AREA HIGH SCHOOL HELPS STUDENTS MASTER FINANCIAL PLANNING SKILLS Teens today spend over $170 billion per year, yet many do not know how to manage their money wisely. During adolescence, teens are forming habits that will last them a lifetime. Thus, it is imperative that teenagers develop positive finance habits while they are young. Smithfield Selma High School is helping its students do just that. Cindy B. Allen, who is a Principles of Business and Personal Finance teacher at Smithfield Selma High School, is incorporating the NEFE High School Financial Planning Program ® (HSFPP) into the class curriculum. The High School Program is a six-unit educational program developed to educate U.S. high school students in the fundamentals of sound money management and the basic concepts of financial planning and personal financial responsibility. The NEFE HSFPP was developed by the Colorado-based National Endowment for Financial Education ® (NEFE ® ) and is provided without charge as a public service. The program seeks to increase the financial literacy of the nation's youth, empowering them to make positive and sound decisions to reach their financial goals. The National Endowment (www.nefe.org) is a private, non-profit foundation dedicated to the mission of helping individual Americans acquire the information and gain the skills necessary to take control of their financial destiny. The High School Program is provided in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture-Cooperative Extension System (CES) and the Credit Union National Association, Inc. (CUNA) and America's Credit Unions. By combining the expertise and resources of NEFE, CES, and CUNA, significant progress can be made toward improving the financial literacy of today's young people. The teacher(s) designated to implement the NEFE High School Financial Planning Program at Smithfield Selma High School will work in cooperation with Timothy M. Whitney, a local Financial Advisor with Anthony, Griffin, and Whitney Investment Group of Wachovia Securities in Raleigh, North Carolina, who will assist with the presentation of program materials in the classroom and be available to answer questions from students.
