It Just Wouldn't Go Away

Does the fact that many young people fall into the debt trap early and spend the rest of their lives trying to climb out of it bother you?  Well it bothers me.  I started thinking a lot about this dilemma a few years ago.  On occasion, I would put my concerns aside for a while but they would just seep back into my consciousness and demand my attention.  It just wouldn't go away.

Most of us learned about finances the hard way.  In addition to credit card debt, many people are paying off personal and college loans well into their forties, fifties and beyond.  A report by the Federal Reserve issued in December 2012 indicated the households with debt carried average credit card balances of $15,418, mortgages of $149,752, and student loans of $34,703.  

I began to focus on what I think is a way to turn this trend around.  You just have to educate people about personal finances in high school before they have a chance to catch a ride on the debt merry-go-round.  Many parents might cringe at the thought of troubling their children with the reality of finances so early in life.  I know I felt this way when my children were growing up.  But now, I think I was wrong.  I should have had them right in the middle of setting up household budgets. 

Well, none of us can go back in time but we can move forward.  So, I started working on a budgeting  eBook for high school students.  I didn't want a book with long financial planning essays. Instead, I set my sights on providing common sense, doable methods for them to use to meet their needs now, and in the near future, without becoming saddled with debt.  It took a while but I finally published it this month.  Living Debt-Free:  A Budgeting Guide for High Schoolers is now available online at:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1099898900.

This has been a passion for me.  I sincerely hope it will help some young folks and they will find it exciting to realize just how empowering it is to be able to control their future.