Investing For Beginners – Free Investment Articles and Tutorials

Do you know what a 1099 is? Have you ever heard of venture capital? Do you think a market cap is something you wear on your head when you go to the grocery store? Are Bulls and Bears nothing more to you than a football and basketball team based in Chicago? If you can’t define these terms, you may be in need of some instruction in financial literacy.


A 1990 study conducted by some of the nation’s top investment banks revealed that Americans are sorely lacking in even the most basic financial literacy. To combat this trend there are now countless financial literacy courses offered by various schools and even banks, all aiming to raise the level of American’s understanding of the world of finance.

It’s a good idea, one that should be taken a step further by offering some form of financial literacy classes in the grade school and high school levels. Most American high schools require only one semester of economics class for students to graduate. While it is certainly better than nothing at all, eighteen weeks is simply not enough time for students to be taught everything they need to be taught about the basics of our economic system, never mind all of the various financial options that exist. Also, because they typically receive no training in financial literacy before they become high school seniors (save the ability to count change – something that woefully few students learn – just try giving the kid behind the register at the 7-11 the extra penny sometime and watch his brain melt down), they often can’t understand the basic concepts being taught in those classes.

America is largely a country of spendthrifts and people who live from paycheck to paycheck, no matter what their income level is. While this is an unfortunate by-product of a capitalistic economy, there is no reason for the problem to be so rampant. Teaching kids financial literacy as early as grade school will turn those trends around for the better.

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