how good can it be until I buy my first house or start actively planning for my retirement?) But the thought remains: If my generation had understood credit scores earlier, would more of us have been able to rent our first apartments without needing a guarantor? And if we had known about the importance of paying a credit card bill on time, would our parents still have had to bail us out?
Fortunately for many of you high school students out there, education technology leader EverFi is paving the way for financial literacy and helping you guys stay ahead of the game.