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Why is Financial Literacy important?

Financial literacy is the culmination of financial, credit and debt management and the knowledge that is necessary to make financially responsible decisions—decisions that are integral to our everyday lives. Financial literacy includes understanding the basics of banking, what using a credit card really means, and how to avoid debt. Financial literacy impacts the daily issues an average individual makes when trying to balance a budget, buy a home, fund higher education and ensure a comfortable retirement. Financial literacy is important to learn at an early age to be able to start saving and investing while benefitting from long-term compound interest.

Why Choose Young Investors Society?

  • Two-thirds of High School students fail a basic financial literacy test (JumpStart).
  • Most schools do not have financial literacy programs. Just recently, 39 states have adopted financial literacy standards as part of the Common Core. The schools that have an investment curriculum tend to use short-term mock portfolios that emphasize poor investment habits.
  • 1 in 3 Americans has $0 saved for retirement (GoBankingRates).
  • 56% of Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement (GoBankingRates).
  • 76% of college students wish they had more help to prepare for their financial futures (KeyBank).

Over 90% of Young Investors Society members that participate in the program successfully pass a standardized financial literacy test (2017)

Our Curriculum:

Young Investors Society curriculum was written by investors representing the biggest names in the industry and professors at Harvard, Wharton, Fidelity, UCLA, BYU and Pepperdine. We teach many valuable concepts including accounting, ethics, economics, psychology, mathematics, business strategy and entrepreneurship all in an after-school club setting that is fun and engaging for students. YIS lessons are comprised of online interactive activities, engaging presentations and curriculum support videos along with peer-led activities focused on financial literacy lessons that emphasize the importance of saving and investing for the future.

Courses & Lessons: Young Investors Society has created a curriculum written by some of the top investors in the world, complete with 30+ turn-key lesson plans that teach many fundamental investing concepts including accounting, finance, ethics, economics, psychology, mathematics, business strategy and entrepreneurship. YIS lessons are comprised of online interactive activities, engaging presentations and curriculum support videos along with peer-led activities focused on financial literacy lessons that emphasize the importance of saving and investing for the future.

Cost:

Young Investors Society’s online program is 100% FREE to students and teachers and there are no curriculum costs for schools.

Programs:

School Sponsored Clubs: Students will learn to create life-changing habits to save and invest for the future in a fun team environment supported by local teachers on campus. Each local chapter will learn the fundamentals of personal finance and progress through the program to learn the more advanced concepts of saving and investing. Students will compete with other YIS students using the MyYIS Portfolio, gain leadership experience and learn many life lessons (e.g. hard work, patience, teamwork, etc.) They will also have an opportunity to participate in all other YIS programs.

YIS Global Online Club: Young Investors Society will launch the YIS Global Online Club for new YIS students and for students who do not have an established YIS club that meets regularly. The YIS Global Online club provides alternative ways for students to learn and access YIS course concepts, interactive Prezi presentations, videos, and lessons taught by our YIS Student Advisory Board Members. Discussion forums and chat options will give students the unique chance to discover the viewpoints of each of their classmates as well as the opportunity to share their own thoughts and ideas.

Stock Pitch Competition: This competition is the culmination of investment skills gained during the year and provides students hands-on mentoring in financial analysis. Students (individually or in teams of two) create a “best stock idea” and analyze a publicly traded company. Each student/team writes a report on their chosen company with a “Buy” or “Sell” recommendation and then defends their analysis in a written report and brief to a panel of university professors and industry professionals. The winners advance through state, regional and a global competition, where one team emerges as the Global Stock Pitch Champion. The competition rewards long-term, original business analysis, and presentation skills.

Dollar-A-Day Challenge: Young Investors Society challenges every student to start saving and investing their own money into a personal brokerage account. This program allows the students to experience the power of compound interest with real money and to create great habits that will help them secure their financial future. Students can also compete for a scholarship match by submitting a brief essay. A limited number of YIS students (1 in 5) will receive a scholarship match for their contributions for the year. This program helps students develop the lifetime habit of saving and investing for retirement as well as to understand the value of long-term decisions.

YIS Fireside Chats: These virtual events serve approximately 300+ high school students from schools across the world. The students learn valuable skills in personal finance, fundamentals of investing, careers in finance, fintech, asset management and so much more from a variety of finance professionals in this webinar/workshop setting. Finance trivia games between speaker sessions make this event fun and entertaining for all. Students have the opportunity to win prizes and have an interactive experience with a Q & A session with event speakers.

CYIA® Designation: The highest achievement within Young Investors Society, students qualify by studying for and passing a rigorous 60-question online finance exam, maintaining a high GPA, participating in community service, and passing an interview with a YIS Board Member. The CYIA® Designation is widely recognized by top Universities and Employers as a top honor for teenagers around the world.