Area HS Students Rock and Roll Into Financial Literacy

Mike Motz, Sidney Sun-Telegraph

On Tuesday, March 14, Sidney High School students were treated to a concert by Carter Hulsey and his band as part of the "Funding the Future" program that educates students on the importance of financial literacy.

Hulsey and his band mates from Nashville, TN, perform original songs and have entertained and educated over 260,000 students in 35 states as part of the "Funding the Future" program. "Funding the Future", in partnership with the Nebraska Council on Economic Education, stresses the importance of learning financial literacy at a young age to avoid the pitfalls and negative consequences of not understanding the importance of credit, loans, taxes and other financial responsibilities" students will have to deal with as they grow into young adults.

After the band plays a good hour long set, Hulsey then addresses the students for about 20 minutes, weaving a story of how not understanding finance and financial responsibility hurt him and delayed his development as an adult.

"Like many people, I had to learn the hard way when it came to finances," said Hulsey. "It would have been great if the schools had programs to teach students about how to manage money, the importance of good credit, taxes and other financial responsibilities before I had to learn the hard way," he said.

Like many people of prior generations, he started to learn about financial literacy and responsibility after it was too late. Too many people in our country finally get an education about credit cards, loans and taxes only after they get into trouble and have to go through a long and painful process of repairing credit or paying off high-interest loans. "Funding the Future" is focused on getting students to understand, while still in school, the importance of financial literacy and discipline, and how finance affects their lives, whether they understand it or not. Too often, students, especially when they attend college, get hooked into opening credit cards and applying for loans without understanding the implications of these decisions. Hulsey has a message that focuses on "delayed gratification", and understanding that you cannot "have it all", immediately. By getting young people to understand that they already are unique individuals with value, he hopefully gets them to understand that trying to have everything, immediately, is a recipe for disaster and could negatively impact a young person for many years, and prevent them from achieving their own personal goals and dreams.

In a world of easy credit, payday lenders, shady automobile loans and high taxes, Hulsey and "Funding the Future" provides a valuable message of financial responsibility and realistic expectations that helps students start off their financial life on the right foot and resist the temptations to get into serious debt at a young age. Understanding how to invest money and save responsibly is a lesson that will help our young people throughout their lives as they grow into responsible adults in our community.