Jake Cousineau teaches personal finance at Viewpoint School, where what started as one trimester course now reaches nearly every eighth grader plus juniors and seniors. His first book "How to Adult: Personal Finance for the Real World" grew from a short guide for graduating seniors into a text adopted by schools and colleges nationwide. Now his second book "Face Your Financial Fears" tackles the myths and psychology that keep people from addressing money problems. In this session, Jake will share what he's learned from years in the classroom about making personal finance approachable rather than intimidating, why storytelling works better than traditional textbooks, and how he helps students shift from feeling hopeless about money to seeing a clear path forward. Perfect for teachers looking for practical ways to make financial concepts relatable and for anyone considering writing their own educational materials.

What if the most important thing you teach your students about money has nothing to do with budgets, credit scores, or compound interest? What if it starts with what they believe? In this special episode for teachers, Nir Eyal shares key ideas from his newest book, Beyond Belief. He connects these ideas to inner narratives students and teachers carry about money, time, and their own impact. Nir unpacks the science of how beliefs about money, potential, and about what's possible are formed early and shape everything that follows. Join us to explore how to help students notice and "stress-test" their beliefs against real-world examples, while also getting tools to examine assumptions about what's possible in your classroom and in your own financial life.

For over 12 years, Carly Urban has been researching one question: does financial education actually work? As a Professor of Economics at Montana State University, she's co-authored the most comprehensive meta-analysis of financial education ever conducted, examining 76 randomized controlled trials. Her findings debunk decades of faulty research and confirm what teachers want to hear—financial education improves financial behaviors in cost-effective ways. But the devil is in the details. Her research shows that standalone semester-long courses improve credit scores and financial well-being, while embedded approaches don't show the same effects. In this session, Carly will share what actually works in financial education, why quality implementation matters more than just having requirements on paper, and what her database of high school course offerings across America reveals about the state of financial literacy education nationwide.

Dr. Paris Woods is the bestselling author of The Black Girl's Guide to Financial Freedom. She is a lifelong educator and leading voice in economic mobility and financial empowerment who has been featured in Essence, CNN, and Insider, among others. Her forthcoming book The Student's Guide to Financial Freedom is a culturally grounded, peer-to-peer guide that empowers high school and college students to plan for lifelong financial independence. It especially speaks to first-gen, lower income students who are navigating systemic barriers and might not see themselves reflected in traditional money books. Dr. Woods shares how adults can be "money mentors" in their daily lives, help to set the next generation up for financial empowerment, and get better at building wealth themselves.

For decades, Pete Colhoun brought Wall Street to Main Street as a panelist on Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser, helping millions of Americans understand investing and the economy. With an MBA from Harvard and experience in senior management at T. Rowe Price and as a general partner at Emerging Growth Partners, he's spent a career making financial markets accessible to everyday investors. In this session, Pete will share lessons from his years helping democratize investment information, what he's learned about long-term investing through decades of market cycles, and why financial education matters for building wealth. He'll discuss his philanthropic work and what inspired his passion for ensuring everyone has access to quality financial knowledge—not just the wealthy. Perfect for teachers looking to connect students with the real-world perspective of someone who's lived through market history and believes everyone deserves to understand how money works.

Join us for a conversation with Christopher "Kit" Kauffman, NGPF Board Member and Adviser. He is a former attorney with a unique professional journey from corporate law to financial education advocacy. He will share insights on what motivates his passion for working with the NGPF Team on Mission2030 and why this is one of the top issues of concern to him in retirement. You'll gain perspective on how real-world financial experiences, whether in major court cases or everyday classrooms, can inspire students to think critically about saving, investing, and financial decision-making. Kit also offers advice for teachers seeking to connect personal finance to students' interests and real-world stories.

As Vice President of Education at the Tax Foundation, Zoe Callaway oversees TaxEDU, a tax literacy initiative born from a striking discovery: over half of Americans lack basic tax literacy, regardless of age, income, or education level. Even college graduates struggle to identify where the government raises most of its revenue. The consequences are real—people avoid earning more money because they misunderstand how tax brackets work, believing a raise will somehow leave them with less. In this session, Zoe will share what students most misunderstand about taxes, why the Tax Foundation launched its education program, and how teachers can help students grasp concepts that shape everything from their first paycheck to career decisions. Perfect for teachers looking for practical approaches to demystifying a system students will navigate their entire lives.

Ever wonder why some kids reach adulthood terrified of money while others handle it with confidence? In this episode, Yanely sits down with Steven Day, former high school teacher and author of Teach a Kid to Save: A Fun, Hands-On Approach to Building Smart Money Habits, to unpack how a simple "mini economy" at home or in the classroom can build lasting financial habits. Steven grew up inside one of these systems, since his dad literally wrote the book on it, and now runs one with his own four kids, complete with a seven-year-old who drives a hard bargain over the morning coffee. Along the way, he explains why a classroom economy should be a teaching tool rather than a behavior-control system, how cash-strapped teachers can run one for almost nothing, and why selling "privilege coupons" often beats stocking a store with more stuff. He also makes the case for starting early, tying money lessons to kids' real values and goals, and giving students the rare chance to experience money as producers and investors instead of just consumers. Packed with practical tips, free printable resources, and a few laugh-out-loud parenting moments, this conversation is a must-listen for any teacher or parent who wants to raise money-smart kids. Tune in and rethink what financial education can look like from the ground up.

Most teens treat credit as a "someday" problem, something for their "old" future selves. A bankruptcy attorney and a credit-scoring expert see exactly where that thinking leads. In this NGPF podcast episode Yanely has a conversation with CARE Chicago volunteers Gene Volchek and Jeff Schwartz, who share what thousands of classroom visits have taught them. From the misconceptions that trip students up most, and the analogies that finally make credit click (your adult report card, the three C's, the $1,000 laptop that costs $2,700), to how to teach this before the first card, not after the first mistake. If you teach personal finance, you'll leave with stories and strategies you can use in classroom right away!

In this NGPF Speaker Series episode, former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair joins Tim Ranzetta to celebrate the launch of her new book for teens, How Not to Lose a Million Dollars. Bair explains why she wrote the book, aiming to give young people practical, plain-language guidance on navigating the financial system, and shares her own story of racking up thousands in credit card interest as a young lawyer. The conversation covers the power of compound interest and opportunity cost, why broad-based index funds are the best starting point for new investors, and the growing threats of "finfluencers", gambling apps, and prediction markets. Bair and Ranzetta also dig into bigger-picture policy issues like housing affordability, non-bank financial risks, and the need for trusted, vetted financial education resources in schools. Teachers will especially appreciate the discussion of how to make these topics land with students, along with Bair's offer of free book donations to Title I schools and virtual classroom visits.

In this episode, Yanely Espinal sits down with veteran Bay Area economics teacher Judy Smith to explore how she integrates a mini-unit on economic inequality and solutions in personal finance within her economics course. Judy explains how, after 20 years of teaching, she shifted her focus from the "why" behind economic inequality to the "how" and the hope that empowers students to research and advocate for policy solutions like affordable housing, raising the minimum wage, and expanding child tax credits. This conversation covers the practical flow of her course, where seniors first complete a Civic Action Project in Government course and then a personal finance portfolio in Economics before diving into the inequality unit that wraps up the course. Judy shares how student choice and civic engagement drive deeper buy-in from students. Yanely and Judy also tackle tough questions about balancing personal responsibility with systemic awareness, navigating uncomfortable classroom conversations, and preparing for California's new standalone personal finance graduation requirement. You'll come away with actionable strategies, curated resources, and renewed motivation to bring conversations about economic equity into your own classroom.