Financial Literacy

Starting in the 2022-2023 school year, Applied Arts teacher Patricia Riley will teach Financial Literacy as a half-year elective at both the Honors and College Prep (CP) levels.

Financial Literacy is not a new course at Algonquin, but this will be the first year it is offered at the Honors level in addition to the CP level. According to Riley, this single-semester course will dive deeper into topics such as job search, employment, payroll forms and tax returns.

“Students will focus on developing a financial plan, which includes establishing goals, managing and analyzing a budget and financing college,” Riley said. “An in-depth look at various savings and investment options such as stocks, bonds and retirement plans will be explored, along with the Time Value of Money concept. They will also examine the meaning of debt, which is a critical problem in our economy.” 

Riley believes that it is an important class to be teaching, especially in society’s ever-changing economy. 

“More and more students are investing in the stock market, and it’s important to help them gain the knowledge they need to make smart financial decisions,” Riley said. “We would have less people with money problems living paycheck to paycheck if every school taught financial literacy. We need all students to be financially-literate to be productive citizens in society.” 

This course is useful to all students, and Riley encourages students to take the class because of its real-world application and value. 

“I would tell students that you can’t afford not to take the class,” Riley said. “It literally can mean the difference in how they live their life—struggling or financially stable.”