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Posted 2015-12-01
College: Learning the Skills To Pay the Bills? Image

College: Learning the Skills To Pay the Bills?

by Scott A. Wolla

It’s often said that a college education is the key to success. And the decision to go to college is one of the most important choices young people encounter. But you might wonder why a college degree makes such a big difference. Does college really teach valuable skills, or is it all about the degree itself?

Posted 2015-11-02

Peer-to-Peer Lending

by Katherine Ren

This lesson received the 2017 Excellence in Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Award for Education Program of the Year.

If you have ever taken a personal finance class, you likely remember that the teacher emphasized the importance of maintaining a good credit score. The teacher might have said that a good credit score gives you access to loans and credit cards with comparatively lower interest rates.

Posted 2015-10-01

What’s in Your Market Basket? Why Your Inflation Rate Might Differ from the Average

by Scott A. Wolla

Does a dollar go as far as it used to? It might seem that you’re paying higher and higher prices for the goods you buy. However, the data show that inflation has been virtually nonexistent for much of 2015. And the inflation rate has been lower than the Federal Reserve's 2 percent inflation goal for more than 3 years.

Posted 2015-05-01

Falling Oil Prices Create Winners and Losers

by Scott A. Wolla

Oil is important to the economic development of the United States: It powers much of the U.S. economy, and its price fluctuations can influence inflation and unemployment. However, the impact of oil prices is often felt more directly (both positively and negatively) by local economies with close ties to the oil industry.

Posted 2015-04-01

From Coins to Big Bucks: The Evolution of General-Purpose Reloadable Prepaid Cards

by Jeannette N. Bennett

This lesson received the 2017 Excellence in Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Award for Education Program of the Year.

What are some of the first things you see when you walk into most large retail stores? Chances are large racks of prepaid cards will be something you notice. Sometimes there’s even more than one rack—all displayed to grab your attention.

Posted 2015-03-01

Is a Strong Dollar Better than a Weak Dollar?

by Scott A. Wolla

All words have connotations; they suggest certain meanings. For example, “strong” and “weak” are usually considered opposites, so one might think that it’s always better to be strong than to be weak. However, in referring to the value of a country’s currency, it’s not that easy.

Posted 2015-01-01

Would a Gold Standard Brighten Economic Outcomes?

by Scott A. Wolla

This lesson received the 2016 Curriculum Gold Award from the National Association of Economic Educators.

For much of human history money was made of either valuable commodities such as gold or silver coins or pieces of paper (bills) that represented these commodities. For many economies, gold served as the foundation of the money supply.