Real estate experts to teach financial basics

Author: Pete Koutoulas • First Posted: Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Linda Dickerson, with the Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors, introduced the financial literacy program to school personnel gathered at Tates Creek High School. (Photo: Tammy L. Lane)

Today’s economic times underscore the importance of preparing students to manage their own financial future. Building Your Bucks, a free educational series provided by the Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors, offers classroom teachers additional resources for basic financial literacy lessons.

Susan Watson, who teaches at SCAPA Bluegrass, can see incorporating some sessions into her sixth-grade read/write math class.

“I think we need to start very young giving students this information – across the socioeconomic spectrum,” she said after hearing about Building Your Bucks. “This kind of information will at least make kids aware.”

The program is the latest district partnership aimed at equipping students with financial literacy tools. Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass also provides a curriculum for Fayette County schools, and members of the Fayette County Bar Association volunteer to teach the basics of consumer credit and money management through a national initiative called CARE (Credit Abuse Resistance Education).

The districtwide initiative grew out of the 2020 Vision project, which developed a blueprint for world-class schools in Fayette County. Financial literacy was one of the 2020 Vision focal points.

Linda Dickerson and Melissa Poynter of the Realtors’ association introduced the latest program to school personnel Dec. 2 at Tates Creek High School. Building Your Bucks includes 20 written lessons, PowerPoint shows, handouts and worksheets, activities, games, software and Web resources.

“We do a lot of interactive group work to get them thinking,” said Dickerson, who noted that relevant scenarios work best with young people.

One technique she mentioned sends students on a virtual field trip to the mall so they can see how quickly cash slips away.

For older students, the key points covered include creating a budget, paying for college and saving money for unexpected expenses. Other topics feature renting vs. buying, predatory lending practices and payday loans, investing, warning signs of financial trouble, identity theft, banking and advertising.

The program Web site offers an abundance of useful links, according to Poynter. For instance, students can research the job market outlook and see salary projections for specific positions. The site also offers tips for parents, such as how to instill responsibility when giving allowances.

“It’s a good variety of things that would help,” Dickerson added.

Nearly three dozen real estate professionals have been trained for Building Your Bucks and are available to come into FCPS classrooms, or teachers can present the sessions themselves.

“There are ways to tweak it to make it more appropriate for your group,” Dickerson noted.

Background:

The Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors (www.lbar.com/) developed Building Your Bucks as part of its community education outreach. An instructor at Bluegrass Community & Technical College wrote the lesson plans, courtesy of a grant from the Kentucky Real Estate Commission.

Resources:

Teachers may contact LBAR to schedule classroom lessons. The sessions range from five to 30 minutes each. There is no cost involved for the schools. Call LBAR at (859) 276-3503, or e-mail Linda Dickerson at lindad@turftown.com for more details.

A bound copy of the lessons will be available for checkout at the Teacher Resource Center on Springhill Drive. Call (859) 381-3881 or e-mail Candy Zaluski, a library resource specialist with Fayette County Public Schools, to inquire about the status.

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