ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Many of us have made a financial mistake or two in our lives. Some of those mistakes could have been avoided if we had been more educated.
Avoiding financial mistakes and being responsible with your money is one of the reasons high school junior Jordan Adams started free financial workshops.
"I’m passionate about business and finance," Jordan said. "I’ve done many summer programs, it’s my favorite topic."
The Oro Valley Youth Advisory Council member says the other reason was a lack of financial education being taught in schools.
"In my school, I noticed there was only one economics class you could take as a high school student and really nothing else," he said.
Workshops are held on Saturdays at the Oro Valley Public Library, focusing on high school students. However, anyone is welcome to attend the free workshops. Saturday’s session focused on budgeting, credit and taxes.
Jordan's father, Virgil Adams, is a financial advisor with more than twenty years of experience.
He was also the instructor for Saturday's class. He says learning the importance of personal finance is critical for students as they prepare for life beyond high school.
"As they get older, especially as they start turning 18, they get credit card offers," the finance expert said. "And they have to look at making big purchases, such as going to college and getting into student debt."
Jordan hopes that through these workshops more people are able to avoid financial pitfalls that, once you fall into them, could be a lot harder to climb out of.
"No matter what field you go into when you grow up, you’re going to always be dealing with personal finance," Jordan explained. "Credit cards, different types of cost always. So I think it’s an important topic everyone needs to learn."
Two more workshops will be held this semester:
- April 22: How to Pay for College
- Location Oro Valley Public Library
- Time: 2-3 p.m.
- May 6: How to Think Like a Businessperson
- Location: Oro Valley Council Chambers
- Time: 2-3 p.m.
For more information, you can visit the Oro Valley Youth Advisory Council's website.
