The financial literacy unit in Kyle’s high school was… nonexistent.
But he did know how to square dance, thanks to gym class.
At 23, Kyle had just graduated with a film degree, $38,000 in student loans, a car he couldn’t afford to put gas in, and a growing suspicion that knowing how to do the Macarena in sneakers wasn’t going to pay the rent.
One Tuesday morning, after microwaving a suspiciously chewy bagel and watching a video titled “How to Get Rich Quick (Without a Real Job),” Kyle’s bank app pinged him with the kind of message that felt like a breakup text:
“You’ve been charged $35.00 for insufficient funds.”
He stared at the screen.
“…For a $3 slice of pizza?”
Kyle did the math. Three dollars for pizza, plus thirty-five dollars in overdraft, meant that slice had cost him $38.
“Oh cool,” he mumbled to himself. “I just financed pepperoni.”
This was the moment. The moment all young adults hit: the “why-didn’t-they-teach-me-financial-literacy-in-school” moment. Kyle had survived Calculus but couldn’t explain a credit score. He’d memorized Hamlet’s soliloquy but had no clue how APR worked.
Still fuming over his “artisan debt slice,” Kyle posted a poll to his 3,782 Instagram followers:
Did your school teach financial literacy?
□ Yes, totally helpful
□ LOL no
□ We learned how to juggle eggs instead
Over 2,400 people voted. 91% chose “LOL no.” One person chose “we learned how to juggle eggs,” which was somehow more insulting.
That night, Kyle Googled “financial literacy programs” like he was cramming for a test. He stumbled across a free local workshop at the library titled: “Adulting 101: Making Sense of Cents.” It sounded corny… which meant it was probably exactly what he needed.
He walked in the next evening wearing a hoodie that said “I Paused My Game to Be Here.” There were 12 other “I-Paused-My-Life-to-Fix-My-Money” types in the room, from TikTok dancers to baristas to that guy who used to freestyle in the high school cafeteria.
The instructor, a woman named Marcy who looked like she could destroy you at both spreadsheets and karaoke, started with a question:
Understanding the Importance of Financial Literacy
“Raise your hand if you’ve made a financial mistake.”
Kyle raised both.
Marcy nodded like a finance Yoda.
“Great. That means you’re ready to learn.”
Over the next few sessions, Kyle learned how credit cards actually worked, what a budget was (spoiler: it wasn’t a spreadsheet for guilt), and how to avoid giving banks $35 to eat lunch.
He even learned that financial literacy wasn’t just for grownups in suits. It was about survival—like learning to cook or how not to get scammed by free trial subscriptions that weren’t free and definitely not trials.
The kicker? Kyle got so into it, he made a short documentary titled:
“Things I Wish My High School Taught Me (Besides Cursive).”
It featured dramatic reenactments of financial fails: overdraft charges, mystery subscriptions, and an animated segment titled “What Even Is a Roth IRA?” narrated by a cartoon piggy bank named Cashy.
It got 88,000 views in a week. And an email from his old high school principal.
“We’d like to show this to students during Senior Week. Also, do you teach workshops?”
Kyle blinked.
“Wait… I’m the program now?”
Yup. Kyle had become the financial literacy program in schools he never had. He charged a modest speaker fee—paid up front—and used the money to treat himself to a pizza slice he could afford.
With cash.
Final Reflection:
If Kyle had learned about financial literacy before adulthood, he might have saved thousands. But at least now, thanks to one overpriced slice and a whole lot of overdraft drama, he could help others start smarter.
So… what’s one thing you wish school had taught you?
And are you still paying for it—in interest?
