Teaching Kids About Finance

By Kristine Castagnaro
Wednesday - August 12, 2009
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Council staff (from left) Ellen Morrison, Kristine Castagnaro and Melanie Nagasako

Did you know young adults between the ages of 20 and 24 represent the fastest-growing segment of bankruptcy filings? To make matters worse, credit-card debt among young adults (ages 25 to 34) has increased 55 percent, while credit-card debt among the youngest adults (ages 18 to 24) has skyrocketed 104 percent since 1982.

These are sobering facts, and part of the reason why for 44 years the Hawaii Council on Economic Education (HCEE) has dedicated itself to increase the economic literacy of Hawaii’s youth. We firmly believe increasing financial literacy leads to increased financial capability.


As a nonprofit organization, HCEE operates on a bare-bones budget with only three full-time staff. But that doesn’t mean we don’t make a major impact on our youths. Our expertise lies in training teachers and providing them with methods, strategies and resource materials to successfully integrate economics concepts into core subjects such as math, social studies and business.

Since its inception, HCEE has trained thousands of public and private K-12 teachers. Within the past six years alone, HCEE has logged more than 13,500 contact hours, providing economic and financial education to close to 1,000 teachers from 247 different schools across the state.

It’s no secret Hawaii has joined the rest of the world in these unsettling economic times. Everyone, young and old - the wealthy, middle-class working families and low-income - has been affected by our down economy. That’s why HCEE has partnered with more than 80 local banks, credit unions, investment companies and other nonprofit entities to host Hawaii’s largest financial exposition. The first-ever Personal Finance Expo will take place Aug. 15-16 at Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall.

With 80 exhibitors, keiki activities, and 50 free seminars and teen workshops, the Personal Finance Expo offers something for everyone. Salvaging your retirement plan, investing for college, creating financial balance, obtaining your first credit card, caring for aging parents, avoiding foreclosure, starting a business, growing your wealth and teaching your keiki the value of money are just a sampling of the topics touched upon by our seminars.

The Personal Finance Expo has been designed for an entire family to attend, and upon leaving, all family members (even keiki as young as 2) will have learned something new to help them make smart, informed choices! Admission costs only $2 with a coupon; free for children under 12.


Everyone has money questions. The Personal Finance Expo offers a welcoming, educational environment where people can get answers from industry experts in one location. By attending, not only will people learn strategies to weather this financial storm, they also will learn how to take advantage of the opportunities that do exist to increase personal wealth.

For a complete list of seminar topics, exhibitors, activities and to download the $3-off admission discount coupon, go to http://www.mymoneyhawaii.com or call 536-6304.

Hawaii’s largest-ever Personal Finance Expo takes place Saturday, Aug. 15 (10 a.m.-6 p.m.) and Sunday, Aug. 16 (10 a.m.-4 p.m.) at Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall.

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