Absolutely agree with this. If I were of the tinfoil brigade, I’d perhaps ponder as to whether it’s intentional.

As someone who had no concept of the value of, or respect for, my hard earned money, up until my twenties - payday loans, capital one, borrowing from friends here and there (with a respectable salary throughout) - I’m glad I stumbled upon investing by chance, discovered the power of compounding, the psychological necessities etc.

I don’t want to get too political here, but if the majority of today’s youth (says the elderly 34 year old) were directed towards financial prudence and made aware that one can take a stake in profitable companies, to receive the fruits of such, rather than joining Momentum and wailing about how we’re all so hard done by, the country would be a better place. I frequent various online media (Reddit in the main) and US kids are all about single stocks, investments... Of course the sample size is small, but we are just such a dour and pessimistic country in terms of making money. It’s not a crime.

Let's rewrite this:

Let 1 = 2

(1 x 1) = (2 x 1)
(1 x 1) - (2 x 2) = (2 x 1) - (2 x 2)
(1 + 2) x (1 - 2) = 2 x (1 - 2)
1 + 2 = 2
2 x 2 = 2
2 = 1

Utter nonsense, because you started with a = b which could just as easily have been 1 = 2 (or 17 = 91)

I prefer the game where you hold out your fingers and thumbs one by one and count up to 10, then count backwards "10, 9, 8, 7, 6 and five's 11".
Just as spurious!

Good to see you are back once more Tony.
Always refreshing to hear a different point of view.
The needle here is tending to become stuck in the groove, and needs a good nudge.
Some stimulation to the thought processes, whether orthodox or unorthodox, is welcome.
All Best and keep posting.

The site says "Adding 'personal finance' as a compulsory subject on the UK's National Curriculum across Key Stages 1 to 4. E.g. ages 5-16. "Fundamental concepts like budgeting, investing, types of savings, pensions, goal setting and planning, debt and how the financial system works"

There are ways of introducing the concept of income, spending and savings gently over those key stages. E.g. Piggy banks for 5 year olds rather than SIPPs!

If the average family in the UK is spending £900 more than it earns, surely teaching kids that money doesn't grow on trees and there are choices to be made will start to help families quickly (e.g. reduce nagging at checkouts for sweets and toys)

"Adding this to the National Curriculum means that all state schools have to teach it, irrespective of the background and experiences of their pupils. This is vs the current situation, where financial education is not mandated, but is supported as part of a comprehensive programme."

Apparently only half of schools do teach personal finance, hence the petition to make it more than advisory.


It says Key Stages 1 to 4. 4 (age 16) is getting close to degree time (and voting time). Don't you believe that what children are taught earlier influences their later choices?

Current Affairs can go take a running leap if it's getting in the way of instilling basic financial acumen.

Who remembers last year's news? News is ephemeral. If it's really important it'll be there for history whereas budgeting and managing and understanding money is a core skill.

Sure, parents should be instilling it (along with a lot of things). But there are quite a lot of feckless parents who don't or can't - and those are probably the families that need it the most. Time spent at school doing this could also save the rest of us money and make society better.