Money Counts: Young Adults And Financial Literacy As young adults take on student loans and rack up credit card debt, they often find themselves in a financial hole before their careers ever begin. Growing up in a society of "cashless" financial transactions often results in difficulty grasping the value of a dollar.

Special Series

Money Counts: Young Adults And Financial Literacy

Subscribe to Planet Money Newsletter

Fresh From Service, Vets Face Daunting Job Market

Kevin Miracle, 30, was a staff sergeant in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division and did two tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan. After getting out of the military, he struggled to find a job. He now works at the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center. Nathaniel Hamilton/WHYY hide caption

toggle caption

Nathaniel Hamilton/WHYY

Fresh From Service, Vets Face Daunting Job Market

WHYY

May 20, 2011 • In the current economy, veterans younger than 30 are having an especially difficult time marketing their military skills to potential employers. One former staff sergeant, after getting no offers, says he felt like he'd been demoted to a "private" in the civilian world.

Fresh From Service, Vets Face Daunting Job Market

Listen · 3:44 3:44

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/136278242/136487738" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Young Adults Can Keep It Simple: Start Saving

Saving money doesn't have to be complicated, says financial adviser Beth Kobliner. The main point is for young people to get started early, she says. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Young Adults Can Keep It Simple: Start Saving

May 20, 2011 • For many 20-somethings, financial independence marks their arrival at adulthood. But it can be a hard place to get to if you're also shouldering a lot of debt.

Young Adults Can Keep It Simple: Start Saving

Listen · 3:43 3:43

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/136474108/136487737" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Hard Financial Lessons Learned In College

May 19, 2011 • Many struggling families have kids in college, and they're making tough choices about whether to borrow money to pay for school. That has college kids learning to keep a strict budget to avoid falling into too much debt.

Hard Financial Lessons Learned In College

Listen · 4:05 4:05

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/136243733/136453312" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

For Some Athletes, A Short-Lived Financial Success

May 19, 2011 • Athletes can acquire great wealth without having a clue about money. The leagues are aware of the financial illiteracy and conduct financial seminars for all rookies. But one financial adviser says finance is an issue many pro athletes "don't understand, and it's not communicated right."

For Some Athletes, A Short-Lived Financial Success

Listen · 3:32 3:32

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/136445218/136244062" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Sites That Help Track Your Spending, And Saving

Personal finance websites allow their users to track even small expenses — such as coffee-shop visits — and set savings goals, like paying for a long vacation. PR Newswire hide caption

toggle caption

PR Newswire

Sites That Help Track Your Spending, And Saving

May 18, 2011 • One of the benefits of the online services, a personal finance expert says, is to help users save toward a goal — like buying a house, or taking a long vacation.

Sites That Help Track Your Spending, And Saving

Listen · 3:09 3:09

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/136394339/136394492" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

With Technology, Out-Budgeting Baby Boomers

Mobile apps are one mechanism helping the tech-savvy to manage their finances. iStockphoto.com hide caption

toggle caption

iStockphoto.com

With Technology, Out-Budgeting Baby Boomers

May 18, 2011 • For their parents' generation, finances seemed relatively simple — the economy was good, money was flowing. Today's youth, though, live in a tougher economic climate, so many are learning to budget better and earlier. And new technologies — from home software to mobile apps — are advancing their money smarts.

With Technology, Out-Budgeting Baby Boomers

Listen · 4:30 4:30

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/136391045/136419497" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Financial Lessons Learned: Save Up, Set A Budget

May 17, 2011 • A request on NPR's Facebook page asking people to share the most valuable financial lessons of their youth brought more than 1,400 responses. Many wrote about the importance of saving money starting at an early age. Others talked about avoiding debt — especially credit card debt.

Financial Lessons Learned: Save Up, Set A Budget

Listen · 3:08 3:08

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/136366880/136385150" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

From Monkey Bars To The Money Playground

Kate Haynes (left) and Samantha Jensen watch the stock tickers and debate what to select for their investments while participating in Junior Achievement's Finance Park program in Fairfax County, Va. Erin Schwartz/NPR hide caption

toggle caption

Erin Schwartz/NPR

From Monkey Bars To The Money Playground

May 17, 2011 • At Finance Park, eighth-graders are playing grown-ups — for class credit. The park is a real world mock-up where schools bring kids to learn financial literacy. The teens shop for groceries, buy cars at the dealership, even pick cable plans at a faux Verizon Store — all while trying to stay on a budget.

From Monkey Bars To The Money Playground

Listen · 4:39 4:39

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/136363695/136385149" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

College Student Debt Grows. Is It Worth It?

May 16, 2011 • The amount of money Americans owe on student loans recently exceeded the nation's credit card debt. That may lead one to ask: Is it smart to borrow a lot of money to go to college? Student financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz says college debt is OK — if you're careful.

College Student Debt Grows. Is It Worth It?

Listen · 2:54 2:54

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/136214779/136241445" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

College Students Navigate Financial Life

May 16, 2011 • For many high school and college seniors, graduation is a time of new beginnings and harsh realities. Their thoughts are turning to money — for tuition, rent and credit cards. The choices they make now about debt and finances could be with them for years to come.

College Students Navigate Financial Life

Listen · 4:53 4:53

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/136276157/136276269" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Money Counts: A Series For The Financially Young

May 15, 2011 • This week on Morning Edition, NPR will be airing Money Counts: Young Adults And Financial Literacy, a five-day series examining the relationship between young people and their finances.

Money Counts: A Series For The Financially Young

Listen · 4:12 4:12

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/136328030/136240388" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Calculate How Your Savings Can Grow

May 13, 2011 • A steady savings plan can produce dramatic results. If you put aside $100 a month starting at age 20 and keep at it, you'll accumulate more than $114,000 by the time you're 65. That assumes a 3 percent interest rate. If you sock away $250 a month and rates go up to 5 percent, you'll end up with more than $500,000. Plug your own numbers into this calculator.

iStockphoto.com

Money Quiz: Test Your Financial Know-How

May 13, 2011 • We live in a world of credit cards, IRAs and net worth calculations. How much do you know about making your money work for you? Answer a dozen questions and test your financial literacy.

Browse archive or search npr.org