Filling in for Beth this week with the weekend reads...Enjoy!

• Across the pond...the Bank of England launched a program to improve financial literacy. "The econoME programme will give young people greater economic and financial awareness, equipping them with the skills to make more informed decisions about personal financial choices."
• How did the Great Recession affect those with student debt? Hint: It delayed a lot of decisions. 
• 90% of Americans believe that personal finance class should be a graduation requirement...and yet only 1 in 6 students currently attend a school that requires it. 
• Tweetstorm from veteran Wall Street investor sharing what he's learned after 30 years in the game. Rare to see an investment pro admit what he/she doesn't know!
• Another reason not to trust those cohort student loan default rates...they are easily manipulated by consultants. Sad to see this is still going on. "Consultants" pressure student borrowers to agree to forbearance (postpone payments on their student loans while interest accrues) and calculated default rates drop. 
• ...on the subject of student debt, the total is now at $1.5 trillion and the student loan office in the CFPB has been reorganized which worries consumer advocates. 
• On the credit card front, Apple and Goldman Sachs are teaming up on new credit card product. Apple Gold card, anyone? Ok, maybe I just made that one up but it does have a nice ring to it. 
• Staying with credit cards, 45% of Americans in this survey said they never received a proper education with credit cards...wonder if that's the same 45% (or 50%) that carry a balance on their cards. 

Want to see how much technology has changed over the past few decades? Follow computer shipment data and you'll get a good idea (Remember the TRS-80?). Hat tip to Big Picture Blog for this graphic...

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.