I shouldn’t have to learn about credit scores on TikTok.

If someone handed me a paycheck and told me to spend it like an adult, I wouldn’t know how to invest it, budget it or even file taxes. Instead, I’d panic and probably spend it on overpriced coffee and clothes I don’t need because I wasn’t taught how to use money efficiently.

It’s absurd that we’re expected to know how to manage money when it was never a part of the state’s required curriculum. Not once have I been told how credit cards work or how not to accidentally ruin your financial future at 19. I’ve received more financial advice from social media than from teachers. 

Financial literacy should be a mandatory subject in schools to prepare students for real-world responsibilities and prevent financial struggles. 

Core subjects such as English, math, science and history are useful, but we spend the year learning Texas history in both fourth and seventh grade. I’ll always “Remember the Alamo,” but I never learned what a 401(K) is. They teach us about the triangular inequality theorem, but unless someone actually becomes a mathematician or architect, it feels like we’re wasting our memory. The basics of math are important, but learning how to budget $5,000 a month for rent, groceries and taxes is more important than learning the Pythagorean theorem. We’re expected to figure it out and magically know what to do when we get our first job. 

When people don’t understand saving or investing, they don’t do it at all, slowing down the economy.  Not understanding how loans or interest rates work can lead to borrowing money that’s hard (or impossible) to pay back. That’s how people acquire debt or go bankrupt — creating problems for banks and the financial system. 

Then there’s the wealth gap. Financial illiteracy hits low-income and marginalized communities harder, keeping the poverty cycle going. It’s a system that’s already unfair and gets even worse because people lack the knowledge or resources to escape it. 

There are money-related classes offered, but they aren’t expressed in the ways they should be. For example, a government and economics course is required, but it mainly focuses on the government and its role in the economy–not the financial skills you need after graduation.

We also have a money matters elective, but it is optional. People may take the course if they think it is an “easy A,” but that takes away from the importance of financial literacy.

We should start teaching financial literacy in high school in a way that builds over time. 

Here are some practical suggestions:i In ninth grade, start by covering how bank accounts work and how to make a budget without crying. Think of it as the “how to not spend your entire paycheck on snacks” level.

In 10th grade introduce credit cards, interest rates, student loans and how not to get scammed. This is the year most students start to work part-time jobs, so it’s the perfect time.

By 11th grade, talk about savings accounts, the stock market and why starting early makes your future self richer. Imagine learning about compound interest and being able to relax, knowing that saving $10 now can potentially turn into way more later.

In 12th grade, discuss filing taxes, signing a lease, car insurance, retirement plans and making major purchases without having an identity crisis. 

The plan can work because it’s not overwhelming. It would grow with students and give us a chance to actually practice financial skills before we are thrown into the real world. By the time we graduate, we’d have four years of basic financial knowledge to carry with us. Although some individuals claim it’s parents’ responsibility to teach money management, many never learned themselves. Schools exist to create a productive workforce and train students to become informed and socially mobile citizens.

It isn’t revolutionary to say teenagers deserve to know how to manage money. We deserve more than a “good luck out there.” We deserve an education that actually prepares us for life outside of school — and that means learning to survive financially. 

I shouldn’t have to rely on TikTok creators and Reddit threads to explain how interest works. Schools should make financial literacy a graduation requirement. We’re going to deal with money for the rest of our lives, so we should start learning before it costs us.